The overcast skies did not stop No.7-ranked Texas softball team from confidently securing two wins on the first day of the Lone Star Invitational on Friday against Sam Houston State and Lamar University.
“It feels so good to be back out here and on the field,” sophomore pitcher Shea O’Leary said.
After 353 days, the Longhorns returned to Red and Charline McCombs Field with dominant pitching to secure a 9-3 win over Sam Houston State and a 10-0 run-rule victory that lasted merely five innings against Lamar University.
In their first game of the day against Sam Houston State, both Texas pitchers, freshman Ryleigh White Courtney Day, rose to the challenge of picking up where former UT pitcher Miranda Elish left off.
White pitched four innings and gave up only two runs while striking out two batters in her 2021 season debut, securing her first win as a Longhorn.
In an impressive closing performance to the game, Day earned her first save of the season. She gave up two hits and one run with two strikeouts in three innings of work.
Not only did the Longhorns manage a steady defensive front with stellar pitching performances from both White and Day, junior utility player Mary Iakopo and freshman right fielder Jordyn Whitaker lead the team offensively with their first homeruns of the season.Whitaker’s blast marked the first home run of her collegiate career. Junior second baseman Janae Jefferson reached a milestone with her 200th career hit.
To finish off the day, the Longhorns run-ruled an overmatched Lamar team, ending the game in five innings with a score of 10-0. The offensive explosion was a welcome occurrence after the Longhorns scored one run on Wednesday night.
In the bottom of the first inning, Iakopo followed up her game one home run by kicking off game two with a three-run homer in the first inning.
Junior pitcher Ariana Adams picked up her first win of the season by only giving up two hits in the entirety of the game, striking out seven batters.
With a strong offensive performance on day one of the Lone Star Invitational, the Longhorns had a total of 19 runs on 18 hits. Their defense was equally impressive by giving up three runs in two games. The only area they didn’t shine on this cloudy day was the six errors they committed as a whole.
Despite losing their ace in Elish for the 2021 season, Texas showed dominance from the mound on Friday, hopefully marking a sign of a stable rotation for the rest of the season. The emergence of White, combined with the continued service of Day and Adams, powered Texas to two convincing victories.
With the active bats and pitching strength, the Longhorns look to carry their momentum into Saturday as they face No. 25 Mississippi State tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.
