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No. 10 Texas tops Alabama once during Bevo Classic, fall in extra innings twice
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns softball team ran its winning streak to 13 games before falling in back-to-back extra-inning games at the Bevo Classic.
On Sunday, the No. 10 Longhorns lost to Texas State in nine innings 5-4 to close out the tournament with a 3-2 record. Bobcats center fielder Piper Randolph hit a triple down the right-field line to score Hannah Earls in the top of the ninth to give Texas State the lead.
Texas put the tying run on third and the winning run on first in the bottom half, but Texas State pitcher Jessica Mullins got a flyout to end the game and strand the two runners.
Freshman infielder Leighann Goode finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and a home run while Mia Scott had a pair of hits.
- Bevo Classic box scores
- Friday, March 10: vs. Wisconsin, 5-1 W; vs. Alabama, 5-3 W
- Saturday, March 11, vs. Wisconsin, 7-4 W; vs. Alabama, 4-3 L (11 innings)
- Sunday, March 12, vs. Texas State, 5-4 L (9 innings)
Following Sunday's loss in extra innings, it was the first time since 2001 the Longhorns had lost consecutive games that went to extras.
On Saturday, the Longhorns started the day with a 7-4 win over Wisconsin — the second win over the Badgers in as many days. In the nightcap against No. 9 Alabama, both teams got a little more than they bargained for. The game went 11 innings before the Tide scored in the top half with an RBI single by Kenleigh Cahalan. Alabama pitcher Montana Fouts, who threw all 11 innings and 162 pitches, stranded two Texas base runners in the bottom half and struck out Katie Cimusz to end the game nearly four hours after it began.
Scott had three of Texas' five hits off Fouts while Ashton Maloney and Reese Atwood had the others.
On Friday, Texas fared a bit better off Fouts, handing her the second loss of the season in a 5-3 win. Texas took a 5-0 lead after scoring all their runs in the third inning, and three of the runs were earned. Alyssa Washington drove in Bella Dayton with a fielder's choice, then freshman Viviana Martinez drove in two with a double to left-center field. Maloney reached base on an error that allowed both Martinez and Courtney Day to score.
Alabama third baseman Ashley Prange blasted a 3-run home run off Longhorns starting pitcher Mac Morgan in the fifth inning, but she still pitched well enough to earn her seventh win of the season. She pitched 4.2 innings, scattered three hits and had two strikeouts with a walk in 21 batters faced. Estelle Czech picked up the save after 2.1 innings without allowing a run with four strikeouts.
Texas had eight hits on Friday with Goode and Martinez picking up two each. Scott hit a triple.
The Longhorns (21-4-1) kick off a stretch of six road games Tuesday in Huntsville against the Sam Houston Bearkats.