Texas triumphs: Four-run seventh lifts ’Horns over Cowgirls
Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, March 17, 2021
- Photo Credit
Warren Arceneaux
McNeese State was two outs away from scoring a big nonconference win over No. 10 Texas, but the Longhorns scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to escape with a 5-2 win Tuesday night.
With one out, Texas loaded the bases with three consecutive singles, the first two coming from the eight- and nine-hole hitters in the order. Shannon Rhodes then hit a dribbler past second base. McNeese shortstop Cori McCrary made a diving stop, but an attempted toss to second base got away. Two runs scored on the play to give Texas a 3-2 lead. Colleen Sullivan added a two-run single.
“We had an opportunity to make a play and maybe keep it to a tie game and the ball gets away,” McNeese head coach Stuart Landreneau said. “That’s why you have to play seven complete innings. We have yet to do so against this caliber team. When you play against quality teams, they make you pay for it.”
The Cowgirls (10-14) led most of the way behind the pitching of starter Jenna Edwards and reliever Saleen Flores before the Longhorns (16-2) rallied in the final inning.
The Cowgirls took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a fielder’s choice grounder from Chloe Gomez to score Caleigh Cross and an error by Texas third baseman Mary Iakopo to score McCrary.
Texas responded with a run in the fourth, when Shannon Rhodes led off with a single and scored on a two-out, opposite-field hit to left by Lauren Burke.
Edwards allowed one run in four-plus innings.
“She did a really good job of changing speeds and planes with them,” Landreneau said of Edwards. “She kept them off balance and induced a lot of weak contact. (Flores) did a good job for a while. She is a different kind of pitcher. She was tilting the ball well and was getting good depth on her dropball.”
McCrary had a pair of doubles and Toni Perrin had three singles to lead the McNeese offense.
Kirk Meche / Special to the American Press
