Mac Morgan helps hurl no-hitter as Texas Longhorns top Seton Hall in NCAA softball opener

Things couldn’t have gone any better for Texas to open the NCAA softball tournament.

Pitchers Mac Morgan and Estelle Czech combined for a no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Big East champion Seton Hall in the first game of the Austin Regional on Friday at McCombs Field. Seven different batters for Texas (43-13-1) got a hit, and the team spent just 95 minutes in the draining, 90-degree heat to move one game closer to a super regional.

“It was definitely a great start for us, in my mind,” Texas coach Mike White said. “We were able to get ahead early, and that’s when we're dangerous.”

Morgan looked particularly dangerous while mowing through four innings against a potent lineup for Seton Hall (42-17) that hits better than .300 as a team. She threw just 38 pitches — 24 for strikes — and didn’t allow anyone to reach base until Lela Allen drew a walk in the fourth.

More: Texas softball team unhappy with NCAA seeding, path; so what will Longhorns do about it?

But did Morgan lobby her coach to stay in the game and try to complete the no-hitter, even though she knew an early exit could mean a fresher arm later this weekend?

“Well, she did ask me twice about it without mentioning the word no-hitter, but we all knew what was going on,” White said with a grin. “But you know, sometimes you have to put the team first. And that's why I said to her, ‘Hey, this is going to be a long weekend, and we'll make sure you're fresh.’ And she understood.”

Morgan (17-4), who transferred to Texas from Arizona State before the season, nodded in agreement during the postgame press conference.

“I'm feeling good, and I'm going to be rested for the next few days,” she said. “I was just trying to go at my own pace. I know myself and know what I can do, and I was really working my spots and getting groundouts for my defense. I let my defense work for me.”

The Texas defense certainly did that. Second baseman Leighann Goode made several stellar plays, including a lunging stab that robbed Andrea Perez of a hit in the third inning. Mia Scott had another strong game at third, and Vivi Martinez gobbled up several sharpy hit balls to shortstop.

Martinez, an All-Big 12 freshman from Arizona, paced the offense with two runs, two hits and three RBIs, including a double deep to center field that helped Texas plate four runs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game because of the eight-run mercy rule.

More: Texas softball team will host A&M, Texas State in regional round of NCAA Tournament

Part of an impressive freshman class that includes Goode, catcher Reese Atwood and pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez, Martinez said the excitement of playing in her first NCAA Tournament game outweighed any nerves.

“I've never been here before on this type of stage, but it’s a blessing, you know?” she said. “All the crowd is cheering everything. It’s just so fun, so you want to play relaxed and play our game.”

Seton Hall hasn’t been on the NCAA Tournament stage since 2005, and star pitcher Shelby Smith — a native of the Houston area who’s grateful to play back in her home state — said the Pirates need to refocus in order to stay alive in the regional tournament.

“I first want to say just how great it is to be home,” said Smith, who threw all five innings for Seton Hall. “I get to see all my friends and family. I mean, there's a girl (Anna Jones) that I played high school with (at Lutheran South Academy) on Texas State, so it's just great.”

And at least Smith wasn’t fazed by the Austin heat, which is downright dry compared with her hometown of Friendswood.

“Honestly, I love the heat,” she said. “I was, like, ‘Thank you, no sleeves.’ But just going into tomorrow, we're really going to have to hone in on our defense and swing at our pitches, because I think we started swinging at stuff that wasn’t characteristic of us. Tomorrow, we just need to stay here instead of making the moment bigger than it is.”

Texas will face Texas A&M, which opened with a 2-1 win over Texas State in Friday's second game, while Seton Hall and Texas State will try to avoid elimination with a win.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Mac Morgan, Texas softball team no-hit Seton Hall in NCAA opener