The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Houston
Gaskin shoots Softball past Houston
03.04.2006 | Softball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Freshman Kacie Gaskin shot a single back up the middle that scored Chez Sievers and Brittany Reliford, putting the Horns on the board in the fourth inning as the second-ranked Texas softball team defeated Houston, 3-0, in front of a season-best crowd of 1,089 Saturday afternoon at McCombs Field.
With the win, Texas (22-1) secured the number one seed in the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational semifinals, where the Longhorns will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-11) on Saturday at 7 p.m. Houston (15-6) gained the number two seed and will face third-seeded Ole Miss (5-12) in the first semifinal game at 5 p.m.
UT also matched its program-best winning streak - 20 games - with the win, equaling the 2003 team's streak it had at the end of the season and entering the Women's College World Series.
Cat Osterman (13-0) earned the win in the circle, throwing her 10th shutout of the season. She recorded 17 strikeouts with one walk in the complete game two-hitter.
Gaskin, who came off hitting her first career home run on Friday night, had her first multiple-RBI game of her career, while Crystal Saenz - who went 2-for-2 - collected her first career multiple-hit game.
Tina Boutelle increased her hitting streak to seven games, matching her career longest stretch, with a sixth-inning RBI triple that scored Gaskin who drew a walk with one out. Boutelle now has nine career triples, second all-time at Texas. She is one shy of Jodi Reeves and Nicki Cockrell's career record of 10.
Desiree Williams beat out an infield hit in the first inning, stretching her career-best hitting streak to 10 games. However, she saw her six-game RBI streak come to an end.
Houston's Angel Shamblin (5-3) took the loss, lasting 3.1 innings and allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Carla Kennimer threw the next 2.0 innings, surrendering one run on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk, before Crystal Briscoe closed out the final two-thirds of an inning, issuing one walk in the process.
The Cougars' Katie Bush and Brandi Clark each had singles in the game.
