The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
Williamses lift Softball over Missouri, 4-3
04.08.2006 | Softball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Jacqueline Williams cracked a 260-foot two-run walk-off home run to deep right center in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the top-ranked Texas softball team to a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over Missouri in a Big 12 contest Saturday afternoon at McCombs Field.
Texas (39-4, 6-1 Big 12) overcame a 3-0 deficit in posting the league win over Mizzou (18-16, 2-3 Big 12). The Longhorns scored all four of their runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
Williams' game-winning home run came with one out and one on with UT trailing 3-2. She sent the first pitch from Tiger righthander Jen Bruck over the 10-foot fence in right centerfield. Kacie Gaskin, who had doubled down the left-field line with one out prior to Williams' plate appearance, scored the game-tying run ahead of Williams.
The homer was Williams' fourth overall on the season and her second in Big 12 action. She raised her RBI total to 18 with the two-run winning hit.
Texas, now 11-1 in its last 12 games, got a complete game from Cat Osterman. Now 24-1 on the year, Osterman allowed three earned runs and gave up six hits while striking out 13 and walking one. Those six hits were the most yielded by Osterman in a game this year. She improved to 4-0 in Big 12 play.
Bruck (16-11) took the loss, allowing four runs (all earned) on four hits. She walked three and fanned two in her 6.1 innings of work.
Down 3-0, Texas responded by scoring two runs in the bottom of the sixth as Desiree Williams delivered the key hit, a two-out single up the middle which scored two runs. Pinch hitter Chez Sievers drew a one-out walk and centerfielder Tina Boutelle was hit by a pitch, moving Sievers to second. Both runners advanced on an infield groundout before Williams drove them both home, collecting her team-high 33rd and 34th RBI of the season. Williams was stranded on base as Bruck retired Amber Hall on a hard liner to center for the final out of the inning.
Mizzou had jumped out to its 3-0 lead by scoring two runs in the top of the fourth and one more in the fifth. In the fourth, a two-run double by to right field by MU's Amanda Renth with one out accounted for a 2-0 lead. Osterman then struck out the final two Tiger batters to end the rally. In the fifth, Kathy Masterson doubled down the left field line, advanced to third on a groundout, and came home on a bunt single by Gina Schneider.
The only other player besides Desiree Williams and Jacqueline Williams to collect a hit for the Horns was Gaskin, who went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Renth (2-for-3, 2 RBI) was the top offensive performer for the Tigers.
The Longhorns improve to 23-1 at home this season, after having their 28-game win streak at McCombs snapped in its last outing, a 4-2 loss on April 5 to No. 17 Texas A&M.
Texas and Missouri conclude their weekend series on Sunday, April 9 with a single game beginning at 1 p.m. at McCombs Field.
