The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
North Texas
Softball downs North Texas, 7-1, to advance to championship game of Texas Classic
02.17.2007 | Softball
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 10 Texas Softball team jumped out to an early lead in its Texas Classic semifinal game and would never look back, knocking off North Texas, 7-1, to advance to the tournament championship game, Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. The Longhorns will take on the winner of the Texas A&M Corpus Christi vs. San Diego State semifinal game.
Texas (7-2) senior righthander Meagan Denny (3-1) went the distance for the Longhorns, tossing 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, while striking out a season-high 14 batters. Freshman shortstop Loryn Johnson headlined the Texas offense in the game with a 2-for-3 performance and one run scored.
The Longhorns got things going in the first inning when Johnson delivered a one-out double to left field. Megan Willis and Tallie Thrasher followed with a pair of walks, and Johnson came home when Kacie Gaskin reached on a fielder's choice. Jacqueline Williams added an RBI single, and Kori Cook was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, plating Texas' third run and pushing the lead to 3-0.
North Texas (3-6) surrendered three more runs in the second inning, pushing the first run across when a bases-loaded walk was issued to Jacqueline Williams. Cook then drove home two more runs with a two-run single to left field, scoring Gaskin and Thrasher, who reached on a fielder's choice and a walk respectively.
The Mean Green plated their only run of the contest in the sixth, but Thrasher answered in the bottom of the inning, blasting a towering home run to left centerfield to move the Texas edge to 7-1.
North Texas starter Ashley Leil (2-2) suffered the loss for the Mean Green after throwing a complete game, surrendering seven runs on seven hits in 6.0 innings of work.
The Longhorns conclude the Texas Classic Saturday afternoon. Live stats, Internet audio and Internet video will be available for all of the Longhorns tournament games.
