The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Utah
Denny leads No. 22 Softball past Utah, 2-0
03.02.2008 | Softball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas senior righthander Meagan Denny tossed her third complete game shutout of the season to pace the 22nd-ranked Texas Softball team past Utah, 2-0, Sunday morning in the third-place game of the Texas Classic.
The Longhorns' victory moved UT to 11-6-1 on the year and 3-2 at the Texas Classic and dropped the Utes to 10-5 and 3-2 for the weekend.
Denny (9-2) earned the victory, throwing 7.0 innings and fanning 10 in her shutout performance. Utah starter Brittany Parker (3-2) tossed a complete game as well, but surrendered two runs on six hits, walked four and struck out 13 batters.
The Longhorns broke a scoreless tie in the fifth, using a leadoff single by Thrasher to start the rally. Senior centerfielder MicKayla Padilla then reached on a catcher's interference call, before junior shortstop Desiree Williams walked to load the bases. A Utah wild pitch during junior catcher Kacie Gaskin's at-bat allowed Thrasher to race home and handed the Horns a 1-0 edge.
Texas tacked on another tally in the sixth, taking advantage of rally-starting back-to-back singles by junior first baseman Kelly Melone and freshman designated player Brittany Barnhill. An RBI double down the rightfield line by Thrasher scored Melone from second and put UT ahead, 2-0.
Longhorns' sophomore designated player Tallie Thrasher paced the UT offense on the afternoon, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and one run scored.
Texas returns to action Wednesday, March 5 when it travels to the University of Houston to take on the 14th-ranked Cougars in a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH Connie Clark
On the win today: We'll take it. Some wins aren't as pretty as others. We had some issues we had to work through today, so we had to grind it out. I thought the team stayed focused though. You've got to be pleased to end on a high note.
On Meagan Denny's performance: She bounced back after a tough day yesterday and we talked about it going into today. It was uncharacteristic for her, and she needed some mechanical work. There are days when you can tell that you need to get back to practice. This time of year we are playing all of the time, so it's hard to get a day of practice in. We tried to tweak a couple things on her curve ball this morning in the bullpen as well as with the change-up. She worked through it and her stuff was better than it was last night. She was able to have a go-to pitch with her rise ball. She threw that much more effectively in and out of the zone today. I'm proud of her and I think it shows a lot of mental toughness for her to be able to come back the way she did today.
On the progress the team made this weekend: I just think there were times of frustration this weekend and that is part of our game. Sometimes you just have to step back and credit the opponent. They are coming in and trying to figure out our weaknesses and trying to throw us off balance. Today we saw Utah do that with their pitching and it took us a little while to adjust. I think that will help us down the road and that is what these tournaments are all about.
SENIOR PITCHER Meagan Denny
General comment: Today I think we had all of our ducks in a row. We supplied some runs when we needed to, got some key strikeouts and had good defensive plays when we needed them. We just kept plugging away and got the win today.
On bouncing back after yesterday's loss: Yesterday was just one of those days. Every pitcher has them and every player has them. It was just time for me to have one. Championship teams think about a loss over night and then they let it go the next day. Today I just came out and faced our opponent as a new day.
On the team's progress this weekend: I think we took a step forward mentally this weekend. I think we learned a lot about each other and we're going to take that and move forward into Wednesday against Houston.
JUNIOR INFIELDER Desiree Williams
On finishing the tournament with a win: "It is always nice to end on a high note, especially on a long weekend. That last win really helps.
On the team's progress this weekend: Honestly I think we took a couple steps forward and one step back this weekend, but sometimes you have to digress in order to progress. I think it was good for us to take this one step back, learn some things and then move on from there.
On facing some adversity this weekend: I believe that the adversity really shows you what kind of player you are and what kind of team you can be. We were able to see a lot of different things, a lot of different defenses and offenses. It gives us a good perspective of what we have coming up down the road. Nobody is going to be easy. No one is just going to give it to you, so I think we're learning that lesson right now.
SOPHOMORE INFIELDER Tallie Thrasher
On being the offensive producer today: I just went up there trying to put the ball in play today. I had been struggling at the plate this weekend, so I just wanted to make contact and make somebody have to make a play on the ball.
On what the team learned this weekend: We learned a lot about ourselves and what we really need to work on. We learned what our strengths are and how to improve on our weaknesses.
