The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oregon
Softball shuts out Oregon, 9-0
02.20.2009 | Softball
Feb. 20, 2009
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- The University of Texas Softball team tallied nine runs in the first two innings as it shutout Oregon, 9-0 on Friday afternoon at the Cathedral City Classic. The Longhorns victory moved UT to 8-3 on the year and 3-0 at the tourney, while Oregon dropped to 5-8 on the season.
Texas starter Brittany Barnhill (5-1) picked up her third victory of the weekend, tossing a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and fanning two batters. Oregon righthander Sam Skillingstad (5-3) suffered the loss after surrendering three runs on three hits in 1.0 inning of work.
The Longhorns struck early, pushing three runs across in the first to claim a quick 3-0 edge. Freshman shortstop Lexy Bennett started the rally with a single through the middle and moved to second on a single by junior rightfielder Tallie Thrasher. Both runners came home when junior second baseman Loryn Johnson hammered a three-run homer over the left field wall.
Texas erupted for six runs in the second inning, sending 10 batters to the plate and tallying seven hits. Junior outfielder Brittany Chalk started the frame with a single through the left side and freshman third baseman Nadia Taylor followed with a single before both runners raced home on a two-run double by senior centerfielder Kacie Gaskin.
Gaskin came around to score on an RBI single by senior first baseman Desiree Williams and Williams came home on Bennett's second single of the contest. Junior pinch runner Kori Cook advanced on a wild pitch and a fielder's choice before scoring on junior second baseman Loryn Johnson's RBI single. Barnhill reached on a fielder's choice to allow Thrasher to come home and cap the scoring for the Longhorns.
Johnson and Chalk headlined the Texas offense on the day with two hits apiece, while Johnson registered four RBI.
Texas returns to action against No. 3 Arizona State on Saturday, Feb. 21. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. Central.
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH Connie Clark
General statement on the win over Oregon: I thought our at-bats across the board were as good as they could get and I thought our presence in the box was selective, patient and it doesn't get much better than that. It wasn't just the starting nine, but everyone who came into the lineup as well. It was a great performance offensively and I liked that we are getting better defensively with our communication. (Brittany) Barnhill made good adjustments and I liked the way that she re-set after the long inning and maintained focus. I thought our focus stayed tremendous even with such a large lead.
On Texas' victory earlier in the day vs. BYU: Our biggest focus is answering any punch thrown by the other team. We are doing that exceptionally well right now. The ability to be in that mindset is about competing well.
On Texas' ability to win one-run games: I think it is something that is good for our mentality. It just helps us know that you have to stay in the game. You have to keep throwing punches and keep playing. I was pleased that we were able to get Courtney Craig into a pressure-filled situation in that first game. Getting that experience is significant and now she has the experience under her belt as we head into the next few days.
On Brittany Chalk's performance today: I think Brittany Chalk has had a few games of late that have really helped us win. Sometimes walks go unheralded and she is drawing some key walks in key situations when we need to strike back with a punch of our own. She is setting the tone with those walks and her presence at the plate is tremendous right now.
