The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
No. 12 Softball falls to No. 8 Missouri, 11-6 in Big 12 Championship semifinals
05.15.2010 | Softball
May 15, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The No. 12 Texas Softball team was bounced from the Big 12 Softball Championship, Saturday night after falling to No. 8 Missouri, 11-6 in the tournament semifinals. The loss dropped the Longhorns to 42-13 on the season and the Tigers win improved Missouri to 46-10 overall.
Freshman righthander Blaire Luna (29-8) suffered the loss for the Longhorns after being chased from the game in the second inning. In her second appearance of the day, Luna allowed four runs on five hits, walked four and struck out three. Freshman reliever Kim Bruins spelled her for 3.1 innings before senior righthander Erin Tresselt came on to throw the final 1.2 innings. Missouri starter Kristin Nottelmann (19-6) earned the victory for the Tigers, throwing a complete game, scattering nine hits, walking five and fanning six.
Texas got on the board quickly in the first when freshman rightfielder Taylor Hoagland smashed a one-out solo homer to centerfield to put UT ahead, 1-0. Sophomore first baseman Lexy Bennett followed with a walk, advanced on a single by sophomore third baseman Nadia Taylor and scored on an RBI single by senior designated player Tallie Thrasher.
The Tigers answered in the top of the second, using three hits to push four runs across and take a 4-2 lead. Designated player Ashlie Ortega drew a leadoff walk to begin the inning and leftfielder Marla Schweisberger followed with a single before both runners advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice. An RBI single by centerfielder Rhea Taylor scored one run and a three-run homer by shortstop Jenna Marston cleared the bases and capped the rally.
Missouri pushed another run across in the fourth on an RBI single by Marston that extended the Tigers' lead to 5-2. In the fifth, the Tigers added two more runs courtesy of an RBI triple by Taylor and a throwing error on the play that allowed Taylor to come home as well.
Texas rallied for three runs with two outs in the fifth, taking advantage of three hits to shrink the margin to 7-5. Bennett got things going with a two-out walk and a single by junior catcher Amy Hooks put two runners on. Taylor drove in Bennett with a single and Thrasher followed with a walk before senior shortstop Loryn Johnson lined a two-run double to rightfield that scored Hooks and Taylor.
The Tigers responded to Texas' rally with four runs in the sixth, sending nine batters to the plate and collecting three hits. Rightfielder Ashley Fleming drew a one-out walk to start the rally and came home on a two-run home run by third baseman Nicole Hudson. Missouri tacked on two more runs on a two-run single by Taylor that widened the MU lead to 11-5.
The Longhorns threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with a single by Bennett, a Missouri error and a walk by Thrasher. An RBI fielder's choice by Johnson plated Bennett to move the score to 11-6, but it proved to be all the offense UT could muster.
Johnson and Taylor headlined the Texas offense in the loss with two hits each, while Johnson notched three RBI and Taylor posted one RBI and one run scored. Bennett scored three runs for the Horns after walking three times and singling once.
Texas will now wait to hear its fate for NCAA Championship play when the field is announced on Sunday, May 16 at 9 p.m. Central on ESPNU.
POST-GAME NOTES
- The Longhorns' loss dropped their all-time record at the Big 12 Championship to 24-16.
- Texas and Missouri combined for 16 RBI in the game to tie the Big 12 Championship combined single game record that was set by Oklahoma and Texas A&M on May 11, 2006.
- Taylor Hoagland's first-inning home run was Texas' 83rd roundtripper of the season, moving it within two of tying the all-time Big 12 record of 85 that Oklahoma hit in 2000
