The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
Luna fires two-hit shutout to lift No. 3 Softball past No. 8 Missouri, 2-0
05.07.2011 | Softball
May 7, 2011
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The third-ranked Texas Softball team was paced by a complete-game shutout performance by sophomore All-America righthander Blaire Luna as it downed No. 8 Missouri, 2-0, Saturday afternoon to snap the Tigers 35-game home winning streak. The victory improved the Longhorns to 45-6 on the year and 14-2 in Big 12 play, while the Tigers dropped to 42-7 overall and 11-3 in league action. Texas can clinch the Big 12 title with a win against Missouri in Sunday's series finale.
Luna (27-4) notched her NCAA-leading 15th shutout of the season in her two-hit effort, allowing just three baserunners, walking one and fanning six in 7.0 innings. Missouri starter Chelsea Thomas (24-5) suffered the loss after allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out seven in her 7.0 innings of work.
Sophomore rightfielder Taylor Hoagland got the Horns on the board in the third, ripping a two-out solo homer to right centerfield to give UT a 1-0 edge. The homer was her UT single-season record 14th roundtripper of the season.
Texas added an insurance run in the seventh when junior designated player Courtney Craig led off the inning with a solo shot to deep left field that gave the Horns a 2-0 lead. The blast was her 25th career homer and her seventh of 2011.
In the fifth, sophomore leftfielder Torie Schmidt singled with one out in the inning and promptly stole second base. The steal marked Texas' 108th stolen base of the season and set a new UT team single-season mark, breaking the previous mark of 107 from 2006. Texas stranded Schmidt and Raygan Feight who was hit by a pitch in the frame.
Freshman centerfielder Brejae Washington added to the Longhorns' record books in the sixth. She reached on an error to leadoff the inning and stole second to tie the UT single-season stolen base record of 35 set by Shannon Thomas in 2007.
Texas completes its two-game series with Missouri on Sunday, May 8. First pitch is slated for Noon Central on ESPN.
POST-GAME NOTES
- Texas' win improved its all-time record against Missouri to 15-16 and 4-7 in Columbia
- Taylor Hoagland's solo homer in the third was her 14th of the season and set a new Texas single-season home run record, eclipsing the record of 13 that Courtney Craig hit in 2010.
- Craig homered in the seventh to push her season total to seven and move her career total to 25. Craig and Hoagland share fifth place on the UT career list with 25 homers each.
- Blaire Luna recorded her nation-leading 15th complete-game shutout in the win. She has now posted 26 shutouts in her Texas career.
- Torie Schmidt's stolen base in the fifth inning broke the UT team single-season stolen base mark, registering the Horns' 108th theft of 2011.
- Brejae Washington's steal of second in the sixth tied the UT single-season stolen base mark of 35 set by Shannon Thomas in 2007.
