The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma
No. 6/7 Softball suffers 6-1 setback to No. 1/1 Oklahoma
04.19.2013 | Softball
April 19, 2013
Box Score 
AUSTIN, Texas - Three hits from Destinee Martinez, a pair of runs batted in by Brianna Turang and 15 Keilani Ricketts strikeouts carried No. 1/1 Oklahoma past No. 6/7 Texas in the opener of a three-game series Friday evening inside Red & Charline McCombs Field. The Longhorns' got their run with junior Karina Scott's fifth home run of the campaign.
Ricketts (21-1) went the distance for the Sooners, scattering six hits and allowing two walks in addition to the 15 whiffs. Senior Blaire Luna (21-2) suffered the setback, throwing four innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits and six walks. She fanned nine. Freshman Holly Kern tossed the remaining three frames, giving up two runs on four hits and a trio of walks. She added a pair of strikeouts.
The Sooners took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Ricketts started the frame with a walk and, during a strikeout, stole second base. After another whiff, Martinez followed with a single just in front of the plate, allowing Ricketts to move to third. A walk to Callie Parsons loaded the bases for Turang, who legged out an infield single, plating Ricketts. Luna struck out Lauren Chamberlain swinging to end the threat and leave the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the second, the Longhorns broke through with one run to tie the game. With one out, Scott provided the first hit of the contest, a home run to left center.
Oklahoma tacked on three more runs in the top of the third to take a 4-1 lead. Georgia Casey started the inning with a walk and, after a strikeout, moved to second on a Ricketts free pass. A fielder's choice forced Ricketts at second and put runners on the corners with two outs. Brittany Williams walked to load the bases for Martinez, who picked up her second infield single and drove in Casey for a 2-1 edge. Parsons drove in Jessica Shults, who had reached on the fielder's choice, and Williams scored on an error by the right fielder for a three-run edge. A strikeout looking ended the inning.
The Sooners scored two more runs in the top of the fifth for a 6-1 advantage. Shults led off with a home run to right center. Williams walked before Jessica Vest entered as a pinch runner and scored on a single to third base by Turang. Chamberlain flied out to right field to close the frame.
The Longhorns went quietly in the fifth and sixth, but loaded the bases in the seventh before being held off the scoreboard. Scott started the inning with a single and was replaced by freshman pinch runner Rachel Scott. After a strikeout and groundout, a walk to senior Taylor Hoagland and bunt single from junior Brejae Washington loaded the bases for Thom, who struck out swinging to end the contest.
The Longhorns and Sooners continue the three-game series Saturday with a 5 p.m. first pitch. The contest will serve as Alumni Day, and Texas Softball and Baseball will combine forces to hold a free block party from 1-6 p.m.
Post-Game Quotes
Head coach Connie Clark
On pitcher Blaire Luna's performance: She was just missing. I think the umpire did a good job behind the plate. I just don't think she could catch the corners when she needed to. Unfortunately, the free passes were the difference today.
On Holly Kern coming in: I'm sure she [Luna] wanted to go back out there, but we needed to get someone in there who was going to go at hitters, and give us a chance to stay in the game. I think Holly did a good job.
Obviously [it was] a good opportunity to get a freshman in there and get some looks in this type of environment. Blaire was ready had we made a move and tied the game or something and needed to go back to her. Holly gave us what we needed and I think she did a nice job coming into the game.
On Keilani Ricketts' performance: She's tremendous. That's the reason she's one of the top pitchers in the country with what you saw today. She's tremendous against lefties, and we happen to have a lot of lefties in our dugout this year, even pinch hitting.
She's very solid. I don't think there was anything different than what we've been keying on this week, but she still had good success with us. We're going to see her again sometime this weekend and we have some adjustments we need to put in play and just be just a little bit better and hopefully get to her.
On winning the remaining two games of the series: I think you have to be in that mind-set - that it's all about winning the series. The first game is under our belt and they are on our turf. It was a great environment with our fans here.
I think the big thing is we got Luna out of there and we are able to come back with her tomorrow being fresh and Keilani went the distance. If that's the difference in winning the series then I'll take it. Blaire has got to go right at them and when she gets the opportunity tomorrow, hopefully she can come back and do that.
Junior C Mandy Ogle
On Oklahoma's patience at the plate: We came in with a game plan, but in the end, OU took the walks when they needed to. And they are a great hitting ball club. Their hitters did a great job of being patient.
On making adjustments moving forward: You always have to adjust during a game. You have to focus inning-to-inning, and if you're not getting the job done, you have to change something.
On the team's mentality for the rest of the series: We need to come out ready tomorrow. We are going to do that; we are confident. We need to focus on winning two out of three.
On Oklahoma pitcher Keilani Ricketts: She is a great pitcher. She has that great curve and the big difference with her off-speed. She kept us off-balance, and that benefited her.
Senior P Blaire Luna
On her performance today: I tried to make the adjustments; my rise ball was a little wide. [Catcher] Mandy [Ogle] and I are going to make the necessary adjustments for tomorrow.
They did a good job of putting the ball into play. I know that we are going to make adjustments to prevent that from happening tomorrow.
On the remaining two games: It is upsetting to lose the first one, but we still can win the series. We are down but we had a good talk with Coach Clark that lifted us up. We will be ready for tomorrow.
Post-Game Notes
- Senior Taylor Hoagland holds a .663 on-base percentage this season. The UT single-season record is .510, by Lexy Bennett in 2011. The Big 12 Conference mark is .594 by Amber Flores (Oklahoma/2009).
- Hoagland drew a walk in the second inning. The free pass was her 57th of the campaign, breaking a tie with Meagan May (Texas A&M/2012) for the Big 12 Conference single-season record.
- Hoagland went on to pick up another free pass in the seventh inning. She now owns 163 career walks, tied with Desiree Williams (2005-09) for the Texas program record.
- Hoagland's 163 walks are nine behind Texas A&M's Megan Gibson (2005-08) for the all-time Big 12 mark and tied with Williams and Amber Flores (Oklahoma/2007-10) for second on the conference chart.
- Hoagland tallied a pair of singles in addition to the walk and owns a .538 career batting average (seven-for-13) against Oklahoma's Keilani Ricketts.
- Senior Blaire Luna suffered her first loss since a 3-0 setback to No. 2/2 Arizona State on March 14. Luna had won 10-straight decisions since the defeat against the Sun Devils.
- Luna finished with nine strikeouts. In her last four games, Luna has averaged 11.8 strikeouts. Of Luna's last 69 outs recorded, 47 have been via the whiff.
- Junior Karina Scott hit her second home run of the month and second in six games in the bottom of the second inning.
- During April, Scott leads the Longhorns with nine hits, a .563 batting average (nine-for-16), eight runs batted in, a .650 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
- Scott's current six-game hitting streak ties her career long.
- Freshman Holly Kern allowed two earned runs in three innings of relief. In her last seven pitching appearances, Kern has surrendered six earned runs in 28-and-two-thirds innings, good for a 1.47 earned-run average.
- The setback snapped Texas' 15-game winning streak, 14-game home winning streak and three-game winning streak against ranked opponents.
- Despite the setback, the Longhorns' 8-1 Big 12 record is tied for the second-best through nine games in program history. The 2011 squad is the only one to have gone unbeaten through nine league tilts.
- Texas' run was the team's 282nd of the season, good for the fourth most in a year in program history. The 2012 squad owns the mark with 372.
