The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
32-21, 0
Baylor
41-12, 0
Softball narrowly falls at No. 17/17 Baylor, 2-1
05.06.2014 | Softball
Davis drives in an RBI and tosses 21st complete game; Longhorns clinch third place in the Big 12 Conference
WACO, Texas – Texas Softball fell to No. 17/17 Baylor on Tuesday night by a narrow count of 2-1 at a sold out Getterman Stadium. With the loss, the Longhorns (32-21, 11-6) claim third place in the Big 12, while Baylor (42-12, 14-4) clinches the league's runner-up position.
Tuesday's Big 12 showdown showcased a pitching duel between two of the league's premier pitchers and seemed to carry a postseason vibe as the game progressed. Freshman Tiarra Davis started in the circle and went on to toss her 21st complete game of the season, but took the loss in the one-run decision. Davis' record is now 17-12 overall and 9-5 in Big 12 play. The rookie from Henderson provided her only run support in the fourth inning when she ripped an RBI double to score Taylor Thom from second base to give UT a 1-0 lead.
Davis' counterpart, Baylor ace Whitney Canion limited Texas to three hits on the night, matching the Longhorns' season-low. The redshirt senior hurler lowered her ERA to 1.43 and bumped her record to 26-9 in her complete game shutout.
Through the first four innings, Davis looked like the dominant pitcher that she was in the March 22 meeting against Baylor, but by the fifth inning the Lady Bears figured out how to deal with the Longhorn southpaw.
BU loaded the bases in the home half of the fifth inning, starting with a leadoff walk to Jordan Strickland and a double by Liz Paul. Following Lindsey Cargill's groundout and Kaitlyn Thumann getting hit by a pitch, Ari Hawkins lifted a sacrifice fly into center field to knot the game at one apiece. Davis got herself out of the jam by striking Holly Holl out for her fourth punch-out of the night.
The Longhorns worked to get the advantage back when they batted in the sixth. Freshman Devon Tunning led off the inning with a single, but was thrown out at second when junior Gabby Smith hit into a fielder's choice. Davis worked a full-count walk to setup a dramatic situation for senior Mandy Ogle, who crushed a three-run home run the last time the two teams met. This time around, Ogle grounded into a 5-3 double play to end the inning and UT's chance at retaking the lead.
Baylor went back to the plate and worked the momentum it generated from the previous inning, as Hosack led off the home half with a triple. After Hays' groundout, Sarah Smith doubled to bring home Hosack to give BU the go-ahead run, making it 2-1.
Down to its last chance, Canion set the Longhorns down in order in the seventh inning, getting freshman Stephanie Wong to ground out, sophomore Stephanie Ceo to strike out and Washington foul out.
Texas will head back to Austin, where it will close out the regular season on Sunday afternoon with Senior Day at 1:00 p.m. when it plays the backend of its home-and-home set with No. 17/17 Baylor at Red & Charline McCombs Field.
Fans attending Sunday's game are encouraged to arrive by 12:45 p.m. for the Senior Day pregame ceremony, which will honor Mandy Ogle, Karina Scott, Taylor Thom and Brejae Washington. The game will be televised nationally on Longhorn Network.
POSTGAME NOTES
-The loss snaps a six-game winning streak against the Lady Bears, dropping UT's all-time record against Baylor to
25-13.
-The Longhorns are now 12-7 when they have played the Lady Bears in Waco.
-Texas is now 5-10 against nationally ranked opponents this season.
-The Longhorns finish their 2014 road record with an 11-3 mark. The 11 wins ties the school record for most
road victories in a season, matching the 2002 and 2005 squads.
-The 2-1 loss drops UT to 1-10 in one-run games this season.
-Texas pushed out three hits in the game, tying for its fewest in a contest this season.
-Went 1-for-2 on the night. Reached base on a fielding error in the fourth inning on a sacrifice bunt, which
pushed Thom into scoring position. Singled in the sixth inning.
-Has hit 6-for-12 over the last four games.
- Went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI double in the fourth inning
- Struck out four batters
- Tossed her 21st complete game of the season.
- Singled in the fourth inning and scored UT's only run.
- Moved into a tie for 4th place all-time at Texas with 239 hits.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Canion (26-9)
L: Davis, Tiarra (17-12)
Batting:
2B: Davis, Tiarra 1
RBI: Davis, Tiarra 1
SH: Tunning, Devon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Thom, Taylor 1
HBP: Stephens, Lindsey 2
Batting:
2B: Smith 1 ; Paul 1
3B: Hosack 1
RBI: Hawkins 1 ; Smith 1
SF: Hawkins 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Browder 1 ; Strickland 1
CS: Cargill 1
HBP: Thumann 1 ; Cargill 1
