The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Gameday: No. 25 Softball vs. Fresno State & No. 18 Missouri
02.20.2015 | Softball
Texas opened the Mary Nutter Classic at 2-0 on Thursday with wins over No. 8/7 Georgia and No. 12 UCLA
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - Following a very successful opening day at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Texas will return to action on Friday with match-ups scheduled against Fresno State (12:30 p.m. CT) and No. 18 Missouri (3 p.m. CT). Live stats and Twitter updates will be provided for both games through TexasSports.com and @TexasSoftball, respectively.
The Longhorns registered a pair of resume-building victories on Thursday at Big League Dreams Park, handing No. 8/7 Georgia its first loss of the season (5-0) before knocking off No. 12 UCLA (5-3) in the nightcap.
Senior right fielder Marlee Gabaldon posted the clutch hit in the win over the Bulldogs as her three-run, seventh-inning double broke a scoreless tie. Junior third baseman Stephanie Ceo followed soon after with her first career inside-the-park HR, a two-run shot, providing freshman Erica Wright plenty of support as the rookie hurler fired a three-hit shutout.
Against the Bruins, junior catcher Erin Shireman led the charge, going 2-for-3 at the dish with her team-leading fourth HR of the season and two RBIs. Sophomore pitcher Tiarra Davis (4.0 IP, one earned run, three hits, two walks, two K's) was strong from the circle in improving to 4-1 in 2015, while senior Gabby Smith worked the final three innings to earn her first save of the campaign.
Game Notes | Live Stats | @TexasSoftball Twitter
No. 25 Texas vs. No. NR/RV Fresno State
The Longhorns lead the all-time series against the Bulldogs, 7-5. UT has won the last two meetings in the series, 9-2 (March 18, 2011 – Fullerton, Calif.) and 5-0 (Feb. 22, 2014 – Cathedral City, Calif.)
Texas and Fresno State have played in Cathedral City, Calif., on four occasions with each team winning twice.
FSU enters today's contest at 7-3 overall and the match-up against the Horns will serve as its opener of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
No. 25 Texas vs. No. 18 Missouri
Texas has a long rivalry with Missouri dating back to the Big 12 Conference days before the Tigers moved on to join the Southeastern Conference. MU leads the all-time series over the Longhorns, 19-16.
The Tigers have won the last two meetings between the teams, 11-4 on April 6, 2012, and 2-0 on April 7, 2012. Both games were at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas.
Missouri also opened its stay at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a 2-0 record on Thursday with victories over Cal State Fullerton (10-2, 5 inn.) and Long Beach State (6-2).
