ABILENE – Late-inning runs scored by No. 24 Texas and Illinois helped each school survive an early challenge from Abilene Christian softball Friday during the second day of competition at the Texas Invitational at McCombs Field.
The Wildcats (2-10) will have two more chances to reach the win column Saturday in Austin as they'll take on Tulsa at 3 p.m. and Weber State at 5:30 p.m. Tulsa today handed Texas its first loss of the season, 3-0, following a 12-0 start for the Longhorns.
Game 1 Recap – No. 24 Texas 3, ACU 2No. 24 Texas won in walk-off fashion over the Wildcats, 3-2, spoiling an otherwise fine performance from redshirt sophomore pitcher
Hannah Null during a game broadcast to a national audience on the Longhorn Network.
Null had only given up three hits and a walk entering the seventh, but No. 7 hitter Christian Bardwell led off with a hit to center field and Stephanie Ceo reached on a bunt single back to the circle. Kelli Hanzel then bunted over both runners to second and third base.
With one out leadoff hitter Devon Tunning bounced a grounder to first baseman
Casey-May Huff, whose slight mishandling of the ball was enough to allow Bardwell to slide safely into home.
Even though the Wildcats lost, their effort represented a complete reversal from last night's lopsided defeat and proved they belong on the same field as the nation's elite. Offensively, ACU came away with eight hits and on more than one occasion had the opportunity to break the game wide open. Meanwhile, the pitching from Null ranked among the best performances of her career.
Null worked her way out of a no-out jam with runners at second and third base in the first inning and then sat the Longhorns down in order in the second. Things started to slip away from her in the third as three singles led to two runs, but from there she only allowed one baserunner between the fourth and sixth innings.
ACU gave Null a 1-0 lead in the second on a RBI hit by Huff that scored
Brianna Barnhill, who led off with a single and later stole third base. The Wildcats came back to tie the score at 2-2 in the sixth on a two-out RBI triple by junior
Taylor Brown that plated Huff.
Huff doubled in her sixth-inning at-bat and finished the game 2-for-3 with a run and RBI.
Game 2 Recap – Illinois 7, ACU 2Illinoi scored four times between the fifth and sixth innings to pull away from Abilene Christian after sophomore
Baylee Travers cut her team's deficit to one following a two-run home run to center field.
Travers' round-tripper was her first of the season and one of six base hits for the Wildcats during their nightcap as both
Taylor Brown and
Cara Hoover finished 2-for-3.
Illinois scored right out of the gate on a first inning sacrifice fly to center field against freshman
Allison Turner and made it a 3-0 game in the fourth inning following a two-run homer by Nicole Evans.
Travers home run came with two outs in the bottom half of the fourth after starter Breanna Wonderly hit
Casey-May Huff with a pitch, but the Illini response on offense was swift as five of the first six runners reached base in the fifth.
Alyssa Gunther drove in a pair with a single up the middle and two batters later Evans picked up her third RBI with a double down the left-field line.
Annie Fleming singled once more to push Evans to third base, which prompted a call to the bullpen for
Hannah Null, who prevented any further damage with back-to-back strikeouts of the No. 6 and 7 Illini hitters.
Null came close to getting out of the sixth inning unscathed but allowed a home run to leadoff hitter Carly Thomas with two outs. She then pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
Wonderly faced the minimum number of batters after the fourth inning to finish her complete game that ended on a 5-3 double play.
