Playing in front of one of the loudest crowds of the year, the 12th-ranked Longhorns were able to squeeze out one run victory in a game that was dominated by the pitchers.
After a rain-soaked weekend in Louisiana, the 12th-ranked Texas Longhorns are ready to be home again and play against a couple of familiar faces — Texas State and Houston.
The No. 12 Longhorns traveled to Louisiana this weekend like many UT students, but unlike the masses that were there for Mardi Gras, the Longhorns were there to take part in the LSU Purple & Gold Challenge.
Taylor Hoagland, a sophomore right fielder from Flower Mound, Texas, rewrote the Big 12 record books last weekend. During the Cathedral City Classic in Southern California, she broke the record for longest hitting streak previously held by Nebraska’s Anne Steffan at 25 games. Hoagland’s single against the Long Island Blackbirds brought her hitting streak to 25 games and another single versus the Loyola Marymount Lions that same day set the new bar at 26.
It’s not common for a hitter to have a batting average at .481, but Hoagland makes it look easy and many fans have come to expect something spectacular each time she steps into the batter’s box.
Texas put Missouri State away 5-0 after a defensive stalemate in the first five innings. The Longhorns, having blown out their past nine opponents, were glad to have played a close game.
The Longhorns offense started off the game a little sluggishly on Sunday, until the 6th inning when it exploded for 5 runs, on their way to a 5-0 victory against Missouri State.
The Longhorns will face upward of 35 opponents, each with their own style this season. Oftentimes, they have less than a week to prepare for a game, which can be tricky, especially if they don’t play the opposing team regularly. Texas has developed an effective method for preparing for a game that has already proven effective for the undefeated Longhorns.
A new threat emerged for the Texas offense in the form of freshman Brejae Washington, who went 3-for-3 from the plate with two runs scored, one RBI and two triples.