 "Photo: Ryan Wiley")
The Texas softball team could not have scripted a better way to clinch the Big 12 Conference against Oklahoma State this weekend.
With the a sellout crowd at Red and Charline McCombs Field on both days to honor five seniors, the Longhorns pulled off two solid victories against the Cowgirls.
Senior day meant one thing - senior pitcher Cat Osterman taking the circle on both days to clinch the conference.
On day one, the Longhorns played their fourth consecutive, one-run game in a row as they narrowly pulled out a 1-0 victory. The surprise didn't stem from the fact that Osterman shut out the Cowgirls - for that has happened 23 times already this season - but rather that the Longhorns could not put up a run until the bottom of the eighth inning against the worst pitching unit in the conference.
"A win's a win," head coach Connie Clark said. "There are always things we can do better out there, but it's nice to have been able to clinch at home."
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Megan Willis lined a double to left field. The ensuing batter, senior second baseman Chez Sievers, soon put the ball in play as she split one up the middle to bring Willis home.
"What I was thinking about out there in the eighth was just getting it done for our team," Sievers said. "When Megan got on, I wanted the chance to win it, and it worked out."
Sievers was the only Longhorn to notch more than one hit with two, while Willis and freshman Shannon Thomas both picked up one. Osterman finished with 16 strikeouts allowing just four hits and no walks.
The victory marked the seventh time this season that the Longhorns have won the game on their final at-bat.
Aside from seeing Osterman pitch once again, the Sunday game was a drastic turnaround from the Saturday outing.
The Longhorns jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning on a series of whacky plays that forced two OSU errors.
After Sievers drove in Desiree Williams, Amber Hall reached base allowing Sievers to move to third. As Hall left to steal second, Sievers ran halfway toward home and then ran back to third. On a throwing error to third, Sievers scored the second run allowing Hall to move to third.
That wasn't all.
Hall made an attempt to steal home and reached on another throwing error by OSU catcher Courtney Totte.
With the Longhorns up 3-0 in the first, the rest of the game remained scoreless as they went on to claim the Big 12 regular season title.
Osterman finished her senior day outing with 17 strikeouts while giving up only two hits and allowing four walks to improve her to a 32-1 record on the season.
The Longhorns improved to 47-5 overall and 13-2 in the Big 12.
Despite the fact that the Longhorns have clinched and the postseason is just around the corner, they know that they are quite a ways from where they want to be.
"Our goal is a national championship and nothing less," Clark said. "Sure the victories [meant] a lot to our team but in terms of long term goals, we want to get to the national championship level."
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