"Tough D" were the words in Texas' dugout before pitcher Cat Osterman took the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning of Longhorns game with Texas State on Wednesday night.
Following traditional softball superstitions, no one wanted to say what they were thinking - perfect game.
"'Tough D' is our code word for 'perfect game,'" Osterman said.
The jinx warded off, Osterman calmly struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to get her 10th no-hitter and fifth perfect game as the Longhorns cruised to a 4-0 win in the first game of a double-header against the Bobcats.
A one-hit shutout by freshman pitcher Meagan Denny carried the team to a 2-0 win in game two, advancing the No. 3 Longhorns' record to 5-0 on the season.
Texas second baseman Chez Sievers provided all the offense the team needed in game one, playing small ball and swinging for the fences. A bunt single by Sievers in the third inning scored Amber Hall for the teams first run, and a two-run home run in the fifth broke the game open.
With Osterman on the mound, it was all the team needed.
"I felt really good in practice yesterday and really good in the bullpen today," Osterman said. "I was just really feeling back in my groove and back in my rhythm. Physically, pitching felt like it did in years past."
Head coach Connie Clark quickly recognized the difference and was glad to see the Osterman she remembered.
"She really started to look like her old self," Clark said. "She had that intense look on her face."
With a three-run cushion for much of the game, Osterman was at ease on the mound as she mowed through the Texas State lineup.
"It's so much better being able to pitch knowing the offense is coming through," Osterman said. "You can relax a little bit, and it's not so nail biting."
In game two, alert base running and timely hitting was the combination the Longhorns used to push two runs across. Freshman Desiree Williams scored in the fourth inning on a base hit by sophomore Jacqueline Williams. Williams had advanced from first to third on a sacrifice bunt, putting herself in position to score.
"Des was being real heady in picking up that extra base," Clark said. "I think that was the difference in that game."
Denny threw her second straight one-hit shutout, give up only a double to Texas State's Rachael Bonetti in the fifth. With the potential tying run on base, Denny wasn't phased, striking on the next two batters to end the threat.
"I think she was more of a pitcher than a thrower tonight," Clark said. "Her change-up tonight made all the difference."
The doubleheader was the team's first game in 10 days, after rain washed out the Kajikawa Classic last weekend. The layoff left the Texas offense a little sluggish heading into Wednesday's games.
"I'd like us to adjust just a little bit quicker on offense," Clark said. "I think that was probably from the layoff."
The Texas defense had a solid night. The team's only error over the two games was committed by Denny.
Of the 54 Bobcat batters who came to the plate Wednesday night, 32 struck out.
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