 "Photo: Chris Kominczak")
Undone by their bullpen in game one, the Texas Longhorns and senior ace Meagan Denny righted the ship just hours later, splitting a two-game series on Sunday with the Kansas Jayhawks.
Trailing 2-0 entering the fifth inning, the Longhorns (20-16-2, 6-5 Big 12) suffered a pitching implosion, allowing five earned runs and limping to an 8-1 loss in game one.
Freshman Brittany Barnhill suffered the loss, pitching four innings and allowing two earned runs. Sophomore reliever Erin Tresselt pitched just two-thirds of the fifth inning, allowing five earned runs on three hits and three walks, putting the game out of reach.
Game two was a different story for the Longhorns, who rode Denny (14-5) to a narrow 2-1 victory. The senior pitched her 12th complete game of the season, a first inning run the only blemish on a sparkling
performance.
"It was the tale of two games. We were not very good in the first game and we were much better in game two. I thought we got tremendous leadership from Meagan Denny in between games and that is something that is very important for our team," head coach Connie Clark said. "Our mental focus was much better in game two."
The Longhorns combined for only three runs over the double header, but they made the most of their limited opportunities in game two. Sophomore designated player Tallie Thrasher hit her eighth homerun of the season to tie the game in the fourth inning and she would also score the winning run, brought home by an error on catcher Kacie Gaskin's ground ball.
"We made some good adjustments and Tallie Thrasher came up big for us offensively. When she hit the homer to tie up the game and finally get us on the board there was a momentum change. You felt the momentum swing to our side and we took control from that point on," Clark said.
In looking to spark an offense that was showing signs of the inconsistency that has plagued this season, Clark yet again shuffled her lineup. Returning to the lead-off spot after a two-week absence was junior Desiree Williams, while Gaskin went down to fifth in the order.
Williams had two hits in game two after being kept off the bases in game one, while Gaskin combined for two hits and one RBI Sunday.
After scoring at least four runs in their first six Big 12 games, Texas has surpassed two runs in a game just once in its last five, a 9-2 win over Oklahoma State.
The drop in offense has shown up on the scoreboard and the standings. Texas has not won two games in a row since sweeping Iowa State in late March. Its 6-5 conference record is good enough for fourth in the conference, but it stands five losses behind No. 1 Texas A&M.
However, with Barnhill and Denny combining for only three earned runs in 11 innings, the Longhorns have kept pace with Kansas and the rest of the Big 12. With a four-game home stand on the horizon, they will look to surge ahead in the coming weeks.
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