Desiree Williams powers Softball's run-rule victory over Long Island
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- Desiree Williams went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two runs batted in, leading a trio of Texas players to record multiple-hit games as the fourth-ranked UT Softball team defeated Long Island, 8-0 in five innings on Friday to open play at the Palm Springs Classic at the Big League Dreams Sports Park. Amber Hall went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI, and Shannon Thomas added a 2-for-3 effort with one run scored and one RBI as the Horns pushed their winning streak to 11 games. Texas (13-1) plated five runs in the second inning and added two in the fourth and one in the fifth while hammering three home runs on the day. Long Island (2-4) was held to one hit by Meagan Denny (6-1), who walked four and struck out nine in her seventh complete game of the season. After stranding two runners in the first inning, Texas put five runs up on the board in the second, all with two outs. After Rachael Cook and Jackie Williams recorded outs, Crystal Saenz beat out an infield hit and then stole second, setting up Shannon Thomas' RBI triple, her third of the season. Tina Boutelle next turned what looked like an inning-ending ground out into a double when her ball took an awkward bounce of the second baseman and went into right center, scoring Thomas. Desiree Williams followed with her fourth home run of the season, a tower shot over the left-field fence - to push the score to 4-0. Still with two outs in the second inning, Hall stepped in and ripped a single up the middle and stole second, setting up Megan Willis, who singled Hall in with a hit to right center. Denny walked herself into trouble in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with one out after three consecutive full-count walks. After a brief meeting in the circle, she settled down and struck out the next two batters to end the inning and preserve the 5-0 score. In the top of the fourth, Hall put two more runs up, pushing the score to 7-0, with her first home run of the year - a two run shot that also scored Desiree Williams. The homer was her first since the 2004 season. The Blackbirds' Holly Erwin snapped Denny's no-hit bid with a single up the middle to lead off the fourth inning and then moved to second with one out when the Horns could not her at second on a fielder's choice. So with runners on first and second and one out, Denny again came through with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning and hold the shutout. Jackie Williams led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to straight-away center field, pushing the score to 8-0. After the Horns went down 1-2-3 after that, Denny sat down the next three batters in the fifth inning to end the game. Celina Castillo got on base in each of her first two at-bats for the Blackbirds. Texas returns to action later on Friday, when the team faces No. 6 Stanford in an 8 p.m. Central game. Live stats will be available for the contest, which is a rematch of the teams' game earlier this season which saw the Horns win, 2-0.
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