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AUSTIN, Texas -- Freshman right-handed pitcher Erin Tresselt tossed the first complete game shutout of her career, leading No. 10 Texas past Drake, 8-0, Saturday afternoon at the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational. The win earned the Longhorns the No. 1 seed for the semifinals, pitting Texas against No. 4 seed St. John's at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3.

Tresselt (4-1) scattered seven hits in 6.0 innings of work, striking out three batters and walking two. 

Texas' (14-3) sophomore second baseman Shannon Thomas led off the game with a double down the rightfield line and scored on an RBI groundout by Megan Willis, giving the Horns' an early 1-0 advantage.

Sophomore third baseman Crystal Saenz started a one-out rally in the second inning, advanced to second on an illegal pitch, stole third base and then scored on a wild pitch. The Longhorns added another run in the third frame when Saenz singled home Thrasher, who had reached on a one-out single to rightfield, pushing the UT lead to 3-0.

The Longhorns exploded for four runs in the fourth inning, using a pair of walks and a single by Loryn Johnson to load the bases. Sophomore rightfielder Kacie Gaskin followed, grounding into a fielder's choice and scoring Thomas from third base and Johnson from second base on a Drake error. Thrasher then stepped to the plate with two runners in scoring position, recording a bases-clearing single and pushing the edge to 7-0.

After being held scoreless in the fifth inning, Thrasher launched a solo homer to left centerfield, giving UT an 8-0 advantage that ended the game courtesy of the run-rule.

Freshman designated player Tallie Thrasher headlined the Texas offense on the night, going 4-for-4 and recording her fourth home run in the last six contests.

Drake's (6-10) starter Cassie Heller (3-7) threw 4.0 innings, surrendering three runs on five hits, walking three and striking out three hitters. Bulldogs' reliever Kristin Birocci came on in relief of Heller, allowing four runs on two hits, while walking three hitters in 0.0 innings of work.

Texas returns to action Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. when it takes on St. John's in the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational semifinals. Live stats of all tournament games will be available on TexasSports.com.

POSTGAME QUOTES
Head coach Connie Clark
On Erin Tresselt's performances: We want to continue to give Erin some starts to see how she responds in that role. That was her second start and second complete game of the year. She does a great job of keeping hitters off-balance and utilizing her strengths. She did a great job of pitching her game today.

On the weekend: We have seen several ranked teams up to this point and this weekend is about remaining consistent with our approach and our focus. We absolutely respect all three of our opponents this weekend and we are happy with the things that we have been able to accomplish over the past two days.