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Softball sweeps North Texas, 5-0 and 9-1
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas softball team's pitching staff held the Mean Green to just two hits while the offense drove in 14 runs as the second-ranked Longhorns swept North Texas, 5-0 and 9-1 (5 inn.), at McCombs Field on Tuesday night. The top four hitters in UT's order went a combined 11-for-23 and drove in 10 runs, while Cat Osterman threw a no-hitter in the first game, and Meagan Denny followed with a two-hitter in the night cap. Texas (26-1) pushed its nation's-best winning streak to 24 games, while North Texas (9-10) snapped its two-game winning streak. UT won all four meetings between the two schools in the series history. Shannon Thomas went a team-best 4-for-7 and drove in three, collecting two doubles and one triple on the night. She now has six triples on the season, matching the UT school record also held by Jodi Reeves and Nicki Cockrell. Thomas also leads the Big 12 Conference in triples. Desiree Williams went 3-for-7 with four RBI, adding a double and her ninth home run of the year in the first game. Her season total stands at nine, one shy of the single-season record, also shared by Reeves and Cockrell. Williams also pushed her hitting streak to 14 games with hits in both contests. Megan Willis added a 3-for-5 performance, driving in one run in each game, while Tina Boutelle went 1-for-4, but scored three runs while drawing three walks. Held hitless in the second game, Boutelle saw her hitting streak halted at 10 games. Osterman, who threw 16 strikeouts in the first game, recorded her fourth no-hitter of the season and 19th of her career. She struck out the Mean Green lineup the first time through the order. Denny won her 10th decision in a row, earning the victory in the run-rule shortened nightcap, allowing one run with six strikeouts and one walk. Kelei Walker and Danielle Rupp recorded North Texas' only hits on the night, while Katya Muller collected an RBI on a groundout in the nightcap. The Longhorns return to action on Thursday night when they travel down I-35 to Texas State, where they are slated to play a single game at Bobcat Field, beginning at 6 p.m. Game 1: No. 2 Texas 5, North Texas 0 Game 2: No. 2 Texas 9, North Texas 1 (5 inn.)
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