The Texas Longhorns softball team faces its fifth elimination game of the NCAA softball tournament. The Horns take on Tennessee, who handed Texas a loss in the first game of the Women’s College World Series.
Sunday, Texas was down to its final five outs against Nebraska in the Oklahoma City event, when star slugger Katie Stewart hit a three-run home run put UT up for good. Cornhuskers star Jody Frahm had a no-hitter going until the sixth inning.
Frahm led off the game with a home run of her own off Texas ace Teagan Kavan. It was the first lead off homer Kavan has given up. Frahm then took the mound and held the Longhorns in check for five-plus innings.
But Stewart, who set the single-season home run record for the Longhorns this year, blasted one of the longest homers of her career to left field. The homer scored Jaycie Nicholes and Kayden Henry, who both singled in the inning to break up the Frahm no-hitter.
Suddenly, Texas went from five outs from elimination to three outs from moving onto the national semifinal. Kavan shut the door in the seventh inning to secure the win.
Texas will have to beat Tennessee twice today to advance to the WCWS Championship Series.
4th Inning: Texas 1, Tennessee 0
Boom! Atwood goes Yard
Texas slugger Reese Atwood led off the fourth inning by hammering a home run to center field. Atwood is the Longhorns all-time home run leader.
Texas gets out of jam
Despite the Stewart error, Texas pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez got out of the inning without any damage.
Error-prone Horns
Texas has committed its third error in three innings. This time Katie Stewart couldn’t catch a ball thrown by second baseman Leighann Goode.
Mardjetko works a perfect inning
So far, the Tennessee pitching change is working like a charm. Mardjetko worked a perfect 1-2-3 third inning.
Tennessee changes pitchers
The Vols have changed pitchers as Sage Mardjetko takes over for Erin Nuwer.
Vols strand more too
So far this game is looking for a clutch hit with runners on base. The Vols got two on base thanks to not one, but two throwing errors on Texas. But Gutierrez worked out of the jam and we remain scoreless.
Texas strand more on base
The Longhorns Kaiah Altmeyer got on base thans to a Tennessee a throwing error. But Jaycie Nichols grounded out to end the inning.
Tennessee shut out in first inning
Texas starter Citlaly Gutierrez got a pair of groundouts and struck out Vols slugger Emma Clarke.
Texas strands two runners in first
The Horns got two singles off Tennessee starter Erin Nuwer in the first inning, but Nuwer’s able to get out of the jam, though, with back-to-back pop-outs to center field ending the threat.
Texas Longhorns Starting Lineup
Tennessee Volunteers Starting Lineup
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: LIVE UPDATES: Texas faces Tennessee in WCWS elimination game
Reporting by Trey Luerssen, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
