March 29, 2006

Box Score

AUSTIN, Texas - The No. 20 Baylor softball team fell behind in the fourth inning and was unable to rally as the Lady Bears fell to No. 1 Texas 2-1 in Big 12 Conference play at McCombs Field on Wednesday. With the loss, Baylor falls to 20-14 on the season, 2-2 in conference play, as Texas improves to 36-3, 3-0 in Big 12 play.

Texas broke through with a pair of runs in the fourth as Amber Hall drove in Desiree Williams with a triple off the wall as Hall came around to score on the play on a throwing error to give the Longhorns a 2-0 lead.

Baylor's Chelsi Lake cut the lead in half on the first pitch of the fifth as she lifted a solo home run, her team-leading eighth of the season, over the left-center field wall to cut the Texas lead to 2-1.

The Lady Bears threatened to tie the score in the fifth, placing runners on first and second with two outs; however, Texas starting pitcher Cat Osterman worked out of the jam by striking out the final batter of the inning to hold the Longhorns lead.

Osterman then retired the side in the sixth and seventh as the senior All-American improved to 22-1 on the season after allowing one run on one hit in seven innings of work.

Baylor starting pitcher Lisa Ferguson pitched well in the loss after allowing two runs on four hits in seven innings of work as she fell to 11-8 on the season.

Lake led the way for Baylor after collecting the Lady Bears only hit, a home run, as her solo blast marked only the fifth run Osterman has surrendered all season.

Baylor will return to action on Saturday, April 1, when the Lady Bears travel to Columbia, Mo., for the start of a two-game series against Missouri at 2:00 p.m.