Osterman Perfect As No. 5 Texas Hands Bulldogs First Loss Of Postseason, 2-0
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Official Game Statistics
AUSTIN, Texas -- Olympic gold medalist and junior lefthander Cat Osterman struck out 15 of the first 18 batters she faced en route to firing a perfect game - her sixth no-hitter of the year and her third no-hitter in the last four starts - to lead top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas to a 2-0 victory over second-seeded Mississippi State Saturday in the NCAA Austin Regional winner's bracket at The University of Texas' Red and Charline McCombs Field.
The feat marked the first time in the modern era of the MSU program that the Bulldogs (34-30) had fallen victim to a no-no, let alone a perfect game. The win was the ninth consecutive victory for Texas (44-11) and advanced the Longhorns into Sunday's regional championship game.
It was Osterman's (26-6) seventh perfect game of her UT career and the third this season. She faced 21 batters, striking out 17 which set the Texas record for most K's in an NCAA game. Of the 99 pitches thrown by Osterman, 71 were for strikes. Of the four Bulldog batters which did not strike out, three hit infield groundouts and one lined to third.
Osterman has hurled back-to-back no-hitters in NCAA play, as she was coming off Friday's 1-0 win over Massachusetts where she struck out 14 and walked one in facing just 22 batters.
The Texas offense aided Osterman's effort by rapping out eight hits. Sophomore catcher Megan Willis led the way by going three-for-three at the plate (all singles). Senior third baseman Tina Boutelle chipped in with a double and a single, while junior rightfielder Amber Hall added a RBI single.
"I thought we came out ready to play," said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. "Kelli did a nice job on the mound and gave us a chance. That's what you ask for against Cat Osterman. She threw a great game today. She's got an Olympic gold medal around her neck, and she showed everyone why today. We didn't do a good job at the plate and she's the reason why."
After taking down the first two Longhorns in order in the third, Miller allowed two consecutive singles to put the pressure on the MSU defense, but looked to get out of the jam moments later. However, despite snagging a sharp grounder to her right side, the sophomore righthander delivered an errant throw to first base which allowed MicKayla Padilla to cross home plate easily.
UT would use its short game to plate an insurance run in the fourth, putting Willis aboard via a leadoff single and bunting the runner over to second base to set the table for Amber Hall who punched a ball into right field to cushion the Texas lead to 2-0.
Mississippi State will now hang around to face third-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (42-10) for the second time in as many days after the Islanders ousted fourth-seeded UMass, 6-2, in the second game of Saturday's action in Austin. State defeated the Islanders by a 1-0 count in the Region 4 tournament opener for both teams on Friday afternoon.
The winner of Saturday's elimination game will face the host Longhorns on Sunday at noon, with hopes of defeating Texas twice to advance into Super Regional play next weekend.
#5 TEXAS 2, MISSISSIPPI STATE 0
Mississippi State (34-30) 000 000 0 - 0 0 1Texas (44-11) 001 100 x - 2 8 0Miller and Geddings. Osterman and Willis. W * Osterman (26-6). L * Miller (14-12). Save * None.
