AUSTIN, Texas – Erica Wright threw a three-hit shutout for the Texas Longhorns as UT won the final two games of the Big 12 series with Baylor Sunday, closing with a 5-0 win at McCombs Field. The Longhorns' win tied Baylor for second place in the Big 12 standings as both teams finished with a 12-6 record.
Wright walked two and struck out four and only allowed a Bears runner to third once on a double steal in the fourth inning. She improved to 18-7 on the season while offensively, UT's Gabby Smith hit her second home run of the series and drove in three runs.
Baylor's (38-5) Heather Stearns picked up the loss to fall to 19-11 on the season; she allowed five runs with Texas (37-15) scoring three runs in the bottom of the second and two in the bottom of the fourth on Smith's two-run homer.
The Bears finished in second place for the second-straight year in 2015 and will await word of where they'll be headed for the program's 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sunday night, as the selections are televised on ESPNU.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Shelby Friudenberg extended her on-base streak to 17 games with a walk Sunday vs. Texas.
• Jordan Strickland finished 1-for-3 with a double and extended her on-base streak to 11 games.
• Ari Hawkins finished 1-for-3 and extended her on-base streak to 11 games.
• Baylor finished at a tie for second place in the Big 12 standings and finished second for the second-straight year.
• Baylor is headed to its 10th NCAA Tournament in program history and fourth consecutive season.
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor will play host to an NCAA Tournament selection party at the Ferrell Center in Waco in the Stone Room at 8:30 p.m. Sunday night to find out if the Bears will host or travel, and which teams will make up the field for the first round, which begins Thursday and Friday across the nation.
