Softball Homers Way To 7-3 Win At No. 25 Baylor

The No. 8/10 Texas Longhorns scored five unanswered runs, including four in the sixth inning Tuesday, for the 7-3 win at the No. 25 Baylor Bears. Texas (40-8, 14-6) recorded 40 wins in a season for the fourth straight year and 10th overall in the program's history.

Taylor Hoagland, the reigning Big 12 Co-Player of the Week, gave the Longhorns the lead for good with her 15th home run of the season in the sixth. She tied her own single-season record of 15 homers, set last year.

Hoagland has homered in three straight games (four home runs in her last three). It's the second time in her career she has hit in three straight games as she opened the 2011 season with home runs in her first three games.

With her ninth homer of the season, Lexy Bennett set a new UT single-season record for RBI (51), breaking the old record of 50 (Loryn Johnson, 2009). Brejae Washington set a new Texas career mark with her 63rd stolen base, snapping the old record of 62 (Desiree Williams, 2005-09).

Blaire Luna (17-3) picked up the win for the Longhorns, by throwing three no-hit innings in relief. Luna and Texas starter Rachel Fox combined to no-hit the Bears in the final 4 1/3 innings.

Clare Hosack had two RBI for Baylor (30-19, 7-13) as Courtney Repka dropped to 15-11 overall after allowing six runs on seven hits in six innings of work.

Kathy Shelton and Kayce Walker started the Baylor first with back-to-back singles and a walk to Holly Holl loaded the bases with no outs. Kaitlyn Thumann then lifted a fly ball to center, scoring Shelton for the 1-0 score. Fox retired Megan Turk and Jordan Strickland to get out of danger with allowing the lone run.

Taylor Thom was hit by a pitch in the top of the third, followed by a walk to Taylor Hoagland. Brejae Washington sacrificed both runners over as Lexy Bennettwas intentionally walked to load the bases. Craig then worked a full count and hit a two-run double off the fence in left as the Longhorns took the 2-1 lead.

With one out in the third for the Bears, Thumann hit an infield single and moved to second after Thom's throwing error. Turk then laid down a perfect bunt to put runners at the corners. Strickland ground out to second as Turk advanced to second. Fox got Hosack to an 0-2 count, but Hosack laced a two-run single to center as Baylor gained the lead, 3-2.

Thom atoned for her throwing error in the sixth with a two-out single, followed by Hoagland's two-run shot to right center. Washington singled to center and stole second before Bennett worked a full count on Repka, hammering the two-run homer to left. Thom would single home pinch-runner Gabby Smith in the seventh as the Longhorns put the game away.

Texas continues Big 12 Conference play with a key road series at Oklahoma, Friday-Sunday (May 4-6). The series holds Big 12 Conference championship implications as the Longhorns enters the weekend trailing the Sooners by two in the loss column as Oklahoma is 14-4 in conference play (Oklahoma has a three-game series at Iowa State while Texas will have a lone game with Baylor remaining).