Softball

Early on, it looked like the first year of the Mike White era was coming to a close. Star pitcher Miranda Elish was off. She couldn’t hit the corners, find her spots or get outs. Then, Elish’s night went from bad to worse.

On an evening when it appeared pitcher Miranda Elish would have to pitch another shutout for the Longhorns to have a chance to survive the Austin Regional, outfielder Kaitlyn Washington provided some much-needed run support.

It’s been 14 years since Texas Softball claimed a Big 12 Tournament championship. And for the first time in years, the Longhorns will head into the postseason as true contenders for the conference title.

87 minutes, 77 Elish pitches, 17 Baylor hitters and a wild Kentucky Derby finish later, with the sun shining golden near the horizon, Dawson walked to become the Bears’ only other baserunner in the ballgame as Elish dominated for a complete game one-hitter in the 1-0 Texas victory.