AUSTIN (KXAN) — Top-ranked Texas softball capped another perfect weekend on the diamond, going 5-0 during the Bevo Classic at McCombs Field on Sunday with an 11-0 win in five innings over No. 11 Texas Tech.
Texas jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning highlighted by a 2-run triple by Joley Mitchell. Katie Stewart drove in a pair with a single, and then really got it going in the third inning by blasting a 3-run home over the center-field wall.
Reese Atwood smacked a solo homer in the seventh inning and Teagan Kavan earned the pitching win, allowing five hits with five strikeouts. Stewart finished the game 3-for-3 with five RBIs and Atwood walked twice before belting her third home run of the season.
In the teams’ first meeting Friday, it was an epic pitchers’ duel between Kavan and NiJaree Canady. Texas prevailed 2-1 in nine innings after a single by Victoria Hunter drove in Mitchell for the winning run. Kavan fanned 18 in a complete game, allowing one run on four hits with one walk. Canady, who won the 2024 national player of the year award with Stanford last season, scattered eight hits, allowing two earned runs with 11 strikeouts.
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Mia Scott and Ashton Maloney hit doubles that led to Texas’ first run in the fifth.
Playing the Red Raiders twice in a 3-day span wasn’t ideal, but head coach Mike White said his club responded nicely after going to extra innings with them Friday.
“You’re always worried about facing a team a second time (in three days), but we have to get used to that before conference play, especially Teagan starting against the same lineup a second time,” he said. “Sometimes that can be difficult, especially after what she did on Friday night. I thought (Teagan) was solid today, before Citlaly (Gutierrez) coming in and doing a really good job, too.”
Texas thumped Maryland 13-4 in five innings Friday to start the tournament before the marathon with the Red Raiders. The Longhorns beat Massachusetts 6-0 and Maryland again 8-3 on Saturday.
The Longhorns (11-0) host Akron on Wednesday before heading to Tucson, Arizona, for the Hillenbrand Invitational. They’ll take on No. 20 Stanford and Colorado State on Friday, followed by No. 15 Arizona and UC Davis on Saturday with the Rams again Sunday.
