Coming off an undefeated start to fall play, the Longhorns (6–0) knew they had to carry their momentum on the road.
And they answered the call over the weekend, defeating UTSA on back-to-back days in their only road stretch of the fall season.
Texas came to play in the first game on Friday, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead with runs scored in the second and third innings.
“We really wanted to be aggressive and decisive in the pitches we were looking,” sophomore outfielder Reagan Hathaway said. “We wanted to come out strong, get that early lead and keep it the whole time.”
And even though rain came down, senior pitcher Tiarra Davis fought through the harsh conditions while dealing nine strikeouts in five innings.
“We made sure to stay mentally focused,” Davis said. “We wanted to stay on the attack and not worry about the things we couldn’t control like the weather.”
Texas’ bats came alive in the sixth, highlighted by a towering three-run homer by Hathaway that gave the Longhorns a 6-0 lead.
“I was a little bit early on my previous at bat, so I just went into the box with that in mind.” Hathaway said. “After that first strike, I just got set, did the best I could with the following pitch and hit it really hard.”
The Longhorns held onto their lead, shutting out the Roadrunners 6-0 in the first match of the two-game series.
Saturday’s competition proved to be a handful for Texas as they found themselves trailing for the first time this fall season. Freshman infielder Kaitlyn Slack took over the mound with her team down 5-1 in the fourth, recording two key strikeouts to get the Longhorns out of a jam.
“I just always have that fighting mentality,” Slack said. “I go in and compete with every pitch because if the offense hits it, I know my defense is behind me to make a play.”
Texas woke up in the fifth inning, scorching the Roadrunner defense and tallying six runs to reclaim the lead. The Longhorns never let up, piling on another six runs in the final two innings to secure a 13-5 victory and sweep the Roadrunners.
“We made sure to stay calm and not panic,” senior outfielder Stephanie Wong said. “We know all the tools we have offensively, so we were sure we had what it took to come back.”
Still undefeated, the Longhorns hope to finish on top in their fall season finale against Texas State on Nov. 10.
“It should be our biggest test of the fall,” head coach Connie Clark said. “We’ll have to work for it, but that’ll make us better prepared for the spring.”
