No. 9/13 Texas softball started out another home weekend with an unanticipated loss to No. 10/12 Virginia Tech in the Lone Star State invitational in extra innings. 

“Well, I thought we came out on fire. We came out and we stuck to our game plan, we did a really good job of hitting the ball and putting some runs up on the board. Unfortunately we just weren’t able to hang on to it,” head coach Mike White said about the loss. “Hopefully it’s a learning experience for us down the road.”

Texas started out the game with high energy when sophomore infielder Mia Scott hit a single followed by junior infielder Alyssa Washinghon’s home run, giving Texas a 2-0 lead.

Virginia Tech then retaliated in the third inning, scoring two runs of its own. However, Scott  doubled to right center, bringing freshman middle infielder Leighann Goode in for a run. Junior first baseman Courtney Day then hit the second home run for Texas into right center field, letting Scott and herself score two more runs in the third inning, putting the score at 5-2.

Junior pitcher Estelle Czech held the Hokies off with no runs scored until the top of the seventh. Senior Kelsey Bennett hit a two-run homer, followed by three more runs to bring the game even at 5-5, forcing the Longhorns into playing the bottom half of the inning, where they were unable to walk it off.

Virginia Tech showed determination in the final inning, using a single to bring home the runner, who automatically starts on second once extra innings begin. 

After the Longhorns failed to convert in their half inning, Texas fell into its first home loss of the season, 6-5.

Scott had two runs, two hits and one RBI. Goode, Day and Washington all finished with one run each.

Czech threw 84 pitches in the first 6.2 innings for Texas and finished with a 4.20 earned run average and five strikeouts. Freshman Citlaly Gutierrez finished out the seventh and eighth inning with 16 pitches and one run given up.

The Longhorns will aim to avenge this loss as they face off against Virginia Tech again at 4:00 p.m on Saturday.