No. 2 Texas Softball continued their hot start on Friday, March 1, with a mercy win after five innings against Northwestern State. 

Texas has seen success both in the batter’s box and on the mound thus far this season. It ranks second in batting average in all of D-1 with a combined BA of .392 and fifth in combined ERA with 0.88. Coming into the night, Texas pitchers have given up just 17 runs in 88 total innings pitched. 

Northwestern State tells the opposite tale. The Lady Demons rank 173rd in combined ERA with 4.03 and 244th in combined batting average with .225

On the mound for Texas was Mac Morgan. The junior right hander has had a successful season thus far, giving up just four runs in 16.1 innings pitched and last pitched in a 5-4 victory last week against Louisiana. 

Texas jumped out early in the first, scoring on a two-run bomb by freshman catcher Katie Stewart. The homer was her third of the season, now sitting at the second most home runs on the team, behind sophomore DP Reese Atwood. Stewart also drove in junior third baseman Mia Scott, who tripled on the at bat before. 

But the Lady Demons answered quickly. Going through eight of their nine batters in the top of the second, Northwestern State loaded the bases three times before Morgan was able to get out of the inning. Thanks to a single by freshman center fielder Sophia Livers and a throwing error to first by Scott, Northwestern State was able to tie the game at 2-2.

But that would be all the runs the Lady Demons managed to score. Thanks to a combined effort by Morgan and junior right hander Mia Sampson, Northwestern State managed to grab just two hits for the rest of the game and were shut out in the process.

Texas jumped ahead in the bottom of the third and fourth innings, combining for eight runs total. Senior first baseman Joley Mitchell doubled, bringing in Stewart and Scott, and Mitchell then reached home off a throwing error by junior second baseman Bailie Ragsdale. After the third inning concluded, Texas led 5-2.

In the fourth, the Longhorns doubled their score, totaling five runs once the inning was concluded. Atwood hit her 10th homer of the season, bringing in freshman outfielder Adayah Wallace and senior outfielder Bella Dayton. Sophomore second baseman Leighann Goode doubled to left center, bringing in junior first baseman Katie Cimusz and senior shortstop Alyssa Washington. The double helped Goode grab her first two RBI of the season. The Longhorns would go on to win 10-2.

Texas will play next on Saturday, March 2nd, hosting Hofstra at Red and Charline McCombs Field.