On the road to play an unranked UCF in a three-game series this weekend, No. 3/2 Texas softball stopped to pick up a 10-0 win against No. 17/18 Florida State.
“This is great momentum,” junior catcher Katie Cimusz said. “I think also, we’re not trying to let our egos get too big, heads get too high or anything like that. Just keeping ourselves humble and going into the series with a fresh start.”
The last time the Longhorns played at JoAnne Graf Field at Seminole Softball Complex was 22 years ago when the Longhorns lost a 0-1 game to the Seminoles.
But the Longhorns looked to change the precedent, bringing the program record in Tallahassee to 1-1. Their win marked the 12th game this season scoring in double digits and their fourth win on the road against a ranked opponent.
“We knew the energy was going to be really tough against us,” Cimusz said. “But I think for us, it was just sticking together as a team and coming out and playing our best game that we can, and that really pushed us through the rest of the game.”
Capitalizing on their bunting game and solid hits, the Longhorns took a six-run lead in the third that helped carry them through the rest of the game, hitting at least one run for each of the innings.
The Longhorns were unable to score in the fourth and fifth innings, but they more than made up for it in the sixth inning.
After junior utility Mia Scott brought a runner home, sophomore catcher Reese Atwood stepped up to the plate and hit the ball out of the park for her 11th home run of the season. The RBI and home run brought the score up to 10-0.
“I think we all know it was gone, the second she hit it,” Cimusz said. “She’s just a great teammate and to finally see that kind of come together in this game, it’s just amazing.”
Adorned head to toe in their white uniforms, the Longhorns’ defense and pitching staff kept the Seminoles’ strong batting team to a total of four hits throughout the game.
While overall a dominant performance by the Longhorns, the defense made some errors in the fourth and fifth innings that could have been costly.
While throwing to second to catch a runner stealing, Atwood overthrew the ball, leading to the runner advancing to third. Then, in the fifth inning, an error by senior pitcher Estelle Czech allowed a runner to reach first.
Despite the shift in momentum toward Florida State, the Texas defense and pitching staff kept the other team scoreless, and it would remain that way for the rest of the game.
This weekend, the Longhorns will try to keep their winning streak alive in Orlando as they play UFC in a Big 12 Conference three-game series.
