It was windy, cold and quiet. In a packed Red and Charline McCombs Field, you could hear a pin drop.
No. 25/22 Texas State, fresh off of their 35-minute bus drive, loaded the bases in the top of the first. Hitting for a single and forcing two walks with just one out on the scoreboard, it was clear the Bobcats came to play.
“We’ve got to be patient,” Longhorn head coach Mike White said.
The next two batters both hit sharp grounders to short and second, and Texas was out of the inning.
On the mound for the Bobcats was senior stud Jessica Mullins. The right-handed hurler boasts the third-best ERA in all of college softball and has pitched 166 innings this season, 19.2 more than anybody else in the country. When Texas traveled to San Marcos a month and a half ago, Mullins went full and gave up just one run in a 1-0 loss.
She was supposed to be a problem tonight, but Texas had other plans.
In the second inning, Texas put up three runs. Sophomore infielder Vivi Martinez doubled, driving in freshman outfielder Adayah Wallace and senior infielder Joley Mitchell drove in Martinez on the next at-bat. 2-0 Texas.
Later in the inning, sophomore outfielder Ashton Maloney singled, driving in Mitchell and making the score 3-0.
But Texas St. bounced back. Thanks to three hits in the third, the Bobcats found three runs. The game was tied. And an inning and a half later, Texas St. found one more run, and they were winning 4-3, just like that.
“From [Mullins’] history and what she’s done against us, you think it’s gonna be a one-run-two run ball game,” White said. “So I was sweating there a little bit when we were down.”
But only for a bit.
In the next half inning, Texas found three runs thanks to a wild pitch and a pair of hits. The Longhorns rekindled their lead, making the score 6-4, and soon it was time to put down the Bobcats.
New on the mound for Texas was senior left-hander Estelle Czech. A smaller presence on the mound for Texas, she was ready to play some big-time softball.
“I talk to myself a lot. ‘Alright, you’ve worked your entire life for this moment, no one else can really beat you right here,’” Czech said.
Czech gave up just one run in three innings pitched and helped the Longhorns elevate their record to 32-6.
“You got this, you do this for your team,” Czech said to herself before stepping up to the mound to replace sophomore pitcher Citlaly Gutirrez.
No. 2/1 Texas will take on No. 24/RV Baylor in Waco on April 12 and in Austin from April 13-14.
