No. 1 Texas softball upset by No. 20 Stanford, defeats Colorado State at Hillenbrand Invitational

Thanks to a sluggish offensive performance and pitching struggles, Texas softball was handed its first loss of the season, falling to No. 20 Stanford 5–9. However, just minutes after the loss, Texas went back on the field and bounced back against Colorado State in an 18–2 win over five innings. 

Although Stanford is toward the bottom of the top-25 rankings, Texas knew it wouldn’t be an easy game. 

“It’s a little more equal this year across all boards, across all teams,” junior catcher Reese Atwood said. “So no one is specifically seen as someone who’s just going to completely dominate.”

Neither team dominated for most of the game, going back and forth scoring on the diamond. 

As soon as Texas tied the game in the bottom of the first, Stanford pulled freshman pitcher Zoe Prystajko out of the circle and put in sophomore pitcher Alyssa Houston, who the Texas offense heavily struggled against. 

Texas’ hitting proficiency shown last week was absent this time around. The Longhorns went scoreless through the next two innings, including a disastrous three-up-three-out showing during the bottom of the third following Stanford’s second two-run homer.

However, with the score tied at 4–4 in the sixth inning, Stanford quickly loaded the bases. Junior infielder River Mahler singled to the left, bringing two runners home.  

With the Cardinal up by two runs, sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan was replaced by junior pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez. However, unlike Stanford, that switch proved unsuccessful. Gutierrez almost immediately threw the batter a home run, which saw three Stanford athletes score. This, unknowingly, was the nail in the coffin. 

Texas had a final shot in the bottom of the seventh to climb up from being down five runs. There were flashes of a comeback, with the bases loaded at one point and senior utility player Mia Scott scoring a run. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. 

Just minutes after their first loss of the season, the Longhorns had no choice but to regroup and refocus against Colorado State. 

Texas got off to an explosive start at the top of the first. Atwood, who had a quiet first game, broke open the score with a two-run homer to send her and redshirt junior outfielder Ashton Maloney home. 

Senior Mac Morgan, who didn’t see the circle against the Cardinal, was a steady force for the Longhorns during this game. The Rams didn’t get their first hit until the bottom of the second inning, scoring a two-run homer. It was radio silence from the Rams’ offensive across the next three innings. 

“That’s where Mac Morgan comes in,” head coach Mike White said. “We know that she’s very consistent and can really attack those teams that have a little trouble down the zone.”

Texas’ offensive power finally got rolling at the top of the third. Junior utility player Leighann Goode hit her second homer of the year, sending her, Atwood and sophomore Katie Stewart to home plate. 

Texas continued to exploit Colorado State’s pitching struggles at the top of the fourth, scoring nine runs. After two of the Longhorns hit singles, Atwood hit another two-run homer. The Rams immediately made a pitching change, replacing junior Giselle Bentley with junior Delaney Saugstad. Like Texas in the previous game, CSU’s pitching switch-up didn’t help. 

After senior Katie Cimusz singled out to give the Longhorns their 10th run of the game, senior utility player Vanessa Quiroga hit a massive grand slam. During its last offensive showing of the day, Texas extended the lead by three runs to bring the final score to 18–2.

Texas will return to the diamond tomorrow, when it will face UC Davis and No. 11 Arizona on the second day of the tournament in Tucson, Arizona.