Following a split on the opening day of the Hillenbrand Invitational, Texas concluded the night with one win and its first loss on the season. On the second day No. 1 Texas softball returned to its dominant ways with a 12–0 mercy-rule win against the UC Davis Aggies and an extra inning 8–4 win against No. 13/11 Arizona Wildcats, improving to 14–1 in the season.
After its opening two-game slate, the Longhorns held a six-inning stretch with a run scored, and in the first game of the day, the runs stayed pouring on. Not needing to bat in the bottom of the fifth inning, Texas scored a run in all four innings of work, increasing the number to 10 straight scoring innings.
A huge eight-run third inning for the Longhorns allowed them to take full control of the game, beginning with a triple from junior catcher Reese Atwood, which batted in sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry to score. The second of her two RBIs of the game is number 156th of Atwood’s career, moving her into fourth on the career runs batter-in list.
A single into right field from sophomore catcher/infielder Katie Stewart brought in Atwood as the entire lineup turned over in the third inning. Stewart once again stepped up to the plate in the third and brought in senior utility player Mia Scott and Henry home following a single hit to center field, ending the inning with eight runs scored.
Half of the runs in the third inning came off of the bat of senior utility player Vanessa Quiroga. Quiroga emptied the bases with a soaring shot to right field, her third home run of the season. It was her second grand slam in two games, making her the first player in Texas softball history to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games.
Freshman pitcher Cambria Salmon started in the circle in the first game of the day and was in control throughout the game. She gave up just one hit in five innings and put together nine strikeouts, setting a new career-high in strikeouts in her young career.
The second matchup on the day started fast, as both teams scored in the opening inning.
The three first-inning runs for the Longhorns came from the bats of junior utility player Leighann Goode and graduate student infielder Joley Mitchell. Goode’s two-RBI single to right field and Mitchell’s one-run single down the left side allowed Texas to open the game quickly. However, Arizona would respond quickly with one swing of the bat. Junior catcher Sydney Stewart’s three-run home run to center field tied the ball game at three a-piece.
The game was tied up at the end of regulation, with an RBI double into left field from senior catcher Katie Cimusz in the sixth and an RBI single down the infield line from junior utility player Kaiah Altmeyer in the seventh from the Wildcats.
The game came down to an extra inning, and the Longhorns found the extra energy to come out on top. A sacrifice fly from redshirt junior outfielder Ashton Maloney allowed Mitchell to score, and then a three-run home run from Henry extended the lead to 8–4.
The Texas Longhorns take on the Colorado State Rams on Sunday, the final day of the Hillenbrand Invitational, at 10 a.m.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Atwood moved into the third, instead of fourth on the career runs batter-in list. This has been corrected. The Texan regrets this error.
