No. 1 Texas softball remains a perfect 17–0 at home as another steady outing from sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan and a three-run third inning catapulted Texas to its 39th victory in game one against Tennessee.
“We just worried about what we got here,” head coach Mike White said. “Fortunately, we were able to score three runs and Teagan pitched a shutout, and you never lost a shutout so that’s a good thing.”
The much-anticipated pitching duel between Texas’ rising ace Teagan Kavan and the Southeastern Conference’s reigning Pitcher of the Year Tennessee’s Karyln Pickens began as expected. The Kavan and Pickens matchup produced four strikeouts and zero hits to start the ball game in the first inning.
However, the duel was cut short as Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly decided to pull Pickens after the first inning. Tennessee’s game plan of using multiple pitchers in the game saw them use four different pitchers throughout the night. Combined, the Volunteer pitchers put together six strikeouts and allowed just six hits.
Tennessee freshman pitcher Erin Nuwer was the first batter to step in out of the bullpen and tossed the next two innings. With the pitching change, Texas would take advantage in the third to score it’s only three runs on the night.
Senior utility player Mia Scott created the breakthrough for the Longhorns. A base hit toward the gap between first and second base drove in redshirt junior outfielder Ashton Maloney, and with some confusion at home plate, sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry scored. Keeping the momentum, junior catcher Reese Atwood singled up the middle with the next at-bat and drove home Scott.
After putting together a no-hitter and 26 strikeouts last weekend in the Missouri series, Kavan once more took to the circle in the opening game of the series. Kavan put together another solid night of work. Pitching the Longhorns’ 11th shutout on the season, Kavan punched out eight Volunteer batters and gave up just two hits on the night.
“Especially in those (big) games you have to keep our team in the ball game in order to win,” Kavan said. “My job is to just keep us in a game.”
Kavan did give up a season-high five walks in the game, two of those coming in the first inning. Luckily, she settled in quickly and took control for the rest of the game.
“She’s still young, she’s still a sophomore,” White said. “Sometimes in a big game, you feel a little more tentatively … but she did step up in those big moments. …Today she got in a big situation and she got the out.”
Texas returns to the field on Saturday for game two of the series against Tennessee, with the first pitch slated for 5 p.m.
