In its first double-header back on the Forty Acres, No. 1 Texas softball outscored Ohio State and Syracuse by a combined total of 22 runs, with respective scores of 14-6 and 14-0.
The team’s past four games have now been terminated by the mercy rule, meaning that the Longhorns have accumulated a lead of eight or more runs by the end of the fifth inning.
While adding two more decisive victories to their win column is a positive look for the Longhorns, their recent dominance begs this question: how much do they actually gain by playing in these sort of easily winnable nonconference matchups?
For catcher Reese Atwood, it’s about winning all of the little battles that exist within each matchup.
“We’re taking it piece by piece in games like these,” Atwood said. “[In] the more high-scoring games, we’re always looking for the little areas that we can do better because the little things are what matter most when we play the bigger teams.”
These “little areas,” according to Atwood, include but are not limited to minimizing errors, improving communication and keeping the energy high even when their competition isn’t as intense.
“I think as a staff and a program, we want a little more energy throughout the rest of the game, and kind of not do a one inning and then let the rest of the game go down,” Atwood said.
She is referring to her team’s second matchup against Syracuse, in which 10 of its 12 runs were scored in the first inning of play. That being said, an Atwood double, a successful bunt by second baseman Leighann Goode and five other hits for Texas were enough to take the Orange out of the matchup. The Longhorns worked through their entire lineup and then some, showcasing their depth at the Red and Charline McCombs Field.
Head coach Mike White emphasized the team’s depth after the Syracuse game, noting that Atwood, the new career home run record-holder at Texas, isn’t his only player capable of showing up big offensively.
“Everybody in the lineup can actually hit with power,” White said. “That’s what the nice thing is- we have a lot of different ways to win ball games.”
Texas scored four home runs throughout the evening on 22 hits, with many different players getting involved in the scoring effort.
The Longhorns tried out three different starters against the Orange after the win against the Buckeyes, altering the batting order quite a bit. Throughout the two matchups, they actually utilized four different pitchers. Junior pitcher Teagan Kavan allowed five of the team’s six runs, but even so, their ability to win never seemed to be in question.
Both Syracuse and Ohio State will get another shot at the Longhorns on Saturday afternoon, but they will need a significant shift in momentum to create a fighting chance against this top-notch Texas team.
