In Texas softball’s series loss against then-No. 4 Alabama, some weak spots in the Longhorns’ game were exposed.
The Crimson Tide handed the Longhorns their third and fourth losses of the season in a showing that exposed a shallow pitching depth and fielding inconsistencies. Now, Texas has returned to Austin with some major clean-up needed ahead of its Red River Rivalry series against No. 2 Oklahoma.
In the 11-4 loss on Friday, Texas utilized four pitchers, starting with freshman pitcher Hannah Wells. After giving up six earned runs in 1.2 innings, the Longhorns brought in sophomore pitcher Cambria Salmon to end the second inning.
Senior pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez spent one inning in the circle before head coach Mike White used sophomore Brenlee Gonzales to close the game, allowing three earned runs in three innings.
“(We have to) keep battling, no matter what happens, limit the damage they may cause,” White said. “That (can be done) by limiting pitchers’ errors, which are walks and hits by pitches. I think that’s been our Achilles heel.”
While junior pitcher Teagan Kavan gave Texas some relief in the first and third games, the ace could not carry the team throughout the entire series. In Kavan’s first outing, she only surrendered one run and five hits while not giving up a single walk.
However, in Kavan’s second start, she gave up six earned runs and seven hits during 3.1 innings. No matter how elite a pitcher is, fatigue will impact even the best.
“(Her) performance wasn’t the same,” White said. “I don’t know whether that was mental fatigue or physical fatigue, but we monitor physical fatigue, and it’s not that.”
Alabama’s strong offensive showing didn’t just put pressure on Texas’ pitchers. Throughout the weekend, the Longhorns committed four fielding errors while the Crimson Tide only conceded two.
White was frustrated with the number of errors committed by the defense, and they must be cleaned up before his team faces a program full of elite hitters in Oklahoma.
Looking ahead to the Longhorns’ series against the Sooners, junior infielder and catcher Katie Stewart knows her team can bounce back from its series loss but needs to clean up the errors in their game physically and mentally.
“One little mistake on the mental side can snowball very quickly,” Stewart said. “(We know) that we need to be prepared on what we’re going to do with the ball before we even get it.”
Oklahoma is walking into Red & Charline McCombs Field to make a statement. The Sooners still remember when the Longhorns knocked them out of the Women’s College World Series following a regular-season sweep by the Sooners just a month prior.
While runs may be given up, Stewart feels confident that they will be able to respond as long as they maintain confidence in the dugout and communication on the field.
