No. 5 Texas slams way to 5-0 record, 4 run-rule wins in SoCal road trip
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas softball team looks like an offensive juggernaut five games into the season.
The No. 5 Longhorns romped through a Southern California road trip to a 5-0 record, piling up 64 runs and bringing the 8-run mercy rule into play in four of the five contests. Texas wrapped up its perfect record with a 10-2 win over Loyola Marymount on Sunday.
On Saturday, Texas thumped San Diego 16-1 and then blew out No. 10 UCLA 16-0 after clipping the Bruins 3-2 on Feb. 9. Texas clobbered San Diego in the first game of the season 19-0 before edging UCLA.
Against LMU, Texas banged out 13 hits led by freshman Kayden Henry's three hits. She hit an RBI double in the fourth inning to help spark an 8-run frame that turned a tight 1-1 ballgame into a blowout. Reese Atwood also hit an RBI double in the frame while Vivi Martinez, Mia Scott and Alyssa Washington drove in runs with base hits.
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Teagan Kavan had another nice outing in the circle, earning her second win of the year. She allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk in 18 batters faced. She allowed a solo home run to LMU's Lauryn Carter in the second inning and another run came home on an error. Sophia Simpson tossed the final two frames with four strikeouts and two walks, allowing one hit.
Washington, Atwood and Scott all had two hits and Joley Mitchell hit a double.
Against UCLA on Saturday, Martinez had a huge night with a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the plate. She clubbed two home runs — one of them a grand slam in the fourth inning — to drive in five runs. Scott drove in six runs, hitting a grand slam in the second and a two-run single in the fourth. Texas scored eight runs in the fourth inning against the Bruins.
Texas freshman Victoria Hunter blasted her first collegiate home run in the fifth inning, a solo shot to left-center.
Citlaly Gutierrez threw a shutout for the Longhorns, allowing four hits with four strikeouts and no walks in just 56 pitches.
Texas (5-0) is back in action Feb. 16 at the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Florida, and the Longhorns have quite a schedule ahead of them. They play No. 2 Tennessee, the team that ousted them in the super regionals last season, and No. 3 Stanford to open the showcase. North Carolina and No. 25 Kentucky await Feb. 17 and No. 20 Northwestern is the opponent Feb. 18.