Austin, Texas – Mike White and the rest of his coaching staff left Norman, Oklahoma on Sunday. Four days later, they managed to erase some of those question marks when they defeated Texas 9-1 Kentucky 9-1 in five innings Thursday night.
After Teagan Kavan (21-4) started the contest by evading one Baserunner through the first two innings, Victoria Hunter batted out of the seventh spot in the longhorn lineup, producing the first run of the game as he singled a 0-1 pitch into a shallow right field that moved Katy Stewart to 3 bases. Stewart was able to return home from third place with a fielding error, as he failed to collect loose softballs in the outfield grass following a bass hit.
As the third bottom started, the first three Texas batters reached the base as they tried to build on a one-run lead. Ashton Marony and Kayden Henry then scored during their back-to-back plate appearances. However, the big hits were two batters, with Hunter blowing the fence on 3-2 pitch 239 feet and left center field in his second career grand slam, extending the Longhorns’ lead from 3-0 to 7-0.
The top of the Texas lineup did their best, following Kentucky’s top innings leading the seven-run deficit to six following a solo home run. Find a way on the base and find a way to score.
Maloney opened the frame with an infield single before scoring from the start with a Henley Double above the head of the left fielder. She came in third on the wild pitch and returned to the Kentucky pitch to score on the Miascot ground, giving the Longhorns an eight-run lead.
A lead big enough to withstand a leadoff single, big enough to start the fifth top and finish the game fifth on the ground ball.
From head coach Mike White
“If she keeps the game like she did tonight, (Victoria Hunter) will definitely be the answer at the bottom of the lineup. It was great to see production from the orders tonight. She was able to fight and kick her out of the ballpark.
From 2nd Grade Victoria Hunter
“The first thing I had, I swing on a bad pitch and didn’t actually do what I wanted, so with the bat, I could put the swing I wanted for it because she was about to throw it into my window.
Game Notes
With the victory, Texas won 20 games this season with Red & Charline McCombs, and to mark the seventh consecutive completion season, the Longhorns won more than 20 home games. When Texas scored the first run of the game, the Longhorns scored at least one run for 83 consecutive points, tying a program record for consecutive games. By finishing five games with eight RBIs, Texas earned a season 362 RBI credit. This is the second most common in the single-season history of the program behind last season’s 470 sets. A victory in the pitching circle resulted in sophomore Tegan Kaban (2024-P) earning McMorgan (2023-P) for the seventh time on the program’s highest winning list of all-time winners. Stolen base list for the program’s single season.
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Texas (43-9, 14-8) will win their sixth Sec series victory on Friday when the tangled Longhorns and Kentucky Wildcats (29-23, 7-15) at Red & Charline McCombs Field at Red & Charline McCombs Field at Red & Charline McCombs Field at 11am.
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