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Walk-off win clinches series over Kansas Jayhawks for No. 8 Texas softball
The Longhorns bounced back from their worst defensive game of the season Friday, committing five errors and losing 9-3, to win the second game of the series 10-0 in five innings before Sunday's 1-run victory.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a hiccup Friday, the No. 8 Texas softball team clinched the season series against the Kansas Jayhawks with a 3-2 win Sunday at McCombs Field.
The Longhorns bounced back from their worst defensive game of the season Friday, committing five errors and losing 9-3, to win the second game of the series 10-0 in five innings before Sunday's 1-run victory.
In Sunday's game, freshman catcher Reese Atwood smacked a single to score Mia Scott with the game-winning run in the seventh inning. Scott was the only Longhorn with multiple hits, collecting a pair from the leadoff spot in the lineup.
"I knew Mia (Scott) was on second and she has incredible speed, so I just knew I needed to get a ball in the gap or somewhere on the ground because she would score on anything I could put in play," Atwood said. "That was my approach going up there, then I changed my stance a little bit so I could get my timing down."
Camille Corona drove in Texas' first run in the fourth inning with a double, and then Lou Gilbert came around to score on a Kansas error to tie the game at 2-2 in the frame. Corona had the only extra-base hit for the Longhorns.
Citlaly Gutierrez pitched four innings but didn't factor into the decision. He allowed two earned runs on two hits with two strikeouts before Mac Morgan took over and collected her 14th win on the season. Morgan allowed just one hit in three innings pitched.
"Citlaly (Gutierrez) pitched a good game, but was a little unlucky there giving up the two two-out runs in the fourth," Longhorns head coach Mike White said. "Then Mac (Morgan) came in and did a great job for us, especially when the defense behind her played error-free softball."
Morgan has pitched 20 consecutive innings without allowing a run.
On Saturday, the Longhorns appeared to release pent-up aggression from Friday night's frustration. They scored nine runs in the first inning and chased Kansas starting pitcher Katie Brooks out of the circle after just one-third of an inning.
Scott singled, Viviana Martinez doubled and Leaighann Goode walked to load the bases with no outs in the first, and then things started to happen. Texas sent 13 batters to the plate with Scott picking up two hits in the inning, a leadoff single and a 2-run double, and Goode capped the scoring with a single to score Scott.
Corona hit a sacrifice fly to score Alyssa Washington in the fourth for Texas' 10th run. The game was called after the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.
Morgan went the distance and allowed one hit to pick up the win. She struck out four and walked one in 17 batters faced.
On Friday, Texas committed five errors in its first Big 12 loss to a team other than Oklahoma.
Texas (36-9-1) hosts No. 3 Oklahoma State for a pivotal 3-game Big 12 Conference series beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday. The game will be televised on ESPN2. The games Friday and Saturday will be on Longhorn Network.