No. 5 Longhorns crush their way to 2-0 start, big win over No. 8 UCLA
Texas clobbered San Diego 19-0 behind a 5-inning no-hitter by Mac Morgan to begin play, and then they hung on to top No. 8 UCLA 3-2 to start the 2024 season 2-0 at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. The game against UCLA was the first nationally televised softball game of the year on ESPN.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The No. 5 Texas Longhorns started the opening day of the softball season with a bang Friday, and then ended it with a nail-biting victory against one of the most storied programs in the sport's history.
Texas clobbered San Diego 19-0 behind a 5-inning no-hitter by Mac Morgan to begin play, and then they hung on to top No. 8 UCLA 3-2 to start the 2024 season 2-0 at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. The game against UCLA was the first nationally televised softball game of the year on ESPN.
Against the Bruins, Texas freshman pitcher Teagan Kavan was strong for five innings in the circle but ran into some trouble in the sixth, but sophomore Citlaly Gutierrez worked out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the game in favor of the Longhorns. Kavan walked a run home in the sixth before head coach Mike White went to his bullpen with a 3-1 lead, and Gutierrez delivered in the big moment. She allowed just one run to score on a fielder's choice before coaxing two ground outs by the Bruins to escape the frame with the lead.
Gutierrez earned the save after pitching a clean seventh inning, giving Kavan the first win of her collegiate career.
Texas sophomore catcher Reese Atwood provided early instant offense with a solo home run off UCLA's Taylor Tinsley in the second inning to make it 1-0 Longhorns. Katie Cimusz scored on a throwing error in the third inning after Bella Dayton laid down a perfect bunt, and then Mia Scott delivered an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Longhorns.
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Scott and Atwood both had two hits against the Bruins while the Kavan and Gutierrez combo allowed just two hits.
Against the Toreros in the opener, second baseman Alyssa Washington clubbed a solo home run in the fourth inning to make it 10-0 in favor of Texas. The Longhorns then plated nine runs on five hits the following inning to put an exclamation point on the big win.
Morgan struck out five and walked one in a 93-pitch gem. She induced San Diego into nine groundouts and threw 56 strikes in her first outing of the season.
Dayton and Atwood picked up three hits each against San Diego while Joley Mitchell had two. Texas had 15 hits in the game.
Texas (2-0) is back in action Saturday, again facing San Diego and UCLA, starting at 3:30 p.m. CT.