No. 10/7 Softball cruises past Jayhawks, into Big 12 title game

Friday, May 12

Oklahoma City, Okla.

4 PM

University of Texas

42-12-1

Kansas

25-27

Kansas

Texas

Photo by: Texas Athletics

No. 10/7 Softball cruises past Jayhawks, into Big 12 title game

05.12.2023 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Behind an early seven-run lead, Texas advances to first Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship game since 2005.

By: Chris Allen Brown

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – The momentum in Texas' 9-1 win over Kansas began with the 15th pitch in the bottom of the first inning and didn't stop until the 96th pitch thrown by a Jayhawk pitcher Friday afternoon.

Appearing in her first game since May 6, 2023, Courtney Day broke the 0-0 tie in the bottom of the first when she lined a 1-1 pitch into the left-centerfield gap to score both Leighann Goode and Mia Scott from second and third, respectively. Goode, an inning later, doubled the Longhorn lead with a two-out, two-run home run to mark her eighth home run in 187 plate appearances as a true freshman.

Reese Atwood, who was one of five Longhorn softball student-athletes selected to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team prior to the beginning of this weekend's postseason conference tournament, ballooned the Texas lead in the bottom of the third by sending a 1-2 pitch into the left-centerfield gap for a two-run double, plating both Bella Dayton and Baylea Brandon.

Brandon, to start the bottom of the fifth, answered Kansas' single run in the top of the fourth with a solo home run to push Texas' lead back to seven. After Atwood, Vanessa Quiroga and Viviana Martinez all reached base to load the bases, Ashton Maloney was credited with an infield single to score Atwood from third and send the Longhorns' into its first Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship game since the 2005 season.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"I think the tone for today's game was really set during that first inning with Mac Morgan keeping (Kansas) off the scoreboard and that's what we needed. And then our offense being able to strike early there with a double from Courtney Day and then we found a way to keep being consistent and adding runs there in the second and third. We did a really good job of being disciplined and looking for the right pitches even after (Kansas) changed pitchers. Citlaly (Gutierrez) came in there in the top of the fourth and get those three strikeouts as huge for us to keep the momentum on our side."

FROM FRESHMAN LEIGHANN GOODE

"We came out in the first inning and our goal was to set the tone, then being able to add on each inning as the game progressed. Today definitely felt good. We've been struggling a little bit, so it felt good to come out and get the ball rolling, especially heading into tomorrow's game."

GAME NOTES

With the victory Friday afternoon, Texas advanced to its first Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship game since May 14, 2005, when the Longhorns defeated Missouri, 2-0, to win its last conference championship, a span of 6,573 days between championship game appearances.
With her second-inning, two-run home run, Leighann Goode became the first Longhorn freshman student-athlete to hit a home run during the Big 12 Championship since Mia Scott hit a solo home run during the top of the fourth inning against Oklahoma State on May 13, 2022.
Additionally, Leighann Goode has now hit two home runs in three career games at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.
- Goode also hit a solo home run against Oklahoma's Jordy Bahl in her first career plate appearance against the Sooners on March 31, 2023.
With Ashton Maloney's game-ending, infield single in the bottom of the fifth, every starter in the Longhorn lineup against Kansas reached base safely either via a base hit or walk.
With her third-inning sacrifice fly, Vanessa Quiroga has driven in at least one run in back-to-back games for the first time since Feb. 15 (Lamar) and Feb. 17, 2023 (Loyola Chicago).

UP NEXT

With the win, Texas (42-12-1) advances to the championship game of the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship on Saturday, May 13. The Longhorns will play No. 1 Oklahoma (50-1) at 12 PM CT at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla.

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