No. 8/8 Softball advances to Sunday’s regional championship

Saturday, May 20

Austin, TX

2 PM

University of Texas

44-13-1

Texas A&M

34-20

Texas A&M

Texas

Photo by: Texas Athletics

No. 8/8 Softball advances to Sunday’s regional championship

05.20.2023 | Softball

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Texas Longhorns head coach Mike White now one win shy of 13th consecutive NCAA Super Regionals

By: Chris Allen Brown

AUSTIN, TX – After Mac Morgan and Estelle Czech left Seton Hall without any hits on Friday, Citlaly Gutierrez picked up the softball and continued limiting an opponent's offense as Gutierrez and Sophia Simpson combined to allow only one run in No. 8 Texas' 2-1 victory over Texas A&M Saturday afternoon.

In her first career collegiate postseason pitching appearance, Gutierrez (13-5) tossed 82 pitches in five innings of work, struck out four batters while scattering three hits — only one extra base hit — and allowed only one run, which came with two outs in the top of the third.

After a leadoff walk to begin the top of the sixth, Simpson (S, 2) entered the pitching circle and got the next two outs on seven pitches, before freshman catcher Reese Atwood threw out Amari Harper attempting to steal second base.

Simpson returned for her second inning of work in the top of the seventh and highlighted the Longhorns' fourth consecutive scoreless frame with back-to-back swinging strikeouts to end the game.

Offensively, two third-inning runs were plenty for Texas after Ashton Maloney and Alyssa Popelka scored from third and second, respectively, on a fielder's choice off the bat of Bella Dayton.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"As I told the team this is going to be a taste of what it's going to be like in a couple of years when you move the SEC: competitive games with a lot of tensions and pressure moments. I thought our team did pretty well. I said this to the team as well, our bottom half of the order came through really well today and we were able to get on base and cause some havoc and that was difference in the game. And, of course, some really good pitching, too. I think the bases loaded, nobody out was a huge jam to get out of. Citlaly (Gutierrez) did a fantastic job there and we had great defensive play all afternoon. And then Sophia (Simpson) came in and did was Sophia does and just baffles them with some offspeed and worked some magic.

FROM FRESHMAN CITLALY GUTIERREZ

"It was definitely a great feeling being out there for the first time; it was a great environment. The rivalry, yes, is really huge. But, I learned to definitely stay present in the game and stay within ourselves and not make the game bigger than it is. I trusted my defense and they worked right behind me."

GAME NOTES

Texas A&M broke a streak of 7.2 consecutive hitless innings by the Texas pitching staff to begin this weekend's Austin Regional with a two-out infield single off the bat of Koko Wooley in the top of the third.
- Mac Morgan: 4 innings
- Estelle Czech: 1 inning
- Citlaly Gutierrez: 2.2 innings
In the bottom of the third, Leighann Goode was hit by the second pitch of her at bat, marking the first time she's been hit by a pitch since top of the second of the Longhorns' 6-1 win at South Floirda on March 19, 2023.
With the win over Texas A&M on Saturday, Texas now has taken the lead in the series history with 23 wins against the Aggies.
- The Longhorns have now won back-to-back games over the Aggies for the first time since winning three straight from April 28, 2012 to May 20, 2016.
Additionally, Saturday's victory over Texas A&M gives Texas 30 wins at Red & Charline McCombs Field this season, marking just the fourth time in program history the Longhorns have won 30-or-more games at home.
- The win marks the second time in the last three seasons Texas has accomplished the feat.
  - A win in the regional championship on Sunday would be the 31st win at home this season for the Longhorns, one shy of the program record of 32 set during the 2006 season.
With her first-inning single, Mia Scott is now tried with Brejae Washington (2014), Lexy Bennett (2012) and Loryn Johnson (2009) for seventh on the program's single-season hit list.
- Last season, Scott finished the season with 77 hits, good enough for the fourth most on the program's single season list.

UP NEXT

Texas (44-13-1) will advance to Sunday's championship round of the 2023 NCAA Austin Regional and play the winner of the elimination bracket at 1 PM CT.
- If the Longhorns fall in that game, both teams will turn around to play a winner-take-all game 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

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