No. 2/2 Softball’s Gutierrez adds another gem to résumé

Friday, March 29

Stillwater, OK

7 PM CT

University of Texas

29-4, 9-2

Oklahoma State

28-6, 8-3

Texas

Oklahoma State

No. 2/2 Softball’s Gutierrez adds another gem to résumé

03.29.2024 | Softball

Box Score

Citlaly Gutierrez topples top-10 Oklahoma State, hands Cowgirls first loss at home this season

By: Chris Allen Brown

STILLWATER, Okla. – Even before Citlaly Gutierrez took the pitching circle prior to her seven-inning, complete game effort throughout Texas' 2-1 victory over No. 8/10 Oklahoma State on Friday night, the sophomore right-handed pitcher already had a few notable performances on the season.

And the Stamford, Texas native's latest effort in the Burnt Orange and White showed a nation-wide audience why she earned multiple All-Big 12 Conference honors as a freshman in 2023.

Despite Texas entering the bottom of the first without scoring a run in the top half of the frame as a result of an Oklahoma State challenge, Gutierrez went right to work by retiring the first Cowgirl batter via a ground out to Viviana Martinez at shortstop after five pitches. OSU, though, responded from the out with three consecutive one-out singles, before a sacrifice fly scored a run to push the home team ahead 1-0.

A 1-2-5-4 double play by the Longhorn defense to erase a leadoff double in the bottom of the second brought momentum back into the Texas dugout. And the UT offense used that momentum in the top of the third to manufacture the game-tying run when Bella Dayton, who drew a walk then stole second and advanced to third on a fielder's choice, slide across the plate on a ground ball off the bat of Mia Scott.

Now with the game tied at 1-1, Gutierrez returned to the circle and all but completely shut down the Oklahoma State offense throughout the remainder of the game. The sophomore retired the side in order during the third, sixth and seventh innings, while working around a leadoff walk in the fourth and a two-out single in the fifth.

The Texas offense attempted to give Gutierrez the lead in both the fourth and fifth innings as the Longhorns were credited with five hits between the two frames but couldn't plate the go-ahead run. At least not until the top of the sixth.

In the sixth, Katie Stewart and Ashton Maloney added to the hit total with back-to-back one-out infield singles. Both advance to third and second, respectively, on a Bella Dayton ground out. But it was the speed of Kayden Henry that allowed the Longhorns to take the lead as the freshman outfielder beat out a throw from the Cowgirls' shortstop, which in result resulted in Stewart scoring from third and giving Texas a 2-1 advantage in the run column.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"You can tell when (Citlaly Gutierrez) is confident, because she's not rattled and she's not nervous. I never got the impression she had any nerves. She just felt all business. She wasn't pointing any fingers tonight. She kept saying, 'It's on me' when something happened and 'Let's Go!' when overcome with emotion. She was just being a real team leader in the circle tonight. And that's what we needed."

FROM SOPHOMORE PITCHER CITLALY GUTIERREZ

"I think my confidence was the biggest thing (for me in the circle tonight). That and staying within myself and not too far ahead of the game — itself — and also staying within each pitch and trusting my defense (behind me) as well."

GAME NOTES

By drawing a four-pitch walk during the game's second at bat, Mia Scott extended her consecutive on-base streak to 21 straight, which is not only a career long for the junior but also now the longest streak by any active Longhorn softball student-athlete.
- Scott had the previous longest streak among active players, too, with a 20-game on-base streak from June 9, 2022 to March 4, 2023.
With Joley Mitchell earning the start at first base on Friday night, Texas has now started a different student-athlete at first base in each of the last four consecutive games.
- Saturday, March 23 – Katie Cimusz
- Sunday, March 24 – Leighann Goode
- Thursday, March 28 – Katie Stewart
- Friday, March 29 – Joley Mitchell
Texas pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez did not get to a three-ball count against an Oklahoma State batter until the leadoff batter of the bottom of the fourth, which was the 14th Cowgirl batter of the game.
Friday night's win for Texas gives the Longhorns their first win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., since May 29, 2021 and first victory over the Cowgirls during the regular season since March 31, 2019.
With her performance in the circle against Oklahoma State on Friday, Citlaly Gutierrez tossed her first career seven-inning complete game against a Big 12 opponent.
- Her six strikeouts on the night, too, were also the most against a conference opponent during her collegiate career.

UP NEXT

Texas (29-4, 9-2) will look to earn its 30th overall win and 10th in Big 12 play on Saturday, March 30, when the Longhorns and Oklahoma State (28-6, 8-3) conclude their three-game conference series with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

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