No. 1/1 Softball pushes winning streak to nine with sweep of Kansas

Sunday, April 21

Lawrence, KS

12 PM CT

University of Texas

38-6, 17-4

Kansas

27-17-1, 11-10

Texas

Kansas

No. 1/1 Softball pushes winning streak to nine with sweep of Kansas

04.21.2024 | Softball

Box Score

Texas returns to Austin with 38th win, 17th in Big 12 play following Sunday’s victory

By: Chris Allen Brown

LAWRENCE, Kansas – It took the first three full innings of Sunday's 7-0 win over Kansas for the Texas offense to get rolling. But once the Longhorns took the lead in the fourth, they never looked back.

With Citlaly Gutierrez (8-0) limiting the Kansas offense to just three hits through the game's first three innings, Texas was able to break through in the top of the fourth by playing small ball. Alyssa Washington led off the inning by sending the first pitch of her at bat through the left side for a single. She advanced to second on a passed ball and then to third on a sacrifice bunt by Katie Cimusz. Five pitches later, the senior from Abilene, Texas scored while Kansas was throwing to first base to complete a strikeout.

The play not only pushed Texas ahead, 1-0, but broke the ice that was preventing the Longhorns from scoring after the visitors loaded the bases in the first and third innings while also having a runner in scoring position in the second.

The flood gates opened, though, an inning later when Texas scored six times on five hits and one Jayhawk error. Viviana Martinez made it 3-0, Longhorns, by sending the sixth pitch of the inning to the right-center field gap for a two-run double, scoring Ashton Maloney and Mia Scott. Three pitches later, Reese Atwood tied the program's single-season RBI record (66) with a single back up the middle to score Martinez from second.

After Katie Stewart singled through the left side and the inning's first out, Cimusz connected on a 1-0 pitch for her second home run in as many days as the Humble, Texas native extended the Longhorn lead to 7-0 with a three-run home run.

Gutierrez returned to the circle to start the bottom of the fifth with a seven-run lead and allowed only one base runner — a leadoff single to start the bottom of the sixth — over the game's final three innings.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"Obviously, the three-game sweep is what we needed. The offense came to play today. We had the opportunity to really open it up today, but we had four double plays turned on us. Overall, Citlaly (Gutierrez) pitched very well and got stronger as the game went on. We played solid defense all weekend and that's what we need to do to stay in this chase."

FROM JUNIOR FIRST BASEMAN KATIE CIMUSZ

"Honestly, it just feels so great (when I'm able to have those good at bats when my number is called). I put in the hard work during practice and pre-game, so seeing everything just come together feels really good."

GAME NOTES

By earning the sweep of the weekend's three-game series, Texas has now won its last 23 consecutive softball games against Kansas in Lawrence dating back to the last Jayhawk win over the Longhorns in the Sunflower State on April 13, 2008.
- Since the first-ever meeting between the two programs in Lawrence on April 6, 1997, Texas is now 26-11 all time against Kansas in games played in Lawrence.
With Katie Cimusz three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning, the Texas offense has now been credited with over 300 (301) runs batted in (RBI) in 1,161 official plate appearances on the season.
- The program's single-season RBI record is 355 set throughout the 2022 campaign.
With her stolen base on the first pitch of Viviana Martinez' fifth inning at bat, Mia Scott has now been credited with 50 career stolen bases on 57 attempts (87.7 success rate).
Sunday's performance marked the fourth complete game — regardless of innings pitched — shutout for sophomore right-hander Citlaly Gutierrez this season.
- It marks the first seven-inning complete game shutout for the Stamford, Texas native since throwing a 93-pitch, seven-inning shutout against Hofstra on Sunday, March 3.
As a result of a successful challenge by Texas head coach Mike White, a first inning ground out off the bat of Mia Scott was overturned to an infield hit, the 200th career collegiate hit for the third-year Longhorn softball student-athlete.
- Scott will enter Thursday's non-conference game against Nicholls with 201 career hits — sixth back of tying Keely Franks (1997-00) for 10th on the program's career hit list — following a fifth-inning bunt single against the Jayhawks.
  - Janae Jefferson (2018-22) holds the program's career hit record with 362.

UP NEXT

After earning three victories in Lawrence over RV/- Kansas (27-17-1, 11-10) on the weekend, Texas (38-6, 17-4) will now return to the Forty Acres in search of its 20th win at Red & Charline McCombs Field this season with a non-conference matchup against Nicholls at 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 25.

FOLLOW US

For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasSoftball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TexasLonghorns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.