No. 1/1 Softball strikes early, Kavan shuts down No. 18/18 Mississippi State

Sunday, March 30

Starkville, MS

1 PM CT

University of Texas

34-3, 7-2

Mississippi State

29-8, 6-3

Texas

Mississippi State

No. 1/1 Softball strikes early, Kavan shuts down No. 18/18 Mississippi State

03.30.2025 | Softball

Box Score

Texas earns third consecutive ranked conference series victory.

By: Chris Allen Brown

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After exploding for six runs over the final two frames of Friday's doubleheader finale, The University of Texas continued to pass the bats down its lineup during the weekend finale as the Longhorns scored two first-inning runs that laid the foundation for their 7-2 series-clinching victory at No. 18/18 Mississippi State.

It took Texas just eight pitches into Sunday's contest to break into the run column as Ashton Maloney sent the second pitch of her game-opening at bat to left field for her second triple on the season. Six pitches later, Kayden Henry sent a 3-2 pitch into the right-centerfield gap to score Maloney and give the Longhorns a lead they never relinquished. Moments after Maloney and Henry's back-to-back triples, Mia Scott was credited with her sixth sacrifice fly on the season and extend Texas' lead out to 2-0.

On the right shoulder of Teagan Kavan's near-flawless outing in the pitching circle, Texas rode its two-run lead for the next three innings, before Henry and Scott combined to double the lead with back-to-back run-scoring hits. Joley Mitchell put the cap in the four-run, five-hit top of the fifth with a two-run home run and chase Mississippi State's starting pitcher.

The 6-0 Longhorn lead stood for another frame until Katie Stewart connected with a 1-0 pitch in the top of the seventh for a two-out double to score Shylin Brister from second.

Mississippi State attempted a seventh-inning rally by loading the bases with its first three batters, before Citlaly Gutierrez entered the game out of the bullpen and recorded the final three outs of the game over the next four Bulldog batters.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"What we talked about this morning was trying to find a way to get ahead early in the game, because we are confident in Teagan (Kavan) being out there and her abilities to limit opposing offenses. We went into a little bit of a lull, offensively, during the middle innings, but found a way to explode back in the top of the fifth, so we did a good job of creating some distance between us and them."

FROM SOPHOMORE KAYDEN HENRY

"Knowing the last couple of days that we haven't been playing with the same energy or going up to bat with the same energy as games past, today was about executing early and picking our pitches, while being pretty aggressive at the plate."

GAME NOTES

With her run-scoring double in the top of the seventh, Katie Stewart was credited with her 56th RBI on the season, which ties the sophomore with Mia Scott (2024) for seventh on the program's single-season RBI list.
By striking out Mississippi State's Sierra Sacco twice throughout Sunday's contest, Teagan Kavan joined teammate Citlaly Gutierrez as the only pitchers to strikeout Sacco multiple times in the same game this season.
By driving in Kayden Henry and extending Texas' lead to 4-0 in the top of the fifth, Mia Scott was credited with her 167th career RBI, which moves the four-year Longhorn pass Lindsey Stephens (2013-16) for fourth place on the program's career RBI list.
By scoring on Joley Mitchell's fifth-inning, two-run home run, Mia Scott scored her 221st career run, which ties her with Taylor Hoagland (2010-13) for second place on the program's career runs scored list.
- Scott will enter Texas' next game just one run shy of tying Janae Jefferson's program record of 222 career runs scored.
Sunday's game marked the first time this season Texas has opened a game with back-to-back triples as Ashton Maloney and Kayden Henry did so against Mississippi State starter Chaffin Raelin in the top of the first.

UP NEXT

Texas (34-3, 7-2) will travel to Columbia, Mo., where the Longhorns will begin a three-game conference series at Missouri (18-17, 1-6) that will begin at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, April 4.
- Friday's game will mark the first time Texas will play a softball game against Missouri in Columbia since May 8, 2011, when the two softball programs were members of the Big 12 Conference.

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