No. 3/4 Softball runs away with NCAA Regional-opening contest

Friday, May 16

Austin, TX

3:30 PM CT

University of Texas

47-10

Eastern Illinois

34-21

Eastern Illinois

Texas

No. 3/4 Softball runs away with NCAA Regional-opening contest

05.16.2025 | Softball

Box Score

Reese Atwood records just third four-hit performance by a Texas player in a NCAA Regional game

By: Chris Allen Brown

AUSTIN, Texas – The only thing hotter than the 95-degree temperature at Red & Charline McCombs Field on Friday afternoon was the Texas offense as the Longhorns strung together 15 hits en route to earning a 10-2 win over Eastern Illinois in five innings to begin the NCAA Austin Regional.

The 1-hour, 59-minute contest was bookmarked by a pair of four-run innings for Texas as the Longhorns responded for a first inning run by Eastern Illinois with a four-run, four-hit bottom of the first that saw Reese Atwood, Joley Mitchell and Katie Cimusz all have run-scoring plate appearances throughout the frame.

Texas expanded its 4-1 lead three innings later when Mia Scott drove in Kayden Henry with a two-out double to left field. Atwood followed by singling a 1-0 pitch back up the middle to plate Scott from second.

The Longhorns, again, looked to respond to a Panther run after EIU scored in the top of the fifth to cut its deficit to 6-2. And Texas did just that in the bottom of the fifth as Ashton Maloney got the run back with a one-out double down the left field line to score Shylien Brister from third.

Two batters later, Atwood ended the game with a three-run, bases-clearing double to right field to push Texas' run total to 10 and giving the junior Longhorn her fourth hit on the game, which tied a single-game career hit for the Sandria, Texas native.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"We fell behind 1-0 but were able to bounce back with four runs in the first straight away and really took the momentum out of their sails a little bit. Citlaly (Gutierrez) came out and pitched pretty well to start with and then we made the change to bring in Cambria (Salmon) and she did a good job for us and finished it off. We did a good job of hitting the ball hard and driving in some runs late. Obviously, we left a couple of runners on base, so that's still something we need to work on."

FROM JUNIOR REESE ATWOOD

"The at bats by the whole team today were great. It just shows that the hard week of practice that we had this week really paid off. I'm just really proud of the team for battling in the heat and finding a way to come out and put up that many hits and runs against two pretty solid arms. It was definitely good to have our offense back on after the SEC Tournament. We are sparking at the right time, so it's definitely good to see that."

GAME NOTES

The first inning run allowed by Texas pitching in a NCAA Regional-opening game since May 17, 2019, when Sam Houston scored two with one out in the top of the sixth.
- The EIU first-inning run snapped a streak of 25.2 consecutive scoreless innings pitched by the Texas pitching staff in the first game of a NCAA Regional.
With her run-scoring double in the bottom of the fourth inning, Mia Scott was credited with her 55th career double, which ties the fourth-year senior with Janae Jefferson (2018-22) for the most career doubles in program history.
Of Texas' now 47 wins on the season, 21 – or 44.7 percent – have come via run rule, including Friday night's contest.
Texas has now won eight consecutive NCAA Regional games, while seventh-year head coach Mike White moves his record in NCAA Regional games at Texas to 17-3.
Friday afternoon's win marked the first-ever victory for Texas over Eastern Illinois.

UP NEXT

Texas (47-10) will continue in the winner's bracket of the NCAA Austin Regional and will take on Michigan (39-19) at 12 p.m. CT at Red & Charline McCombs Field on Saturday, May 17.
- Saturday's game will mark the first time the Longhorns and Wolverines have met on a softball diamond since Feb. 29, 2020, when Texas earned a 1-0 victory in a neutral site game at Fullerton, Calif.

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