Atwood becomes first Longhorn with 200 RBI, No. 4/5 Softball beats Kentucky

Friday, May 2

Austin, TX

11 AM CT

University of Texas

44-9, 0

Kentucky

29-24, 0

Kentucky

Texas

Atwood becomes first Longhorn with 200 RBI, No. 4/5 Softball beats Kentucky

05.02.2025 | Softball

Box Score

Texas hits three consecutive home runs for first time since 2024, fifth time in program history

By: Chris Allen Brown

AUSTIN, Texas – Another SEC series, another opportunity for Reese Atwood to rewrite the Texas softball record as the third-year Longhorn became the first student-athlete in program history with 200-or-more career RBI with her two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth during UT's 7-6 win over Kentucky on Friday.

It took Texas five innings to lay the foundation for Atwood's historic moment, because Kentucky raced out to a 4-0 lead by the end of the top of the second and then re-took the lead, 5-4, in the fourth. In between though, the Longhorns managed to score four unanswered runs with three coming courtesy of two-out, back-to-back-to-back solo home runs by Katie Stewart, Joley Mitchell and Victoria Hunter in the bottom of the third.

After the Wildcats re-took the lead in the fourth, Stewart delivered a game-tying single up the middle to score Mia Scott from second.

Despite a leadoff walk to begin the top of the sixth, the Longhorn defense stepped up behind Mac Morgan (8-3) with a 5-4-3 double play from Scott to Leighann Goode to Mitchell. This sparked the bottom of the sixth rally by the Texas bats with Kayden Henry sending a 2-1 pitch to the left-centerfield gap for a one-out double, before Atwood crushed a 2-0 pitch 259 feet for a go-ahead, two-out, two-run home run.

Kentucky cut its two-run deficit in half on a groundout in the seventh, but a third groundout in the frame ended the game with the game-tying Wildcat run on second.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"Today, we had those back-to-back-to-back home runs, which was really good; we needed some production from the bottom of the order. But I think defense is what really won us the game today, I thought. We turned some double plays and threw a runner out at home plate. And we were able to get a solid outing from Cambria (Salmon), too, before Mac (Morgan) came in and shut the door late."

FROM JUNIOR REESE ATWOOD

"That game … it never really felt like we were out of it, to be honest. With us and our lineup, it just takes one swing to get us back into it. I got that one pitch and got that one swing, and it was a great feeling."

GAME NOTES

Friday's game marked just the fifth time in program history that Texas has hit back-to-back-to-back home runs and the first time since the top of the third inning of a 16-1 victory over San Diego in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 10, 2024.
- By being involved in last season's three consecutive home run feat, Katie Stewart and Joley Mitchell are the only student-athletes in program history to be involved in multiple back-to-back-to-back home run sequences.
Following their respective performances at the dish throughout Friday's game, Reese Atwood and Katie Stewart will enter Saturday's regular season finale tied with 68 RBI.
- The duo is currently tied for second place on the program's single-season RBI list behind only Atwood's 90 set last season.
Kayden Henry's first-inning stolen base was her 28th on the season, which ties her 2024 total for sixth on the program's single-season stolen base list.
- Her 56 career stolen bases are now tied with Torie Schmidt (2010-13) and Shannon Thomas (2006-07) for the eighth most in program history.
By scoring on Atwood's sixth-inning home run, Kayden Henry now has a team-high 55 runs scored this season, which is tied for sixth on the program's single-season runs list.

UP NEXT

Texas (44-9, 15-8) will look to close out the 2025 regular season with a sweep of Kentucky (29-24, 7-16) at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 3, when the two teams close out their three-game series.

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