Rainy weather may have reshuffled the schedule at this past weekend’s Bevo Classic, but it couldn’t cool off the Texas softball bats.
The No. 2 Longhorns (9-1) capped off a perfect weekend Sunday by beating Ohio State 7-4 and Northen Illinois 9-1. Texas played two games on Sunday because a line of storms swept across the Austin area Saturday, postponing a second game against Ohio State and canceling a second game against Syracuse.
In the five games at its host tournament, Texas racked up 45 runs, 43 hits and five home runs. Four of the wins came via the eight-run mercy rule.
In Sunday’s 7-4 win over Ohio State, freshman Hannah Wells contributed to that home-run tally by smashing her third home of the season with a solo shot in the fourth inning. All three of Wells’ collegiate hits have gone for home runs. Atwood and freshman utility Alisa Sneed led Texas with two RBIs apiece. Sophomore pitcher Cambria Salmon improved to 2-0 in the circle by holding the Buckeyes to four hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Against Syracuse, ace Teagan Kavan fanned a season-high 12 batters while earning her second complete-game shutout of the season. Freshman MaTaia Lawson had a team-high three RBIs after going 2-for-4 with her first career home run, and Katie Stewart finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk and two-run home run of her older sister Danielle Stewart, a pitcher for Northern Illinois. Freshman Jaycie Nichols added her first career home run on a solo shot in the fifth.
Texas travels to the DeMarini Invitational at Stanford this weekend, where the team will face No. 15 Arizona and No. 12 Stanford Friday in a doubleheader.