Freshman infielder MaTaia Lawson warms up before East Texas A&M takes their first at bat on March. 11.
No. 3 Texas softball run-ruled East Texas A&M on Wednesday in front of a home crowd, but the 10-1 victory was somewhat deceptive. In fact, had it not been for junior infielder and catcher Katie Stewart, this game could’ve taken a very different shape.
Stewart, the Longhorns’ home run leader, knocked two out of the park at the Red & Charline McCombs Field, one of which brought four runners home to terminate the game in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Head coach Mike White recognized Stewart’s prowess at bat, but no coach of one of the nation’s best teams wants to see their team forced to rely on one batter to seal a midweek matchup against an unranked opponent.
“It’s good for Katie Stewart — we wanted to come into the game and hit the ball hard all night, and we didn’t really do that,” White said. “So, credit to them — they kind of kept us off balance. But then again, I don’t know if our preparation was great either, so I’ll take that blame. I thought we didn’t really give the fans a good performance that they deserve, and we’ve got to be better.”
Texas’ play felt flat at times, and except for Stewart’s pair of home runs, it lacked a lot of the high-intensity action that Longhorn fans are accustomed to. According to Stewart, it can be difficult for this team to maintain their focus during these kinds of matchups.
“Sometimes we get a little unfocused during these games, and as a team, we could do better,” Stewart said. “But just trying to find a way to regroup in our huddles (is key).”
White tried out several different players at different positions, trying to help his team establish a rhythm. Stewart started at catcher, allowing senior catcher Reese Atwood to become the designated hitter and take a break from her spot behind home plate.
Freshman pitcher Hannah Wells started at first base, and in the fourth inning, first, second and third base were all occupied by freshmen infielders. Several freshman and less experienced players got chances at bat too as the game went on, demonstrating White’s dissatisfaction with his starting lineup’s ability to make plays.
“Obviously, our starters weren’t doing the job, and so why waste at bats if they’re not going to be focused and get it done?” White said. “I thought, if they don’t want to be that focused, then let’s take the kids that really want to have an at bat — the ones that haven’t had many opportunities.”
Sophomore pitcher Cambria Salmon started and closed the game, but sophomore pitcher Brenlee Gonzales entered for the third and fourth innings. The two combined for seven strikeouts, but Gonzales accumulated three walks and an error in two innings.
“Brenlee was effective there, but we just walked too many people,” White said of Gonzales’ performance. “The strike zone was pretty tight, but we’ve got to adjust.”
The only other SEC team East Texas A&M has faced this season beat them by 28 runs, meaning that Texas will need to tighten things up on both sides of the ball.
The Longhorns will host Ole Miss at the Red & Charline McCombs Field on Friday at 5:30 p.m.