Texas softball got off to a hot start on Friday. The No. 5 Longhorns earned a Top 10 victory over the No. 8 UCLA Bruins, 3-2.
Texas catcher Reese Atwood started the scoring off with a solo bomb to left field. Atwood would finish 2-for-3 on the night out of the five-hole in the lineup.
Opportunistic baserunning helped Texas to its other two runs. Joley Mitchell and Katie Cimusz scored to add to the Longhorns’ total.
Pitching was the story of the night for Texas. Starting pitcher Teagan Cavan earned the win allowing two runs over five innings with five strikeouts, two hits and two walks. Citlaly Gutierrez got the save with two scoreless innings on 23 pitches.
The team is looking to get back to the College World Series after reaching the World Series final in 2022. Last year saw the Longhorns fall the the Tennessee Volunteers in the NCAA Super Regionals. Wins like the one on Friday are evidence that the team could make a push to be one of the final eight in 2024.