Longhorns Country

No. 2 Texas Softball Takes Down Auburn in Five Innings

Texas Longhorns junior catcher Reese Atwood takes on new program RBI record in ranked conference win over the Auburn Tigers.

Isa Almeida

Texas Longhorns catcher Reese Atwood (14) beats the ball home for a score during the game against South Florida on the first day of the Longhorn Invitational on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 in Austin.
Texas Longhorns catcher Reese Atwood (14) beats the ball home for a score during the game against South Florida on the first day of the Longhorn Invitational on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 in Austin. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas junior catcher Reese Atwood added her name to program history books in the Longhorns' 12-2 win over No. 23 Auburn.

The 2024 Softball America Player of the Year opened the scoreboard for Texas in the first inning with a home run to bring senior utility Mia Scott home and add two RBI to her tally. Still in the first inning, graduate infielder Joley Mitchell added another homer to the board.

“It’s just tremendous for Reese (Atwood) to be able to break the program’s career RBI record," head coach Mike White said. "She deserves it. I don’t think there’s too many people who work harder than her throughout her career so far and she has a whole other year left, too. So, it’s exciting to see what she can do and how she continues the rest of her journey as a player. And what an effort by the team today. Everyone did such a great job and, of course, it was all started by Reese’s home run.”

With sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan in the circle and the Texas defense stopping Auburn from getting to the home plate, the Longhorns kept putting scores up. Junior utility Leighann Goode continued the streak in the second inning, flying out to the left field to bring senior first baseman Katie Cimusz home.

Leighann Goode
Texas Longhorns infielder Leighann Goode (43) reacts to a strikeout during the game against Texas Tech on day one of the Bevo Classic at Red and Charline McCombs field on Friday, February. 14, 2025 in Austin. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After a scoreless third inning, Texas had a dominating seven run bottom of the fourth.

Senior utillity Vanessa Quiroga got the ball rolling when she singled to the right side to get Cimusz' second run of the night. Goode advanced to third, and junior utility Kaydee Bennett soon joined in the bases.

Redshirt junior outfielder Ashton Maloney doubled to left center to bring both Goode and Bennett home and increasing the score to 7-0. Scott followed on her teammates' footsteps and doubled to left field to bring Maloney and sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry home. With a 9-0 lead, Texas was already in the mercy rule range.

That wasn't the end of the fourth inning performance. Sophomore infielder Katie Stewart singled to the center field next to get two RBIs, bringing Atwood and Scott home. Cimusz concluded the bottom of the fourth as sophomore outfielder Adayah Wallace made it to the home plate.

Auburn got two runs in the top of the fifth, but it wasn't enough to keep the game going as the Longhorns had established a 10 run lead.

After the dominating performance, Atwood added the two RBIs she needed to pass the school record in the category.

“It feels great to be able to come out here and play with this team," Atwood said. "A lot of this record is because of them, so it’s definitely an all-team effort for that one. It’s great for this team to have such a great offense and be able to come through for them tonight. My whole family was here tonight, so it was cool for them to be able to see it happen.”

Atwood and the Longhorns will have two more games against the Tigers to continue breaking records.

Published
Isa Almeida
ISA ALMEIDA

Isa Almeida is a writer covering the Texas Longhorns for SI/Fan Nation, having joined the team on June 1, 2024. Raised in Southeast Brazil, Isa is now a third-year Journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin. Fluent in both English and Portuguese, Isa brings a diverse background and a wealth of knowledge to her writing. In addition to her work with SI/Fan Nation, Isa also covers the soccer and women's basketball beats for The Daily Texan. Her journalism journey is firmly rooted in her academic pursuits and her passion for sports.

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