Texas rallies for thrilling 6-4 win over Texas State

Knocking off No. 1 Oklahoma comes with a burden for Texas' softball team. Expectations rise with the rankings, attention grows and pressure mounts for a team that's now No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll.

And Texas coach Mike White wouldn't have it any other way.

“It's out there,” White said. “I told them the fact is we're No. 1. And you know, that is what it is. I mean, you can sweep it under the rug all you want, but you've got to face it. We got to know how to play with that.”

The Longhorns (32-6, 11-4 Big 12) got a taste of that bigger target on their backs in Wednesday's brawl against No. 25 Texas State. The Bobcats threw their ace, Jessica Mullins, into the mix for the nonconference game at McCombs Field, knowing the prestige that comes with knocking off Texas outweighs any extra rest for a weekend series with Sun Belt heavyweight Louisiana.

The plan almost worked. Texas State took a lead into the bottom of the fifth inning before the Longhorns rallied for a thrilling 6-4 win in a game in which gusty winds out of the north made every fly ball and pop-up an adventure.

Mullins, who held Texas to six hits and just one run in a 1-0 Longhorns victory in February, was charged with five runs before giving way to Round Rock graduate Maddie Azua in the fifth inning. Texas scored three runs in that frame, including one by Reese Atwood on a wild pitch by Azua that gave the Longhorns the lead. Kayden Henry then added an insurance run by driving in Vivi Martinez, and that would be plenty of cushion for Texas' Estelle Czech to get the win in relief.

Texas State (32-10) tagged UT starter Citlaly Gutierrez for four hits and three runs, all in the top of the third inning, before Czech came in to quiet the Bobcats. Czech allowed just three hits and one run over four innings to improve to 6-3.

“I don't feel any pressure,” Czech said. “When pressure comes to you, you basically just use it to your advantage. So like those butterflies and everything, those nervous feelings, you use that. I worked my entire life for this, these moments in softball. I have to trust myself here.”

MIKALA COMPTON/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Texas third baseman Mia Scott chases down a foul ball in the Longhorns' 6-4 win over Texas State on Wednesday at McCombs Field. Texas followed its series win over No. 1 Oklahoma by beating the Bobcats and will face Baylor this weekend.