#25 UW Softball Battles With #1 Texas but Can’t Hold On Late in Loss
By Charles Hamaker
San Antonio, TX - The Washington Huskies could taste an upset over the top team in the country, putting together a gritty and tough game against the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns in the UTSA Invitational, but a six-run sixth inning dashed those hopes for the purple and gold. Similar to their loss a day ago against 9th-ranked Nebraska, the Huskies played a back-and-forth game, but a late, frustrating inning saw things unravel, putting Washington in a hole with too little time to recover. Infielder Giselle Alvarez led the way offensively for the Huskies with two hits, two runs, and three runs batted in.
Texas put Washington in a hole early, as Longhorns pitcher Cambria Salmon retired the side in order before turning the game over to her team’s lineup. Junior outfielder Kayden Henry doubled before being driven in by senior catcher Reese Atwood as her two-run homer to right center field put the first runs on the board for the school in burnt orange.
The Huskies ensured that the Longhorns weren’t going to steamroll past them, as the top of the second saw Washington knot things up at two runs each. The top of the second started conventionally for UW, as junior infielder Giselle Alvarez and sophomore infielder Jade Bubke both singled before sophomore infielder/outfielder Sophi Mazzola was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. A passed ball out of the hand of Salmon allowed Alvarez to score, before a groundout off the bat of sophomore infielder Gabi Toney drove Bubke in. Freshman infielder Marley Teasley and sophomore outfielder Addie Craig were unable to push in Mazzola from third, leaving the game tied at two to end the top half of the frame.
The game settled down for the next two innings after the eventful top of the second by Washington, as Morgan Reimer for the Huskies and Salmon for the Longhorns both found a groove in the circle, before Texas pushed themselves back in front in the bottom of the fourth.
A fielding error by Teasley off the bat of Atwood, who was lifted for Kaydee Bennett to pinch run, began a three-run inning for the Longhorns. While Texas recorded the first two outs of the frame with their next two batters, Bennett was able to advance to third on a wild pitch and groundout. Senior infielder Leighann Goode drew a walk to put runners on the corners for freshman utility player Hannah Wells, who hammered a three-run shot to deep center, creating a three-run lead for the Longhorns. The danger of the inning rolling on was present as freshman outfielder Alisa Sneed singled before Reimer was pulled to put Ryan Maddox in the circle, but the redshirt sophomore locked things down to end the inning.
Similar to how things played out earlier in this ballgame, the Huskies were undeterred by the deficit placed in their way. Junior outfielder Ava Caroll singled, and sophomore infielder Alexis DeBoer walked to put two runners on for Washington. Giselle Alvarez’s second hit of the game was a deep drive to left field that cleared the fence, scoring Caroll and junior outfielder Jing Gardner (Pinch runner for DeBoer) to tie the ballgame at five. Jade Bubke drew a walk right after as the Huskies looked to keep the rally going, but a Texas pitching change from Salmon to Teagan Kavan saw the frame come to a close with the game once again locked up and even.
Washington looked poised to ride the momentum of Alvarez’s three-run blast in the fifth, as they denied the Longhorns a chance at responding with runs in the bottom of that frame. The Huskies returned to the plate and got things rolling as Toney was hit by a pitch, Ava Carroll singled, and Alexis DeBoer was intentionally walked to load the bases as Washington had the opportunity to turn the game upside down. A passed ball out of the hand of Kavan allowed Toney to score, giving the Huskies their first lead of the ballgame with two runners in scoring position. UW wasn’t able to capitalize on the momentum pendulum swinging in their favor, as junior catcher Jadyn Glab flied out to center.
While Washington was protecting only a one-run lead, they’d hung in the fight against the top team in the nation and had scraped together a run to put themselves in front, and the game felt like it was headed in their favor. That feeling would grind to a halt in the bottom of the same sixth inning that saw them take a lead.
Walks from Goode and freshman infielder Jaycie Nichols put runners on for senior outfielder Ashton Maloney, who singled just barely through the Husky infield to tie the game at six. A flyout from junior outfielder Kayden Henry provided a temporary feeling that Washington could escape the danger, but a single right up the middle from junior infielder Viviana Martinez was the first of two more RBI singles by the Longhorns. Texas slammed an emphatic exclamation point on their six-run inning with a two-run home run by junior utility player Katie Stewart. Not even an inning after the Huskies had taken a lead and seemingly flipped the script, the Longhorns turned the game on its head.
Washington went down in order in the top of the seventh to end the game, dropping the Huskies to a record of 1-2 on the season.
What’s next?
Washington continues their run in the UTSA Invitational to open the 2026 season by getting two more games against 9th-ranked Nebraska and 1st-ranked Texas, with two games tomorrow morning. The first of the rematches for the Huskies comes against those Nebraska Cornhuskers with an 8:05 AM PST start time, while Washington’s rematch of today’s game against the top-ranked Longhorns is listed for 10:35 AM PST. Both games are slated to be broadcast on ESPN+ from San Antonio, Texas, as the Huskies will look to avenge losses to Nebraska and Texas, where UW showed resiliency and strength but ultimately couldn’t pull an upset out. After they wrap up their involvement in the UTSA Invitational, Washington has a three-game series at Fresno State against the Bulldogs to begin a stretch of five straight games in the state of California.
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