Victoria Hunter Powers Texas Longhorns Softball Past Arizona State 4-3

Victoria Hunter sent texas longhorns softball to a 4-3 win over Arizona State on Saturday night at McCombs Field, driving a two-out, two-run go-ahead homer in the sixth inning. The junior pinch hitter’s swing forced a winner-takes-all Game 3 in the NCAA Austin Super Regional and kept Texas in position for a trip to the Women’s College World Series.

Hunter’s Sixth-Inning Blast

Texas trailed 3-2 when Hunter stepped in and changed the night with one swing. Her home run came with two outs in the sixth and put the No. 3 Longhorns ahead for good, turning a game that had already swung twice into a season-defining finish.

The final margin also ended Arizona State’s season-long 10-game win streak. Texas improved to 46-11 overall and 7-1 in the postseason, and the Longhorns have now won eight of their last nine games.

Gutierrez Slows Arizona State

Senior right-hander Citlaly Gutierrez handled the closing stretch after Texas finally moved in front. She worked 5.0 innings of relief, allowed one run on three hits and struck out six, then retired the final eight batters of the night to secure the win and improve to 9-3.

Texas needed that late response after Arizona State opened with a 2-0 lead. The Sun Devils scored in the second and third innings, then got a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim a 3-2 edge after Texas had tied it in the top half of the inning.

Texas Answers In The Fifth

The Longhorns had already shown a way back before Hunter’s homer delivered the finish. Katie Stewart doubled down the left field line to bring in Kaiah Altmeyer, and Reese Atwood followed with an RBI single up the middle to score Stewart and level the game at 2-2.

That five-inning sequence set up the final swing and left Texas one win from the Women’s College World Series. The teams meet again at 3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 24, in a game that will be broadcast on, with the winner advancing and the loser’s season ending in Austin.