Top-ranked Texas narrowly avoided a loss to eighth-ranked Texas Tech during its college softball game on Friday. The Longhorns secured an unconventional walk-off win when their big bopper got drilled by a throw down to the plate during the bottom of the ninth inning.
She took it like a champ!
Victoria Hunter burst onto the college softball during the second half of her freshman year at Texas. The former top-15 recruit hit .385 with 17 RBIs and four home runs in 39 at-bats last season. She really made her mark during the postseason with a grand slam against Texas A&M during the Super Regional in May.
VICTORIA HUNTER'S GRAND SLAM PUTS TEXAS WITHIN TWO 💪 pic.twitter.com/NOgn3AmCpN
— ESPN (@espn) May 25, 2024
Now a sophomore, Hunter serves as the “designated player” near the bottom of the lineup for the Longhorns. She got up to bat during the bottom of the ninth inning against the Red Raiders on Friday.
The game was tied at one. Texas had runners on second and third with no outs. Texas Tech was in a jam.
Hunter stepped into the box with a 1-0 count and got her bat on the ball. She knocked a single down the line for what seemed like a routine play at first base.
The Longhorns sent their runner from third so Red Raiders first baseman Makayla Garcia fielded the grounder and immediately threw home. There was only one problem with her attempt to beat the game-winning run to the plate— Victoria Hunter was barreling toward first.
Garcia’s throw, which did not lack any zip, drilled her opponent in the shoulder and blocked the ball from reaching its intended target. Upon further review, Hunter was rightfully outside of the basepath when she got hit. The run scored. Texas won 2-1.
Although the bizarre play was technically scored as a single, the real ones know what really happened. Hunter knocked in the game-winning RBI by wearing one to the chest.