Texas Longhorns Softball Sweeps South Carolina in Conference Opener

The defending national champions cruised through the nonconference portion of their schedule, building a 19-1 record. And after dropping a game early in the season, the Texas Longhorns head into the conference opener with a 17-game winning streak, which ties for the fifth-longest in program history.

After an easy run throughout the nonconference play, the Longhorns' schedule has flipped over with a daunting SEC schedule ahead of them for the remainder of the year, and the challenge that is conference play came early in the SEC opener as the Longhorns headed out on the road to take on the No. 23 South Carolina Gamecocks over the weekend.

And the Longhorns made quick work of their conference opener on the road, securing a series sweep over the Gamecocks in which Texas outscored South Carolina 12-4 over the three-game series. The Longhorns now increase their winning streak to 20 games, and here's a look at how it unfolded with some of the top performances of the weekend.

The Longhorns Cruise to Series Sweep

Texas Longhorns outfielder Kayden Henry yells as she rounds the bases after a home run against the Oklahoma Sooners | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The Longhorns got things started on Friday for the first SEC game of the season and started on the right foot after taking game one of the series 4-2 in what was a close back-and-forth affair through the middle innings until the Longhorns found some insurance late.

On Saturday, the Longhorns and Gamecocks found themselves interlocked in a good old-fashioned pitchers' duel as the ballgame was all even at zero through five innings of softball until the Longhorns found the breakthrough in the sixth inning, scoring a single run and then followed it up with a two-run seventh inning that was enough to seal a 3-0 win and the series victory.

And then Texas would take the field on Sunday, looking for the series sweep, and would achieve just that, winning 5-2 on the day after finding enough offensive production through the middle innings with a two-run third inning and a three-run fourth inning.

Texas Pitching Staff Powers Through South Carolina

Texas Longhorns pitcher Teagan Kavan throws a pitch during the Women's College World Series against the Oklahoma Sooners. | Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While no game found itself with an offensive explosion that the Longhorn batting order is capable of, the Longhorns' pitching staff had to be more than up for the task against a top 25 team in the country, and they were just that, allowing just four runs over 21 innings, only two of which were earned.

Over the three games, the Longhorns used three different pitchers with junior Teagan Kavan taking to the circle in the series opener, where she would toss all seven innings, while surrendering six hits, one earned run, and would strike out five to get things started in the series.

Getting the ball in game two was senior Citlaly Gutierrez, who would be in complete control during her outing, pitching six shutout innings in which she gave up just four hits and punched out three batters. Kavan would be tasked to slam the door in the seventh, and she would get the save, getting out of the inning with two strikeouts.

And in the circle for the final game of the series was freshman Hannah Wells, who would also find plenty of success through her 5.2 innings of work in which she gave up five hits and would strikeout a pair. Sophomore Cambria Salmon would pick up the save after coming out of the bullpen and pitching 1.1 innings, giving up a single hit and one earned run.