Softball On SI

Citlaly Gutierrez Shines, No. 3 Texas Softball Handles Oklahoma State in Midweek Clash

Texas softball picked up a statement win over Oklahoma State, with Citlaly Gutierrez leading the way in a strong midweek showing.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Texas Longhorns softball pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez (77) steps up to pitch during the game against South Florida on the first day of the Longhorn Invitational on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Austin.
Texas Longhorns softball pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez (77) steps up to pitch during the game against South Florida on the first day of the Longhorn Invitational on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Austin. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas head coach Mike White needed to shake up his starting rotation after dropping a game to LSU on Friday.

Enter, Citlaly Gutierrez.

The junior right-hander has spent most of this season in the bullpen, but White trusted his gut and Gutierrez delivered in a 1-0 shutout against Oklahoma State on Wednesday night in Stillwater.

In just her seventh start of the year, Gutierrez pitched 6.0 shutout innings and struck out three before Teagan Kavan earned her seventh career save, which ties her with Gutierrez for the most in program history.

Kavan got a strikeout and a 6-4-3 double play secured the win for the Longhorns.

"I was just confident in myself tonight," Gutierrez said after the win. "For most of this season, my role has been in relief, so once I was told I had the start today, I just knew I had to be confident in myself and just do my job. I think my confidence just got me through the whole game. And then the team energy and loving on each other always made me feel confident jogging back out to the circle."

Gutierrez allowed just four hits and none of them went for extra bases.

The lone run of the game came with two outs in the fifth inning. Kayden Henry reached first on a single, stole second and scored on Mia Scott's single to center field.

RyLee Crandall was handed the loss because Henry reached base against her. Cowgirl starter Ruby Meylan gave up the RBI-single to Scott.

Crandall allowed one earned run on two hits in 1.2 innings of work while Meylan held the Longhorns to just six hits and one strikeout across 5.1 innings.

"We knew tonight was going to be a tough game, no matter what the records are; this place is a tough place to play," said White. "We haven't had the best history up here, and (Oklahoma State) is always tough. Ruby (Meylan) is an excellent pitcher and threw a good game against us. It was just a matter of who was going to break first, and fortunately, we were able to get that run in during the fifth inning and were able to hold it. Citlaly (Gutierrez) pitched a great game for us, and we really needed that in that situation."

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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