The Wildcats played host to two premier Texas softball teams this week and fell to both the University of North Texas and Texas Tech University. 

The games were played on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Wildcats fell to UNT by a score of 7-0 before losing to TTU 7-3. 

The Tuesday match featured just one hit from the Wildcats as they failed to get things going offensively against UNT’s Anneca Anderson. Anderson earned her 10th win of the season, tossing a complete game while allowing just one hit, three walks and striking out a pair of Wildcats. 

First-year head coach Joe Koons was quick to acknowledge the intentions of this game that go beyond the scoreboard. 

“We gave a lot of kids different opportunities,” Koons said. “We’re just learning and growing… We’re just trying to get them opportunities to get better.”

On Wednesday the Wildcats would send standout pitcher Lina Russo, senior from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, to the circle. Russo gave up a first-inning home run that scored three runs for the Red Raiders after a walk and an error put two on base with two outs.

After the three-run homer, Russo gave up just one run in her next five innings while striking out three. 

“I think pitching gave us a chance to win that game,” Koons said. “I think defensively we just gotta be better going forward.”

Koons also said that defense “has been our Achilles heel all year” and the team needs to “lock it down a little bit sooner.” 

While the Wildcats back to back losses pushed the team record over its five-game home stand to just 1-4, Miranda Lista, senior infielder from Chino Hills, California, provided a spark late with two home runs and three runs batted in. 

The first home run Lista hit came on a 3-2 pitch in the fifth inning. It broke an 11-inning scoring drought spanning two games for the Wildcats. 

“I wish we could have responded a little earlier offensively,” Koons said. “But it was great to see Miranda come out and definitely make that adjustment.” 

Lista entered the game with just one home run and three RBI on the season. The pair of homers tripled and doubled those stats respectively. 

“She’s been working really hard at it,” Koons said. “We’re just happy that she finally got to see some success.”

Hard work and trusting the plan helped Lista be successful at the plate despite the final score. 

“I was just being confident in my plan and trusting my coaches,” Lista said. “It’s something we’ve talked about all week, just sticking to it, staying through the ball and having fun.”

Despite the loss, a record-breaking 1,261 fans showed up to Poly Wells Field on Wednesday. The listed capacity of the stadium is 1,000. 

“It was so fun,” Koons said. “As we continue to build this program, that’s what we want to see all the time. We’ve gotten to go play in some big-time stadiums so to have that feel here in Abilene was just awesome.” 

The Wildcats will look to get back to winning in Utah this weekend as they travel to Orem to take on the Utah Valley University Wolverines this weekend. The first pitch will be at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.