With the Oklahoma Sooners out of the way, and the opponent already safely into the SEC Softball Championship game, the Texas Longhorns took the field against the Georgia Bulldogs for their semifinal matchup.
Just a few moments earlier, the Alabama Crimson Tide secured a dominant 9-1 victory over the Florida Gators to punch their ticket to the title game. Then, the reigning National Champion Longhorns took their turn, but their game was just a little less straightforward.
Georgia was coming off a comeback 10-5 win over the perennial Sooners and was ready for revenge against the Horns, but, with a walk-off RBI single from Vivi Martinez, it wasn't meant to be for the Bulldogs.
Texas, for the first time in program history, is heading to the SEC Softball Championship game.
Vivi Martinez hits the walk-off to send Texas to SEC Championship
"Vivi is really cool, she believes in herself, and she believes in her teammates," Texas head coach Mike White said. "Vivi was ready... it was huge for us."
Last season, as the Longhorns advanced to and won the Women's College World Series, Martinez was sidelined with an injury. This year, she earned her place in the rotation again and just made the wait well worth it, winning the semifinal game for Texas.
VIVI MARTINEZ WALKS IT OFF 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/e2Xz0WYjCH
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) May 9, 2026
The semifinal matchup between the Horns and Dawgs was as back and forth as a game could get. Texas went up 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth just for Georgia to earn a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth.
Then, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Texas put up another run to bring the game back to an even score at 4-4.
The Bulldogs were unable to tack on any additional runs in the top of the seventh, and when it was down to the final out of the game, with a runner on second base, Martinez knocked a solid slapshot up the middle of the field, sending in the winning run.
While the Longhorns' rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners, fell well short of a win in the quarterfinals against Georgia, Texas was able to pull off the must-have victory, propelling White and his players into their first-ever SEC title game.
The first pitch of the SEC Softball Tournament Championship game between Texas and Alabama is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 9, and the game will be available on ESPN.
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