The Texas baseball team handed Texas Tech its first Big 12 series loss this past weekend. After the Longhorns lost game one 13-6, Texas bounced back and won games two and three 7-4 and 17-1, respectively.
In game one on Friday night, the Longhorns scored first, taking a 5-0 lead after three innings. However, Texas Tech took advantage of an error in the fourth to plate its first two runs of the game, and another Texas’ error in the fifth allowed two more Tech runs to cross the plate. The Longhorns finally got out of the fifth inning but not before the Red Raiders tied the game at 5-5. Tech scored one more in the sixth and seven in the seventh, totaling 13 unanswered runs. The Longhorns got one back in the top of the ninth but dropped game one of the series 13-6. Patrick Mathis went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Tres Barrera recorded two RBIs, including the one in the top of the ninth. Morgan Cooper pitched 4.2 innings, earning the no decision. Eric Dunbar took the loss after pitching only two-thirds of an inning. The Longhorns used a total of seven pitchers on Friday night.
On Saturday for game two, the Longhorns scored first again. After Travis Jones hit a single in the first inning, Barrera, Kacy Clemens and Mathis all walked to plate a Texas’ run. Ty Culbreth and the Texas’ defense kept the Red Raiders off the scoreboard in the bottom of the first and second inning. Tech’s offense struck in the bottom of the third and fourth, plating a total of four Red Raiders. Texas entered the fifth down 4-1 before Barrera hit an RBI double to score Kody Clemens, and Kacy hit a sacrifice fly to score Barrera. The Longhorns ended the fifth down by one. Culbreth faced the minimum number of Red Raiders in the sixth. And, with two outs in the seventh, the Longhorns’ offense started scoring again. Jones hit an infield single before a fielder’s choice and strikeout left Texas with one on and two out. Then, Kacy and Joe Baker each reached base with infield singles, loading the bases for Mathis. On a 2-0 count, Mathis hit a single, plating two runs and gave Texas its first lead since the end of the second inning. Zane Gurwitz followed up with a single of his own, scoring Baker. The Longhorns ended the seventh on top 6-4. Texas freshman Nolan Kingham kept the Red Raiders scoreless in the final three innings of the game, earning his second career save. The Longhorns scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth and won 7-4. Culbreth earned the win, marking his eighth win of the season. He pitched six innings, allowing four earned runs while striking out four.
On Sunday, with the series tied at one game apiece, the Longhorns sent Kyle Johnston to the mound for the rubber match against Texas Tech’s Hayden Howard. Howard entered the game with one prior loss and six wins. The Longhorns’ offense struck first again but this time in the second inning. Freshman Tyler Rand recorded his first homerun in a Texas uniform, hitting a three-run shot with two on, giving Texas a 3-0 lead. The Longhorns offense didn’t stop there – they scored five in the third and fourth and four in the seventh to end the game with the score of 17-1 in seven innings because of the 10-run rule. Johnston only allowed one run in six innings of work, earning his third win of the season. He struck out six. Chase Shugart pitched the seventh inning, facing the minimum number of Red Raiders to complete the Texas victory. Baker led the Longhorns in RBIs with six. He went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored three runs himself. Rand and Gurwitz each recorded three RBIs. Every single Longhorn reached base with four players finishing with a multi-hit day.
Besides giving Tech its first Big 12 series loss, the Longhorns also are the first Big 12 team to beat the Red Raiders in Lubbock. Texas now sits tied for third in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma State, and the Cowboys travel to Austin for a three game series with the Longhorns this weekend. Tech still owns the first place spot in the conference standings and TCU sits in second, both teams Texas owns Big 12 series wins against.
