Texas stays crimson scorching towards Pink Raiders in 6-2 win, picks up twelfth straight residence victory

JT Bowen, Normal Sports activities Reporter
March 25, 2023

Texas overcame a sluggish begin on the plate to make it a dozen straight Friday evening, opening up Huge 12 play with a victory over Texas Tech at UFCU Disch-Falk Discipline within the first of this weekend’s three sport sequence.

Expectations had been excessive for the Longhorns after an eleventh consecutive win of their 14-game residence stint, having pulled themselves out of the 3-6 gap they began the season in and seeking to begin their convention play with a win towards the Pink Raiders – who’re ranked 14th based on D1 Baseball’s top-25 rankings.

“We don’t placed on our Huge 12 uniforms,” mentioned head coach David Pierce at a media availability on Wednesday. “We simply acquired to go play baseball.”

Junior Lucas Gordon drew the beginning on the mound, pitching a stable 5.1 innings that noticed eight strikeouts to only two runs allowed. All six outs within the third and fourth innings pressured by Texas got here off Gordon strikeouts, together with the ultimate two in fourth with the bases loaded.

After each groups exchanged three scoreless innings, Texas opened up the scoring within the backside of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to left area by junior shortstop Mitchell Daly that despatched residence junior catcher Garret Guillemette. 

Texas Tech responded within the high of the fifth after junior proper fielder Dylan Campbell couldn’t deal with a deep shot pinned towards the wall, tying issues up at 1-1.

Texas didn’t register successful within the backside of the fifth, and after Gordon allowed a solo homer that gave Texas Tech the lead, the Longhorns turned to redshirt junior Zane Morehouse to shut out the sport.

The Longhorns retook the lead 3-2 on a well timed two-run homer by redshirt junior left fielder Porter Brown on the backside of the sixth, batting in Guillemette. Brown scored one other run and was deliberately walked within the eighth inning with runners on second and third, a testomony to his knack for hitting the lengthy ball.

Guillemette had a pleasant sport of his personal, going 2-2, getting walked as soon as, tacking on a sacrifice bunt and scoring two runs. He moreover threw an important out from residence base within the sixth, stopping a Texas Tech runner from stealing second base and ending the inning.

Within the backside of the eighth, Texas stomped out any probability of a Tech comeback on a 2-RBI double into deep proper area by second baseman Jack O’Dowd that gave the Longhorns a 5-1 lead, and a sacrifice fly by Daly despatched residence Porter Brown to place his crew up comfortably 6-1. 

Redshirt junior third baseman Peyton Powell got here up large late defensively, executing an important play to deal with a shallow bunt and throw the hitter out at first and increasing absolutely to snag a powerful out on a line drive hit down the third bottom line. 

Morehouse was near-perfect in his reduction of Gordon, throwing a no-hitter and 4 strikeouts in 3.2 innings.

“It’s at all times nice throwing after Lucas,” Morehouse mentioned. “He units the ball actually excessive and also you are available in out of the pen and attempt to simply mimic what he does.”

“Nightmare, electrical,” mentioned Porter Brown of Morehouse’s efficiency. “We’re roommates, so he’ll most likely return to the crib and simply speak about all of it evening, so I’ll be there to hear, and I find it irresistible.”

“It’s good to be opening up at residence with a younger crew,” Pierce mentioned of successful their first Huge 12 matchup. “They’re a very good crew as nicely, I simply thought it’s what we do each weekend. However it’s good to have nice climate, an awesome crowd, and play very well.”

The Longhorns will look to proceed their momentum tomorrow towards the Pink Raiders and clinch the weekend sequence.