Completely flipping the narrative from last night’s contest against TCU, Texas baseball came away with a 7-0 shutout victory over the Horned Frogs thanks to an offensive surge in the second inning.
Despite a chilly, rainy atmosphere at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Texas didn’t let that damper its stride, even with a weather delay briefly halting the game during the fifth inning.
This would be the fifth time that Texas has come back and rallied for a win after leading off a series with a loss. While the inconsistency of the team has seemed to take a toll on its performance throughout the season, head coach David Pierce highlighted the fact that baseball is a learning experience.
“It’s what this game does, it teaches you a lot about yourself, a lot about life and dealing with adversity,” Pierce said. “If you want to have the opportunity to win them all, you better clear things out in about 24 hours and get ready to go.”
And this time around, Texas proved that it was ready. The Longhorns got some offensive momentum going first, catapulted by a double down the left field line from sophomore left fielder Max Belyeu in the bottom of the second inning. Freshman right fielder Will Gasparino followed up with a single to bring Belyeu home. TCU sophomore starting pitcher Louis Rodriguez struggled to pitch a strikeout, giving up a walk to sophomore catcher Rylan Galvan alongside a single from freshman first baseman Casey Borba for an RBI.
With the bases loaded for Texas, sophomore shortstop Jalin Flores stepped up and singled to left field for two RBIs. TCU was then forced to make a call to the bullpen after Rodriguez allowed four hits, four runs, and two walks in just two innings pitched. Redshirt senior third baseman Peyton Powell would close out the second inning with another single for an RBI, settling the score at 5-0 to put Texas ahead early.
The Longhorns were able to secure bases off of TCU’s defensive mistakes, as Belyeu was hit by a pitch and junior designated hitter Kimble Schuessler singled off a bunt that the Horned Frogs scrambled to field in the bottom of the third inning. Borba ripped a double to right field for two more RBIs to extend Texas’ lead to 7-0, with TCU making another pitching change to hopefully produce some defensive success.
Across six pitching changes, TCU gave up five walks and seven runs, all of them earned, combined with two batters hit by pitches.
On the defensive side for the Longhorns, starting junior pitcher Ace Whitehead kept the Horned Frogs off the scoreboard for all six innings he pitched, allowing three hits, a walk, and no runs. Whitehead has yet to drop a game at the helm, going 4–0 this season. Sophomore pitcher Cade O’Hara would relieve Whitehead at the top of the seventh inning, giving up only two hits through three innings.
Lightning was detected in the area towards the bottom of the fifth, briefly pausing the game, but after an hour, both teams were back on the field. However, not much action followed, as neither team produced a run for the rest of the game, leaving Texas with the win at 7-0.
Texas and TCU will be back on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. to finish out the series as Texas looks to gain another Big 12 series win.
