Texas Baseball: Longhorns fall to Mizzou in controversial fashion

The Texas Longhorns finished up the final game of the Shriner’s Hospital for Children College Classic in controversial fashion, losing 9-8.

In the final game of the College Baseball Classic at Minute Maid Park, the Texas Longhorns and former conference foe the Missouri Tigers met for some Sunday afternoon baseball. Coy Cobb was on the mound for the Longhorns looking for the team’s 11th win through 12 games.

Early on the Longhorns found themselves playing from behind before they even got their opportunity to bat. Cobb gave up a run on a wild pitch and throwing error before retiring the side. The Longhorns bats wouldn’t come to life until the bottom of the fourth inning with the Tigers leading 2-0. With Cam Williams standing at third base, Eric Kennedy drove him in for the Longhorns first run of the game. In the top of the next inning, the Tigers extended the lead back to two with a Pete Zimmerman solo shot. His second RBI of the game, he ended with three.

In the bottom of the inning Texas would respond. With the bases full of Longhorns, first baseman Zach Zubia would be hit by a pitch to drive in Lance Ford. Williams would walk on four straight pitches to tie the game up at three. Eric Kennedy hit into a fielder’s choice that drove in Duke Ellis. Texas led 4-3 after five. Cobb’s day would be done on the mound, giving way to Kolby Kubichek.

Kubichek threw just 12 pitches to record one out and gave up three earned runs. Zimmerman singled in a run to make the score 8-4 Tigers after five and half innings. Tristan Stevens would relieve Kubichek with less success. Couldn’t record a single out on 11 pitches and gave up the run on the Zimmerman hit.

The Longhorns fought and clawed their way back into the game, closing the gap to 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth. Zubia drove in a run on an RBI single. The seventh run came on a wild pitch that allowed Ellis to score. In the top of the ninth the Longhorns gave up another unearned run on their fifth error of the game. It would be the eventual winning run. The controversy came in the bottom of the ninth with winning run on first base.

In the final pitch of the game with runners on the corners and two outs, Duke Ellis was at the plate with an opportunity to be the hero in Houston. Austin Todd was on first following a RBI single to bring the Longhorns within one, with a 1-2 count, Ellis took the pitch for the called third strike. The Missouri catch did his job with framing the pitch to get the ball.

This loss was a punch to the gut after a weekend of questionable calls. Texas will now face Arizona on Tuesday before a weekend series with Cal State Fullerton.

Longhorns Baseball: Texas-sized upset over No 6 Arkansas

The Texas Longhorns pulled off the upset of number six ranked Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday evening.

After falling to the number 11 ranked Louisiana State Tigers on Friday night, Texas was back at Minute Maid Park to take on an old Southwest Conference foe in the number six ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. Ty Madden took the mound looking to get back on the winning side in the second game of the Shriner’s Hospital for Children College Baseball Classic.

Madden was able to keep the Razorbacks at bay through the first four innings of scoreless baseball. The Longhorns offense went to work after being grounded in the final three innings of their loss to LSU. Zach Zubia started the scoring parade over the early innings with a single that drove in leadoff hitter Austin Todd. Cam Williams drove in the second run on a double play ball that brought Eric Kennedy home.

The offense would explode in the second inning against starter Patrick Wicklander who gave up six runs, four earned in one plus innings pitched. He would be pulled before recording an out in the inning. Kennedy hit a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 5-0 Texas, when Zubia came back to the plate.

The Longhorns finished a six-run second when Cam Williams scored on a throwing error by Arkansas. Madden would go to work with a 8-0 lead, Texas would need ever bit of those eight runs as the number six team in the nation would make a late inning push. Madden pitched six innings throwing 100 pitches. He finished with seven strikeouts, giving up three earned runs. Quality start from the Longhorns number two starter.

Cole Quintanilla lasted just 0.1 innings after giving up two runs allowing Arkansas to get within three runs of Texas after holding a commanding 8-0 lead. Pete Hansen came into the game and shut it down over the next 1.2 to get the game to the ninth. Hansen struck out two batters and allowed just one hit.

It was up to freshman pitcher Andre Duplantier II to close it out in the final inning for Texas to pull off the upset. Duplantier gave up two runs on a Matt Goodheart double that brought the Razorbacks within one, and the tying runner standing at second. The freshman rose to the challenge and got the final outs when Duplantier struck out Casey Opitz and Casey Martin to close the door.

Texas improved to 10-1 on the season. Zubia led all hitters with three RBIs while batting 3-4. The Longhorns look to close out the weekend against another former conference rival in the Missouri Tigers.

 

WATCH: Zach Zubia launches home run against Arkansas

During the game between old SWC conference rivals, Texas first baseman Zach Zubia launched a 2-2 pitch over the left center wall.

The Texas Longhorns returned to Houston, Texas where they swept the Rice Owls to begin the season. In the Shriner’s Hospital for Children College Baseball Classic, Texas faced off with the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second game of the classic. First baseman Zach Zubia came to the plate and worked a 2-2 count before launching a ball into the Houston atmosphere.

Texas Softball Keeps Perfect Record Intact

The Texas Longhorns softball team kept their perfect record intact with a 3-0 weekend. The softball team was led by Miranda Elish.

After the Texas Longhorns softball team started 3-0 following their 12-0 victory in five innings, they kept it rolling through the weekend. The Longhorns played two games on Saturday. First up was their game against the Colorado State Rams.

The Longhorns started off the game with a scoreless first inning but the offense started rolling in the second inning where they brought four runs across the plate. The Longhorns went into the fourth inning with a 5-0 lead before Miranda Elish busted the game wide open with a three-run shot to get the scoring started. Kaitlyn Washington cleared the bases with a pinch-hit double with the bases loaded. MK Tedder brought Washington home on a RBI single to make it 12-0 Texas.

As good as Elish is with a bat in her hand, she was deadly on the mound. Elish pitched four scoreless innings where she struck out eight batters. Grace Green came on in the fifth but gave up three runs without recording an out. Courtney Day relieved Green, retiring all three batters to secure the 12-3 win in five innings.

In their second game of the day on Saturday, the Longhorns got off to a fast start. Texas would plate five runs in the first inning after retiring three of the first four batters faced before heading into the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Reagan Hathaway would walk and advance to third on a single then score on a throwing error by Wichita State.

After an Elish walk, Courtney Day would drive in a run on an RBI single. Mary Iakopo would bring everyone home on a home run to left. The Longhorns were up 5-0. After three scoreless innings, Wichita State would plate a run in the top of the fifth. Iakopo would drive in the ninth run of the day with an RBI double to give Texas the 9-1 victory.

On Sunday it was more of the same for the Longhorns softball team as they took on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team. After AMCC took the early 1-0 on a fielders choice in the top of the first, Texas would answer immediately and frequently. Hathaway would score on a Janae Jefferson RBI triple to tie the game up. Jefferson and Shannon Rhodes would score on a Miranda Elish single to make it 3-1. Elish wasn’t done there.

In the second inning Tedder scored on a Rhodes single and then Sullivan walked in a run with the bases loaded to make the score 5-1 Texas. With the bases loaded, Elish stepped to the plate to break the game wide open.

Heading into the bottom of the third inning, the Longhorns led 9-2 after giving up a run in the top of the inning. Alyssa Popelka would take Elish’s place in the lineup. She immediately hit an RBI single to bring it to 10-2, the Longhorns rattled off eight more runs over the next two innings. Day took over on the mound in the top of the third inning. She struck out five batters and retired all nine she faced to secure the win.

The Longhorns softball team has yet to play beyond the sixth inning. Every game this season has been called due to the run rule for the Longhorns. They will head to Mexico next for the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on Thursday.