No. 18/22 Baseball splits doubleheader at Cal

Saturday, February 15

Berkeley, Calif.

3 p.m.

University of Texas

0-2

California

2-0

Texas Longhorns

California

02.15.2014 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Schiraldi goes seven strong to earn the win in second game; Payton homers

BERKELEY, Calif. – The No. 18/22 Texas baseball team received strong pitching performances all day and got timely two-out hitting in the second game of a doubleheader to earn a 6-2 win after dropping the first game, 2-1.

Lukas Schiraldi, making his first career start for UT after spending the last two years at Navarro College, went seven innings and allowed just one run on five hits in game two to earn the win. The Longhorns also got a strong debut from freshman Morgan Cooper, who closed it out in the ninth by striking out the first two batters he faced, then inducing a groundout to end it.

Mark Payton continued a torrid start at the plate, recording four hits on the day to bring his three-game average to .583 (7-of-12). The senior provided insurance runs in the top of the ninth when he drilled a two-run homer over the right field wall to make it 6-2.

Two-out hitting was key for Texas in the game two victory, as they went 4-for-13 and put together a key rally in the 5th. Leading 2-1 and with two down in the inning, Payton started the rally with a single through the right side, and C.J Hinojosa and Kacy Clemens drew walks to load the bases. Andy McGuire came through with the big hit, ripping a 3-1 pitch up the middle to make it 4-1.

Cal threatened in the eighth when a pair of walks and a single cut the lead to 4-2, but reliever Ty Culbreth limited the damage with a strikeout to end the inning. Payton followed with his two-run shot the next half-inning to give Texas breathing room.

While Schiraldi (1-0) picked up the victory, Cal starting pitcher Alex Schick (0-1) was saddled with the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings.

In game one, Texas received it's first of two outstanding efforts from the starting pitcher on the day, as Dillon Peters went seven innings and surrendered just one unearned run on five hits.

Texas took an early lead when Ben Johnson hit a sacrifice fly to score McGuire in the second, but Cal tied it up an inning later when the Longhorns committed a throwing error. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the eighth, when the Bears' Devin Pearson knocked a run-scoring single to center field to make it 2-1.

The Longhorns had a chance to tie it in the ninth after Clemens and Johnson both singled to put runners on the corners with one out. But Cal reliever Ryan Mason induced an inning- and game-ending double play to preserve the win.

Mason (1-0) went three shutout innings in relief for the win, striking out three and allowing just two hits. Texas reliever Justin Peters (0-1) took the loss after allowing the game-winning run.

Texas will look for a series split on Sunday when it sends senior RHP Nathan Thornhill to the mound to take on junior RHP Michael Theofanopoulos of Cal. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT.