No. 16 Baseball stifles West Virginia, 5-1, to take the series

Sunday, March 15

Austin, Texas

12:30 p.m.

University of Texas

13-7, 2-1

West Virginia

8-8, 1-2

West Virginia

Texas

No. 16 Baseball stifles West Virginia, 5-1, to take the series

03.15.2015 | Baseball

Box Score

Hollingsworth allowed just one run in seven innings in the Big 12 series-clinching win

AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 16 Baseball team used seven solid innings from starting pitcher Chad Hollingsworth and a late five-run surge to clinch a Big 12 opening-series victory, 5-1, over the West Virginia Mountaineers Sunday afternoon.

Hollingsworth (2-1, 3.52) pitched to contact in his seven frames, striking out one and walking just one, while surrendering five hits (four singles). Although he admitted afterwards that he did not have his best stuff, the junior from Waco relied on his defense with 10 flyouts and nine groundouts. The lone run surrendered came via a home run from Shaun Wood with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

In the eighth, Hollingsworth turned the ball over to Kyle Johnston who closed it out for Texas over the final two frames, allowing two hits and striking out three.

Collin Shaw led the way for the Longhorns (13-7, 2-1 Big 12) at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, two RBIs and his 13th double of the year. Shaw entered the weekend tied for the NCAA lead in two-baggers.

Bret Boswell also had a two-hit day at the plate and Zane Gurwitz went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored. Brooks Marlow added an RBI base knock and also scored a run. All five of Texas' runs came in the sixth and seventh innings.

Both Hollingsworth and WVU starter Chad Donato each worked five scoreless innings to start the game, with Hollingsworth allowing four hits and Donato just three. Both pitchers would get in to some trouble in the sixth, but Hollingsworth was able to steer around his.

After starting the frame with a leadoff walk and failed pickoff attempt that moved the runner to second, Hollingsworth induced a pop-up bunt, pop-out to third and a groundout to third to end the threat.

Donato was not as fortunate. A leadoff single from Gurwitz and a sac bunt put a runner on second for Shaw, who promptly doubled in the game's first run on a liner to left field. Following a strikeout, Marlow delivered a two-strike, two-out single into center on a nice piece of hitting, scoring Shaw. Boswell then stepped to the plate and roped a 3-2 pitch into right field for a base hit, and a misplay from the right fielder allowed Marlow to score from first to extend the lead to 3-0.

West Virginia (8-8, 1-2 Big 12) got on the board to make it 3-1 in the seventh thanks to a two-out solo long ball from Shaun Wood, but Hollingsworth struck out the next hitter to end his day on the mound.

The Horns struck back for two more in their half of the seventh, when back-to-back one-out walks and a long single from Ben Johnson loaded the bases for Shaw. The senior right fielder then smoked a fly ball to center that worked as a sacrifice fly, and put runners on the corners with two away for C.J Hinojosa. Johnson took off on a steal attempt and got caught in a rundown, but was able to avoid getting tagged out until after the runner on third (Gurwitz) was able to cross home plate to make it 5-1 where it would remain.

From there, Johnston worked a perfect eighth inning and skirted out of a first and third one out situation in the ninth, retiring Shaun Wood on a strikeout to end the game and giving Texas the series win two games to one.

The victory gave the Longhorns their first opening series win in Big 12 play since the 2012 season when they swept Oklahoma in Norman, and their first series win over the Mountaineers in three attempts.

The Longhorns return to action Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. from Globe Life Park in Arlington, where they will be taking on the UT Arlington Mavericks. Texas returns to UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday, March 20 for a conference series against the Kansas State Wildcats.

Head coach Augie Garrido

On competitiveness from the dugouts: I think there's always been a high level of competition between the players on the West Virginia team. They have thirteen kids from Texas, so that's where that all comes from. The idea that 'we're going to show you that we're the best team.' They're going to try to prove something.

On importance of winning this conference opening series: It's real important. They're all going to be important because there's going to be a lot of losses in this league this year. I think it'll make us tournament ready because of it. All three of these games were played like championship games, and that's what you need. Yesterday a couple of key pickoffs were big plays that they made. Well, less likely to happen again as a result of seeing that happen. TCU uses the same type of pickoffs from the catcher. The more experiences you have and the better your conference is and the competition within your conference, it's hard to take sometimes, but all of those losses can really build your team strength.

On Hollingsworth's performance: That is what he lives on. Quite honestly he didn't have a breaking ball that he threw for strikes. He was pretty much down to one pitch, but that's what makes him so good. He's not afraid to use that fastball and move it around. He has really good command of it, and he's not afraid of the hitters. He throws it to the mitt, they hit it, and we try to catch it for him.

Junior RHP Chad Hollingsworth

On today's win: It was good. It was a good series for us. The first Big 12 series of the year, came out real competitive. That's what we're going to have to get used to – a really competitive environment. I think that helped us for not only the long haul, but obviously for the first Big 12 series coming out with a series win is pretty big for us.

On battling with his fastball: Yeah, nothing was really working for me. I'm just glad we played defense. It sucks when you get up there and you can't really perform like you want to. I've been really inconsistent with my curveball, so I've got to work on that. To be out there just throwing fastballs and be able to do well, it's pretty good.

On how he felt on the mound: I felt good. I felt confident. I know our defense is always going to play "D," and I just let them hit it to us.

Senior OF Collin Shaw

On winning the first conference series: It's always good to get off to a good start in the Big 12. I don't know if that's happened since I've been here. I think that this might be the first, my freshman year we might have. It's always good to get a good series win, get off to a good start and start building some momentum in league play.

On Hollingsworth's success despite struggling: It's awesome, and that's how he is. He's got heart. He's got grit. He's going to battle. He's not afraid to attack even when he doesn't have his best stuff, and that's his best quality. He did an awesome job.

On the identity the team is building: We're going to battle. We're going to grind it out. We're going to pitch, play defense, take good at bats and win inning-by-inning, play inning-by-inning.

NOTES

- After two shutout innings today, the Texas bullpen boasts a 1.56 ERA on the season (80 2/3 innings).

- Texas is outscoring its opponents 48-12 from the seventh inning on this year (2-1 today), and is 9-0 when leading after the sixth inning.

- The Longhorns mashed 10 extra base hits in the three-game set vs. WVU, giving them 65 (43 doubles, 8 triples, 14 home runs) through the first 20 games. At this point last season, Texas had 27 extra base hits (15 doubles, 9 triples, 3 home runs).

- Three of the offense's five runs in today's game were scored with two outs, giving them 59 of 114 runs scored (51.8%) on the year with two down. Texas is hitting .295 this season with two away.

- In contrast, UT pitchers are holding opponents to a .210 average with two down in the inning.

- Three Texas runs were scored when the leadoff man reached safely, making it 83 of 114 runs (72.8%) on the season when the leadoff batter gets on.

- UT has four players currently hitting over .300 on the year: Ben Johnson (.432), Michael Cantu (.328), Collin Shaw (.313) and Tres Barrera (.310).

- Shaw hit his 13th double of the season today, and has a Big 12 leading 15 extra base hits on the year. He entered the weekend tied for the NCAA lead in doubles, and is slugging .538 for the season.

- The Horns entered the weekend 10th in the country in walks and walked 12 times in the past three games.

- Ben Johnson (.435) was 1-for-3 on the afternoon with an off-the-wall single. The junior left fielder leads the Big 12 in hits (38), batting average (.432) and total bases (58).