Baseball blasts its way to a series victory over Kansas, 16-7

Sunday, April 19

Lawrence, Kan.

1 p.m.

University of Texas

21-19, 8-7

Kansas

16-24, 4-8

Texas

Kansas

Baseball blasts its way to a series victory over Kansas, 16-7

04.19.2015 | Baseball

Box Score

Hinojosa hits for the cycle; Texas hits five home runs

LAWRENCE, Kansas — The Baseball team used an offensive surge of 16 runs on 23 hits, including 13 that went for extra bases, to defeat the Kansas Jayhawks 16-7 and take the Big 12 series two games to one, Sunday afternoon from Hoglund Ballpark.

The 16 runs scored by UT (21-19, 8-7 Big 12) against the Jayhawks (16-24, 4-8 Big 12) were the most since 2011 when it did so twice, and the five home runs Texas hit were the most in a game since 2010. The 23 hits by the Longhorns were just two shy of the school record.

Every Texas batter had a base hit in the game, eight had two or more and four hitters had three-plus knocks. The 13 hits that went for extra bases were the most in a game for UT in the BBCOR bat era (since 2011).

As he has been all season, Ben Johnson (.349) was the catalyst for the Longhorn offense, going 4-for-5 with a walk, three runs scored, three RBIs, a double and two massive home runs well over the wall in left field. It was Johnson's second multi-home run game of the year, with the other coming on March 5 against Stanford. Johnson entered the weekend leading the Big 12 in total bases with 84, and his career-high 11 total bases today give him 98 on the season to date.

Not to be outdone, C.J Hinojosa recorded the first cycle (single, double, triple, home run) by a Longhorn batter since Kyle Russell did so on April 24, 2007. Hinojosa finished the day 4-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Hinojosa entered his final at bat in the ninth inning needing the home run to complete the cycle, and sure enough smacked a 2-2 offering over the wall in left to complete the rare feat.

Michael Cantu and Tres Barrera each contributed three hits to the cause, with one of Barrera's being his team-leading sixth home run of the year, while all three of Cantu's knocks went for doubles. Freshman Joe Baker had two hits and four RBIs in the game, including his first career home run and a key two-out two RBI double that ignited a key rally in the fifth inning.

Up 4-2 in the fifth, Texas mustered a seven-run, two-out rally that provided some much needed separation in the ballgame. The bottom of the order can be credited with starting the scoring, as there were two outs and no one on base when seven-hole hitter Zane Gurwitz stepped to the plate.

Gurwitz and Bret Boswell each posted singles, and nine-hole hitter Baker worked an impressive 10-pitch at bat, fouling off six pitches, before smashing a two-RBI double to left-center. Lead-off man Johnson then wasted no time in stretching the lead further, obliterating the first pitch he saw well over the wall in left field for a two-run bomb to make it 8-2 in a hurry.

The Horns weren't done scoring in the frame, as two walks, a hit-by-pitch and a triple from Hinojosa added another run and loaded the bases for Brooks Marlow, who delivered a two-run single up the middle to cap the scoring in the inning. In total, Texas sent 10 batters to the plate in the frame, with seven of them coming around to score on six hits.

KU bounced back for three runs in their half of the fourth to cut its deficit to 11-5, but another Johnson blast to left in the next half inning pushed the Texas lead to seven runs. The teams then traded two-run homers in the top of the seventh, bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth innings respectively to cap the scoring at 16-7, with Barrera and Hinojosa (completed the cycle) blasting long balls for UT and Dakota Smith putting one out for KU.

The Longhorns used four pitchers en route to the victory, including sophomore Andy McGuire (1-0, 3.38 ERA) who earned his first career victory on the mound by tossing 1 1/3 innings of relief and surrendering one earned run.

Kacy Clemens (4.17 ERA) started on the hill for UT, working four frames of five hit ball, with his only damage coming on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning. Travis Duke (3.13 ERA) earned his first save of the season by spinning three innings of relief, allowing just one hit and two walks, but two runs via a two-run homer surrendered in the eighth inning.

Starter Blake Weiman (1-6) took the loss for Kansas after allowing three runs in 3 1/3 innings, and catcher Michael Tinsley had a 2-for-2 day at the plate with a three RBIs and a home run in the losing effort.

The Longhorns will look to keep their hot-hitting going on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. against Texas State from UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Quotes from Head coach Augie Garrido

On winning the series against Kansas: We needed the series … it puts us right in the running and keeps us in the race. It gives us a chance in the next nine conference games to better our position, and every game that we win brings us that much closer to being included in the regionals, and even in the conference championship race, actually.

On putting up 16 runs in today's game: Well, it was the extra base hits, especially the home runs that do that. We make a lot of fly ball outs, so when that wind [was blowing] out today, our batters eyes go about as big as silver dollars. They were very excited about knowing that their fly balls were going to make it over the warning track and over the fence.

On playing error-free defense over the weekend series: They've been doing it consistently, we [had a] .993 [fielding percentage] in the series before, defensively. It is one of the things that we can accomplish consistently. Now, we have to add quality at bats and productive quality outs to the run scoring.