Baseball's Culbreth, bullpen shut out No. 6 TCU, 2-0 to clinch Big 12 series win

Friday, March 25

Austin, Texas

6 p.m.

University of Texas

11-12, 0

TCU

17-5, 0

TCU

Texas

Baseball's Culbreth, bullpen shut out No. 6 TCU, 2-0 to clinch Big 12 series win

03.25.2016 | Baseball

Box Score

Texas pitching limited the Horned Frogs to just four hits in the shutout victory.

Box Score | Postgame Quotes

AUSTIN, Texas—Longhorns starter Ty Culbreth and a trio of relievers kept the Horned Frogs offense in check, junior Tres Barrera hit his second homer of the season and newly-minted closer Connor Mayes picked up his second save in as many days as Texas (11-12, 2-0 Big 12) battled to a 2-0 series-clinching win over No. 6 TCU (17-5, 3-2 Big 12) at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday night.

Culbreth (4-2) and TCU starter Brian Howard (4-1) matched each other's zeroes through the first five innings with Culbreth allowing just one hit and Howard limiting the Longhorns to two—both off the bat of Patrick Mathis.

In the sixth, however, Texas broke the deadlock.

Tyler Rand opened the frame with a single to right and swiped his third bag of the season. Travis Jones, who has now reached base safely in 17 consecutive games, followed with a single to right to put the runners on the corners with no outs for Texas. Kody Clemens then rolled into a 4-6-3 double play, but Rand scored on the play to give the Longhorns the 1-0 advantage.

On the very next pitch, Barrera took Howard deep.

Barrera's solo shot to left-center was his second long ball in three games after going homerless in Texas's first 20 contests of the season and it gave the Longhorns a 2-0 lead, one they would not relinquish.

After Culbreth was lifted with one on and one out in the seventh, Chase Shugart entered and induced two groundball outs to end the inning.

Lefthander Josh Sawyer followed with a dominant eighth inning in which he struck out the side swinging on just 11 pitches before Mayes (2) entered to close out the game. The sophomore caught the first batter he faced looking on a full count, got a slow roller to second base that Zane Gurwitz bare-handed for out number two and got the final batter to fly out to center to pick up his second save and finish out the win.

Texas and TCU will face off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the series finale. The game will air on FOX Sports 1 as part of the Big 12 Conference broadcast schedule.