The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
21-27, 9-12
West Virginia
27-19, 11-9
Early deficit too much as Baseball falls in series finale at West Virginia
05.08.2016 | Baseball
The Longhorns fell behind 7-1 after two innings and were swept for the second straight weekend.
MORGANTOWN, W. Va.—After falling behind early, Texas Baseball dropped Sunday's series finale, 9-5, at Monongalia County Ballpark. The Big 12 series sweep is the second straight for the Longhorns who are now 21-27 on the season and 9-12 in league action.
Sophomore starter Kyle Johnston (3-2) struggled early against the Mountaineers, walking five in just an inning and two-thirds.
WVU put up a three-spot in the first after Johnston walked back-to-back batters to lead off the inning. Johnston uncorked a wild pitch during the next at-bat before a sac fly gave the Mountaineers a 1-0 lead. Consecutive singles followed and West Virginia exited the first inning with a 3-0 advantage.
The Longhorns got one back in the second thanks to a Zane Gurwitz double and a Tyler Rand single, but the Mountaineers answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame to push their lead to 7-1.
Johnston walked two of the first three batters, allowed base hits to the next two and then a fielder's choice. He walked the final batter he faced before Connor Mayes entered in the relief.
Gurwitz provided more of the offense for the Longhorns in the third when, with two aboard, the junior took a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall to make it 7-4.
With the three-run shot, Gurwitz has tallied 24 RBI—with five homers—in his last 19 games compared to just eight RBI in his first 29 ballgames this season. He now leads Texas in RBI on the year.
The Longhorns picked up their fifth run of the ballgame in the top of the fourth. Bret Boswell walked to lead off the frame before a Jake McKenzie single put runners on the corners. Travis Jones followed with a sac fly and the Mountaineers lead was cut to 7-5.
In the bottom half, however, WVU got that run back with a double and a single and pushed it's lead to three once again.
The two teams exchanged zeroes in the fifth but WVU strung together three two-out singles in the bottom of the sixth to extend its lead to 9-5.
That would be all the scoring on the afternoon, completing West Virginia's three-game series sweet
On the afternoon, Patrick Mathis picked up four hits while Gurwitz and McKenzie added two apiece.
The Longhorns do not play again until May 17 when they welcome Texas State to UFCU Disch-Falk Field for their final midweek matchup of the season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dotson, C. (5-4)
L: Johnston, Kyle (3-2)
Batting:
2B: Mathis, Patrick 1 ; Gurwitz, Zane 1
HR: Gurwitz, Zane 1
RBI: Jones, Travis 1 ; Gurwitz, Zane 3 ; Rand, Tyler 1
SF: Jones, Travis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mathis, Patrick 1 ; Clemens, Kacy 1 ; Gurwitz, Zane 2 ; Boswell, Bret 1
Batting:
2B: Hill, D. 1 ; Guerrini, R. 1
RBI: Davis, K. 1 ; Hill, D. 2 ; Vera, I. 1 ; Cramer, J. 3 ; Guerrini, R. 1
SH: Galusky, J. 1
SF: Hill, D. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zarbnisky, B 2 ; Davis, K. 2 ; Hill, D. 2 ; Vera, I. 2 ; Gray, K. 1
