Home runs from Cantu, Jones lift Baseball over Sam Houston State

Wednesday, February 22

Huntsville,Texas

6:30 p.m.

University of Texas

3-2

Sam Houston State

2-2

Texas

Sam Houston State

Home runs from Cantu, Jones lift Baseball over Sam Houston State

02.22.2017 | Baseball

Box Score

The Longhorns picked up the win in their first-ever road game in Huntsville.

Box Score

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—A two-run blast from Michael Cantu, a three-run homer from Travis Jones and five shutout innings from Nolan Kingham propelled the Longhorns a 7-2 win over Sam Houston State in front of a record crowd on Wednesday night at Don Sanders Stadium in Huntsville.

The matchup served as the Longhorns first-ever road game in Huntsville and Texas head coach David Pierce's first game back at Don Sanders Stadium since he was head coach of the Bearkats from 2012-14.

What looked early as though it'd be a pitching duel was eventually decided by the long ball.

Texas right-hander Nolan Kingham and Sam Houston State righty Dakota Mills swapped zeroes for the first four frames, with Mills also holding the Longhorns hitless in that span. In the Bearkats half of the third, Kingham loaded the bases with no outs before getting a force out at the plate and a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam unscathed.

It was in the fifth, however, that Texas broke through.

Patrick Mathis picked up the first hit for the Longhorns with one out in the inning and junior catcher Michael Cantu followed with a two-run blast to center to put Texas out in front 2-0 over the Bearkats. The homer was Cantu's first since March 24, 2015 at Texas State after not leaving the ballpark last season.

After Kingham escaped another jam in the bottom of the fifth, Ryan Reynolds and Kacy Clemens drew back-to-back one-out walks to set the table for Travis Jones and the junior delivered. Jones took the 2-0 pitch over the right field wall for an opposite field homer, his first long ball of 2017.

With a 5-0 lead, Jon Malmin came on and tossed a scoreless sixth but the senior got into trouble in the seventh. After walking the first two batters he faced and balking them into scoring position, the Bearkats managed to push two across to make it 5-2.

The pair of seventh-inning runs would prove to be all for Sam Houston State, however, as Beau Ridgeway through 1.1 scoreless. Texas added two runs in the ninth on a Tyler Rand single and an error before Chase Shugart entered to finish out the ballgame.

The Longhorns return home this weekend for a three-game series against UCONN. The Huskies and Longhorns have never met in a regular season series. The set begins on Friday at 4 p.m. before a 2 p.m. Saturday start and a noon Sunday first pitch.