The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
10-6
UCLA
6-6
Late rally fuels Baseball to 5-4 win over UCLA
03.10.2017 | Baseball
The Longhorns fell behind in the seventh inning but came back to win it in the eighth.
Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery
AUSTIN, Texas—Down by one in the eighth inning, Texas Baseball (10-6) used a two-out rally to defeat UCLA (6-6) by a 5-4 final on Friday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Much of the ballgame was a pitcher's duel as UCLA starter Griffin Canning and Texas right-hander Nolan Kingham battled. The Bruins struck first with a second-inning solo homer, but Patrick Mathis responded with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the third to make it 1-1.
In the sixth, the Longhorns went ahead 2-1 thanks to Kacy Clemens' team-leading fourth blast of the season, but the lead was short-lived.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Beau Ridgeway entered in relief of Kingham in the seventh and allowed a three-run homer to UCLA's Kyle Cuellar, putting the Longhorns in a 4-2 hole.
In the bottom half of the inning, however, Mathis hustled for a leadoff double and, after advancing to third on a wild pitch, scored on a Kody Clemens RBI groundout to pull the Longhorns to within one.
After Ridgeway (1-0) worked a one-two-three top half of the eighth, Texas showed its resilience.
With two outs in the frame, freshman Ryan Reynolds ripped a single up the middle to give the Longhorns life. Sophomore Tyler Rand pinch-ran for Reynolds and one batter later, the move was rewarded.
Travis Jones worked to a full count before ripping the 3-2 pitch down the left field line for a run-scoring double, tying the ballgame at 4-4.
The Longhorns' two-out rally was not done. Michael Cantu took a four-pitch walk before a pitching change. The new hurler proceeded to walk both Zane Gurwitz and Kody Clemens, forcing in a run and giving Texas a 5-4 advantage.
In the ninth, right-hander Kyle Johnston (1) dominated. The junior struck out the side for his first save of the season, sealing the Longhorns' game one win.
UCLA and Texas return to UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest. RHP Morgan Cooper will take the hill for the Longhorns.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ridgeway, Beau (1-0)
L: Gadsby (2-4)
S: Johnston, Kyle (1)
Batting:
2B: Cuellar 1 ; Bouchard 1
HR: Cuellar 1 ; Valaika 1
RBI: Cuellar 3 ; Valaika 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cuellar 1 ; Valaika 1 ; Stephens 1 ; Rosica 1
Batting:
2B: Boswell, Bret 1 ; Jones, Travis 1 ; Mathis, Patrick 1
HR: Clemens, Kacy 1 ; Mathis, Patrick 1
RBI: Clemens, Kody 2 ; Clemens, Kacy 1 ; Jones, Travis 1 ; Mathis, Patrick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Clemens, Kacy 1 ; Rand, Tyler 1 ; Jones, Travis 1 ; Mathis, Patrick 2
CS: Shaw, Tate 1
