The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
32-17, 13-6
Texas Tech
34-13, 11-8
Four homers send No. 24 Baseball to 12-6 win over No. 9 Texas Tech
05.04.2018 | Baseball
The Longhorns got 6.1 innings from starter Nolan Kingham while Kody Clemens went 4-for-5 with two homers.
LUBBOCK, Texas—No. 24 Texas Baseball blasted a season-high four home runs en route to a 12-6 road win over No. 9 Texas Tech on Friday night at Rip Griffin Park. Junior Kody Clemens went deep twice in the game to help push Texas to 32-17 overall and 13-6 in Big 12 Conference action.
The Longhorns fell behind in the first inning thanks to a couple of hits and an error. Down 1-0, however, Texas responded in the second. Ryan Reynolds doubled in the inning before Tate Shaw smacked a two-out single to center field to tie the game at 1-1.
With the game knotted at one apiece, the Texas offense erupted in the third.
Duke Ellis, who finished with a pair of hits on the night, tripled with one away in the inning and Clemens followed with a base hit to put Texas on top, 2-1. After Zach Zubia walked, David Hamilton cranked his second homer in as many games to put the Longhorns out in front, 5-1.
Two batters later, with Reynolds on first after a walk, DJ Petrinsky launched his sixth homer of the season to make it a 7-1 ballgame.
The Red Raiders answered back in the bottom half with two runs off Nolan Kingham (6-2) but the junior right-hander settled in to put up zeroes over the next three frames.
Clemens, who finished 4-for-5 on the night, led off the seventh inning with his 14th home run of the season to make it an 8-3 ballgame but the Red Raiders answered once again.
In the bottom of the seventh, a pair of doubles and an error brought Texas Tech back to within three at 8-5 before Kingham was replaced by Josh Sawyer. Sawyer walked the only two batters he faced before Parker Joe Robinson entered in relief with one out and the bases loaded. Robinson got the next two outs on a fielder's choice and a flyout and the Longhorns led, 8-6, after seven complete.
Texas added an insurance run in the eighth when Petrinsky, who had doubled to open the inning, scored on a wild pitch.
Up 9-6, the Longhorns offense continued to pour it on in the ninth. Clemens led off the frame with his 15th long ball of the season and second of the night to give him his first career two-homer game, becoming the first Longhorn with 15 homers since Kevin Keyes in 2010.
Zubia followed Clemens with a double and Hamilton picked up a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Reynolds lifted a sac fly to right to plate pinch-runner Austin Todd and Hamilton came around to score on a wild pitch after swiping his Big 12-leading 27th base of the season.
The Red Raiders threatened in the ninth, loading the bases off Andy McGuire, but the redshirt-junior escaped the jam and the Longhorns went on to win, 12-6, in Lubbock, handing Texas Tech just its third loss at home.
The two teams return to action on Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kingham, Nolan (6-2)
L: Martin, Davis (6-4)
Batting:
2B: Zubia, Zach 1 ; Reynolds, Ryan 1 ; Petrinsky, DJ 1
3B: Ellis, Duke 1
HR: Clemens, Kody 2 ; Hamilton, David 1 ; Petrinsky, DJ 1
RBI: Clemens, Kody 3 ; Hamilton, David 3 ; Reynolds, Ryan 1 ; Petrinsky, DJ 2 ; Shaw, Tate 1
SH: Shaw, Tate 1 ; McKenzie, Jake 1
SF: Reynolds, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ellis, Duke 1 ; Clemens, Kody 3 ; Zubia, Zach 1 ; Todd, Austin 1 ; Hamilton, David 2 ; Reynolds, Ryan 2 ; Petrinsky, DJ 2
SB: Ellis, Duke 1 ; Hamilton, David 1 ; Shaw, Tate 1
Batting:
2B: Holt, Gabe 1 ; Little, Grant 1 ; Masters, Cody 1
HR: Rheams, Zach 1
RBI: Jung, Josh 1 ; Little, Grant 1 ; Rheams, Zach 2 ; Warren, Cameron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Holt, Gabe 2 ; Klein, Brian 1 ; Little, Grant 2 ; Rheams, Zach 1
SB: Warren, Cameron 1
CS: Farhat, Cody 1
HBP: Warren, Cameron 1
