The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
42-22
Arkansas
45-19
Big inning sends Baseball to 11-5 loss in CWS opener
06.17.2018 | Baseball
The Longhorns allowed eight runs in the sixth inning in their World Series-opening loss to Arkansas.
OMAHA, Neb.—Texas Baseball (42-22) allowed a season-high eight runs in the sixth inning en route to a 11-5 loss at the hands of Arkansas (45-19) on Sunday afternoon at TD Ameritrade Park. The Longhorns will face the loser of tonight's Texas Tech/Florida game on Tuesday in an elimination matchup.
The Razorbacks got on the board first with a couple of hits in the opening frame but the Longhorns answered back in the top of the third thanks to a Tate Shaw triple and Ryan Reynolds RBI groundout.
With the game tied at 1-1, the Longhorns took the lead in the top of the fifth when David Hamilton lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Masen Hibbeler, but the lead would be short-lived as a two-run homer in the bottom half put Arkansas back on top, 3-2.
It was in the sixth inning, however, that Arkansas scored eight times off five Longhorns pitchers—Nolan Kingham (8-5), Parker Joe Robinson, Josh Sawyer, Chase Shugart, and Kamron Fields—to put the game out of reach.
Trailing by nine, Texas would not go quietly. In the eighth, Michael McCann worked a two-out walk before Jake McKenzie doubled to put two in scoring position. Austin Todd, taking his first at-bat in a month after he was injured on May 17 vs. TCU, then singled to right field to plate two and make it an 11-4 ballgame.
In the ninth, Duke Ellis worked a leadoff walk before Zubia doubled him home to make it 11-5, but the Longhorns were unable to complete the comeback.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Blaine Knight (13-0)
L: Kingham, Nolan (8-5)
Batting:
2B: Zubia, Zach 1 ; McKenzie, Jake 1
3B: Shaw, Tate 1
RBI: Hamilton, David 1 ; Zubia, Zach 1 ; Todd, Austin 2 ; Reynolds, Ryan 1
SH: Reynolds, Ryan 1
SF: Hamilton, David 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ellis, Duke 1 ; McCann, Michael 1 ; McKenzie, Jake 1 ; Hibbeler, Masen 1 ; Shaw, Tate 1
Batting:
2B: Eric Cole 1 ; Heston Kjerstad 1
HR: Luke Bonfield 1
RBI: Eric Cole 1 ; Casey Martin 1 ; Heston Kjerstad 3 ; Luke Bonfield 2 ; Dominic Fletcher 2 ; Carson Shaddy 1 ; Jax Biggers 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Eric Cole 2 ; Casey Martin 1 ; Heston Kjerstad 2 ; Luke Bonfield 2 ; Carson Shaddy 1 ; Jared Gates 1 ; Grant Koch 1 ; Jax Biggers 1
HBP: Luke Bonfield 1
