Box Score
Texas (22-10) held Texas State (17-11) scoreless until the Bobcats pulled out two runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth at the Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express. But it wasn't enough to catch the Longhorns as Texas held on for the win, giving head coach Augie Garrido his 500th on the 40 Acres.
Garrido now owns a 500-242-1 mark as coach of the Longhorns. He earned 929 of his wins at Cal State Fullerton and has a total of 1,651 wins for his career.
Two and half innings went by before things started heating up in Round Rock. After a third-inning single up the middle, short stop David Hernandez advanced to second on a wild pitch before he was cleared off the bags thanks to a homer by Michael Torres, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Although he has been an asset offensively this season, Torres has seen multiple defensive position changes and leads the team with 13 errors. Torres took on the Bobcats in his preferred spot at second base but still committed two of the Horns’ three errors.
A single down the right field line by Jordan Danks in the fifth knocked Torres in from third followed by a sacrifice fly by DH Russell Moldenhauer that gave Texas a 4-0 lead over Texas State at the top of the sixth.
Another single by Hernandez in the sixth gave him his second RBI and gave the Horns a 5-0 lead that carried to the top of the eighth. As the Horns’ bats wound down, the Bobcats’ just started heating up.
Texas State put up three hits and two runs in the top of the eighth to start a late-game rally. The Bobcats managed to slide another runner in the ninth due to a wild pitch by Brandon Belt. Belt moved over after eight innings at first base and going 2-for-2 from the batter’s box. From the mound, he gave up one hit and one run.
The Bobcats’ late-game momentum failed to surge them past the Horns. Their two-out run would be their last and not enough to close the two-run deficit.
Too little, too late.
Pitcher Chance Ruffin (3-2) got the start and the win for Texas. Belt got his got his second career save.
The Longhorns will be in Columbia this weekend taking on Missouri. The series starts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Texas next returns home to Austin on April 16 to take on UT-Arlington.