AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas can’t shake the Washington Huskies on the football or baseball field lately.
The Huskies clinched a nonconference series over the No. 23 Longhorns with a 5-3 win Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to follow up Friday’s 9-3 win. Texas needs to win Sunday to salvage the series and avoid being swept. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
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The Longhorns brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning after designated hitter Rylan Galvan led off the inning with a double. Pinch hitter Kimble Schuessler struck out, and then Casey Borba hit a sharp grounder that was snared on a dive by Huskies shortstop Cam Clayton. Clayton threw Borba out at first and Jack O’Dowd flew out to center to end the game.
Texas relief pitcher Ace Whitehead kept the Longhorns in the game with seven shutout innings, striking out four while allowing just one hit. Starting pitcher Cody Howard was tagged for five runs on three hits with a pair of walks and two hit batters. Washington’s AJ Guerrero drove in three of the runs with a 2-run home run in the first inning and an RBI groundout in the third.
Will Gasparino and Jalin Flores each hit solo home runs for the Longhorns. Gasparino put Texas on the board in the third inning to cut Washington’s lead to 5-1, and then Flores drove a ball off the batter’s eye in center field in the fourth.
Porter Brown plated a run with a single in the sixth inning off Washington starting pitcher Calvin Kirchoff, but reliever Sam Boyle shut the door on Texas the rest of the way. Kirchoff pitched six innings to earn credit for the win with six strikeouts. Boyle was awarded a save after he pitched the final three frames.
Texas (10-8, 2-1 Big 12) outhit the Huskies 7-4. Flores added a double to his home run and finished the game 2 for 4.