AUSTIN, Texas – No. 13 Texas Baseball used a five-run fifth inning to beat Xavier 6-5 and claim the series over the Musketeers on Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Xavier scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Musketeers then added a run to their lead in the fourth inning to go up 2-0 on Texas.
Blair Henley managed to limit Xavier to just those two runs in his six innings pitched.
Texas stormed in front with five runs on five hits in the bottom of the fifth inning. Masen Hibbeler started things with a single and Sam Bertelson put two runners on with a one-out single.
Tate Shaw drove in Hibbeler with a single and Bertelson was able to come around to score on an errant throw. After Michael McCann was hit by a pitch, Duke Ellis drove in Shaw with a sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run.
After a single by Eric Kennedy extended the inning, Ryan Reynolds provided the big blow with a two-run double down the left field line to make the score 5-2.
The Longhorns added one more run to go up 6-2 in the eighth inning, with pinch runner Kamron Fields scoring on a passed ball.
Things got interesting in the ninth, as Xavier rallied for three runs to cut the lead to 6-5. Matteo Bocchi was able to get the Longhorns out of the jam and pick up his first save of the season.
Texas will go for the sweep of Xavier on Sunday at 12 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.