AUSTIN, Texas – Tate Shaw hit a walk-off two-run double in the ninth inning to give No. 13 Texas Baseball a 6-5 win to complete the sweep of Xavier Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The Longhorns (20-11, 3-3 Big 12) went to the bottom of the ninth trailing 5-4 and were down to their final out before the late-game heroics. Lance Ford hit a two-out single up the middle and Michael McCann worked a walk to set the table for Shaw.
The entire series played out very similarly, with both teams going back-and-forth. Texas led 3-0 after a big first inning and Xavier chipped away until tying the game 4-4 in the eighth inning. The Musketeers took their first lead of the game in the top of the ninth.
Coy Cobb started and had one of his best outings of the season. He pitched seven innings and allowed just one earned run on five hits. He struck out a career-high eight batters.
Texas took advantage of five walks in the first inning to grab a 3-0 lead. Duke Ellis started the game with a single and Eric Kennedy walked to put two runners on base. After a wild pitch, Austin Todd drove in the first run of the game with an RBI groundout.
Walks by Zach Zubia and Ford loaded the bases with two outs. The next two runs came home on walks by Caston Peter and Shaw to make the score 3-0.
Xavier got a run back in the third inning after the leadoff batter was hit by a pitch. He stole second and came around to score after back-to-back groundouts.
The Musketeers made it a one-run game with an unearned run in the sixth inning.
The Longhorns added a run to their lead in the seventh inning on three singles. Todd and Ryan Reynolds both singled to start the inning and Ford drove in the run with a single up the middle.
Xavier tied the game up in the eighth inning after reliever Mason Bryant walked the first two batters of the inning. After a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners, a sacrifice fly drove in one run. A two-out RBI single off of Tristan Stevens knotted the game up 4-4.
The Musketeers scored another unearned run in the top of the ninth to grab the short-term lead.
Texas hosts Texas A&M for a sold-out showdown at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.