AUSTIN, Texas – No. 17 West Virginia scored two runs in the top of the ninth to overcome Texas Baseball for a 9-8 win Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The Longhorns (24-21, 5-11 Big 12) have lost six-straight games, including four-straight one-run games.
Texas scored first and West Virginia countered to go up 5-2. The Longhorns rallied to tie the game 5-5 before the Mountaineers went up 6-5. Yet again, Texas pulled in front 8-5 in the seventh but WVU scored one in the eighth and two in the ninth to win it.
Masen Hibbeler went 3-for-5 with one RBI and three runs scored in the leadoff spot. Austin Todd was 2-for-4 and Zach Zubia went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, including a homer. Reynolds was 2-for-5 with a team-high three RBI.
Texas got a run across in the first inning, with Hibbeler starting the day with a single to right field. Eric Kennedy sacrificed Hibbeler into scoring position and Reynolds drove him in with a two-out RBI single.
West Virginia scored three unearned runs in the third inning to pull ahead of the Longhorns.
The Longhorns immediately got a run back in the bottom of the third to make it 3-2. Todd walked and Zubia legged out an infield single. On Zubia’s single the throw got away, allowing Todd to round the bases and score.
The Mountaineers extended the lead to 5-2 with two more unearned runs in the top of the fourth.
Hibbeler and Zubia hit homers in the fifth inning to tie the game up 5-5. Hibbeler led off the inning with a solo shot, his second homer of the season. After a single by Todd with one out, Zubia hit a two-run blast to tie the game up.
West Virginia, yet again had an answer and pulled back in front with a run in the sixth inning.
Texas battled back in the seventh to retake the lead, 8-6. Hibbeler and Kennedy started the inning with back to back singles before Zubia loaded the bases with a single that just fell in fair territory. Reynolds followed with a two-run double to right field. A Tate Shaw sacrifice fly made the score 8-5.
WVU got a run back in the top of the eighth to cut the Longhorns lead to 8-7 and finished it off in the ninth.
The series finale between West Virginia and Texas is Sunday at 12 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field