No. 20 Baseball Avoids State Farm Lone Star Showdown Sweep With 2-1 Win

The No. 20 Texas Longhorns tallied three hits in the bottom of the ninth inning to score a pair of runs a 2-1 win over the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies.

Trailing 1-0, the Longhorns mounted the game-winning rally against Aggies' reliever Kyle Martin. Erich Weiss hit a leadoff single to centerfield and Jonathan Walsh followed with a single through the right side of the infield. Alex Silver sacrificed the runners to second and third with a bunt. Jacob Felts laced a potential game-winning hit up the middle, but Aggies' second baseman Scott Arthur was able to get a glove on it holding to save one run, but Weiss came home with the equalizer.

With men on the corners and one out, Jordan Etier bounced a ball to A&M first baseman Jacob House. House came home with the throw, but Walsh slide around the outside of the swiping tag attempt by backup Aggies' catcher Cole Lankford for the game-winning run.

After four blank frames to start the game, Texas A&M (31-13, 11-7 Big 12) broke the scoring seal in the fourth. Texas closer Corey Knebel entered in relief of starter Dillon Peters and was promptly hit in the midriff with a line drive by Matt Juengel. Knebel was able to regroup to retire Juengel at first, but Brandon Wood followed with a double to the gap in left centerfield, Troy Stein drew a four-pitch walk and Blake Allemand delivered a bloop single into shallow left centerfield to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.

The Horns went down in order in the fifth and sixth innings and got a one-out single by Felts in the seventh and a two-out walk by Payton in the eighth, but didn't threaten to score.

Knebel (3-2) earned the win. After yielding the two hits in the fifth, he settled down to pitch four scoreless innings. He finished the game yielding one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five in 5.0 innings of work. Peters worked a career-long 4.0 innings, allowing just one hit while fanning a career-high six batters.

Rafael Pineda pitched a gem for Texas A&M but did not get a decision. He scattered two hits and two walks while striking out six over 7.2 innings. Martin (5-4) was saddled with the loss giving up two runs on three hits in 0.1 of an inning.

Felts led the Longhorns at the plate going 3-for-4 with one RBI.

Wood went 2-for-3 with one double and one run for Texas A&M.

With the win, Texas avoided a sweep in the series. The last time the Aggies swept Texas was 1991.

Texas returns to action on Tuesday when the Longhorns host the Prairie View A&M Panthers in a 6 p.m. contest at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.