Texas Baseball wakes up in the late innings in 14-2 whitewash of UTSA

By Steve Habel/Senior Editor

AUSTIN – Texas’s Ben Johnson ripped a two-out, bases-loaded single in the seventh inning that was misplayed into four runs to help the eighth-ranked Longhorns shrug off the doldrums from a long weekend and beat Texas-San Antonio 14-2 on Tuesday night in its chilly home opener at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

The Longhorns’ Tres Barrera continued his torrid start to the season by ripping five hits – including a 3-run home run in the eighth – and six RBI in six at-bats. He’s the first Texas player since Kevin Lusson in May 2010 to have six RBI in a single game.

Johnson was credited with [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]two RBI and sprinted around the bases behind a third Texas runner when UTSA centerfielder Kevin Markham allowed the ball to get past him and roll nearly to the base of the wall.

Until Johnson’s single the Longhorns had stranded 10 runners on base through the first six innings, nine of them in scoring position as Texas. The Longhorns ended up with 13 left on base, 12 of those on either second or third base.

“We have to learn to be patient and we are working on that aspect of the game,” Texas coach Augie Garrido said. “Right now we aren’t able to think from pitch to pitch as much as we need to do. We are reacting more than thinking.”

Johnson added three hits and three runs batted in and Collin Shaw had three hits for Texas (3-2). Shaw also made a spectacular defensive play in foul ground along the right-field line to quell a UTSA scoring threat in the seventh when the game was still within reach for the Roadrunners (3-2).

The Longhorns used seven pitchers, with freshman Connor Mayes starting, going the first three innings and allowing two hits to earn his first college win. UTSA sent eight hurlers to the mound, with its starter, Aaron Burns, taking the loss.

Texas took the lead in the bottom of the first inning when Barrera’s two-out single brought home Collin Shaw from second. The Longhorns played add-on in the third as Barrera’s one-out double plated C.J Hinojosa, who had walked and scored all the way from first.

UTSA cut into the lead in the fourth as John Bormann scampered across on a two-out bouncing single by Skyler Valentine. Bormann reached base when he was hit by a pitch by Texas reliever Ty Marlow, who was making his first appearance in a game since Tommy John surgery last March; Marlow pulled his groin in his one-batter stint and was relieved by John Malmin.

The Roadrunners pulled to within 3-2 in the sixth on another RBI single by Valentine after UT reliever Tyler Schimpf walked two batters.

Texas broke open the game in the bottom of the seventh on Johnson’s clutch hit and Markham’s huge error.

The Longhorns sent 13 batters to the plate in the eighth. Barrera blasted his homer to deep left field to plate Hinojosa and Brooks Marlow in front of him to push the Texas lead to 10-2.

Later in the frame, Zane Gurwitz walked with the bases loaded to score Bret Boswell, Shaw walked with the bases loaded to plate Michael McCann and Hinojosa singled to bring home Michael Cantu. Then Barrera ripped a two-out single to score Gurwitz, his fourth RBI of the inning.

Texas returns to play Friday when it hosts Minnesota at 6 p.m. in the first of a four-game, three-day series that includes a doubleheader on Saturday.

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