Looking for things to turn in a big way, Lance Ford gave the Texas baseball team everything it needed and then some in a 10-2 win over visiting No. 17 West Virginia Sunday.
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Ford mashed two home runs — the first two home runs of his young career — and drove in six RBIs to salvage the series finale against the Mountaineers after dropping the first two games of the series and six straight overall.
Head coach David Pierce was upbeat after the win and continues to tell his Horns to have hope.
Pullside 💣s and a Horns win. 🤘 pic.twitter.com/AfeCad12bF
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) April 28, 2019
Texas (25-21, 6-11 in Big 12 play) needs to keep it going as the regular season winds to a close with just six conference games remaining and the Longhorns looking at long odds of making the NCAA tournament again, likely by needing to win the Big 12 Championship.
The freshman Ford was 3-for-5 overall, adding a double and a run scored to his huge day. His second homer was a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth to make a 6-2 game a breather at 10-2.
HAIL TO THE CHIEF! @lanceford13‘s second homer of the ballgame sure was GRAND. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/8YzEEN1nBa
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) April 28, 2019
On the mound, Ty Madden went six strong innings, giving up just one earned run and scattering six hits in the victory thanks to two crucial double plays during the game.
Things looked like they were going the other way once again when West Virginia pushed across the first run of the game for a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Ford answered right back with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to give the Longhorns a lead they would hold the rest of the way.
Eric Kennedy and Masen Hibbeler were both 2-for-5 with an RBI in the win and Matteo Bocchi gave up just one hit over the final three frames to earn the save.
The Longhorns play a nonconference game at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Whataburger Field, home of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Then Texas is at Kansas for a three-game conference series starting Friday at 6 p.m.
In other baseball news, Bryce Elder was named Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season.
The sophomore righty struck out a career-high 13 in his 7 2/3 innings of work against West Virginia on Friday and had a perfect game through five innings and a no-hitter through two outs in the seventh. His 13 strikeouts were the most by a Longhorn hurler since 2010.
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