No. 22 Texas suffers 10-7 home loss to UTSA

If a UT satellite school wins a game — does it count as a win for Texas?

Unfortunately, last I checked it does not. That could’ve come in handy on Wednesday, though, after the UTSA Roadrunners defeated the Texas Longhorns 10-7 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The Longhorns held a 6-0 lead in the game until the Roadrunners scored eight runs in the fifth inning to propel the visiting team to their sixth win of the season.

Everything started off well for the Longhorns, as Texas exploded for three runs in the first, and three more in the third.

In the first inning, Texas was able to send nearly the entire order to the plate, with eight Longhorns getting an at bat. The first three Longhorns all reached base, as Duke Ellis, Eric Kennedy, and DJ Petrinsky walked, singled, and walked, respectively, to load the bases with no outs.

Zach Zubia hit into a double play to score Ellis from third while clearing the bases. Texas was able to bounce back and keep the pressure on UTSA with back-to-back two-out RBI singles from Ryan Reynolds and Tate Shaw pushing the Texas lead to 3-0.

A pair of home runs hit in the third inning ended up doubling the lead. Zubia led the inning with a solo line drive home run to left field, his second home run of the season. Following a Ryan Reynolds double to right field, Shaw added his second and third RBIs of the day with his first home run of the season.

With all going well for the Horns, the Roadrunners catapulted themselves back in front with an eight-run inning in the top of the fifth.

Spotty pitching all night finally got to the Horns. True freshman Owen Meaney got the start for Texas in this game, and he got the Longhorns to the fourth inning with a 6-0 lead.

Jack Neely started the fourth inning, but immediately issued two walks to force David Pierce to make a change on the mound. Pierce called upon Nico O’Donnell to get out of the jam, and that he did, as O’Donnell was able to work out of a bases-loaded mess to escape the fourth inning with the 6-0 lead intact.

However, O’Donnell wasn’t so lucky his next time out. After allowing a walk, single, walk, double, and a single to start the inning, O’Donnell was pulled without retiring any of the five batters he faced. He was eventually charged with five earned runs.

Beau Ridgeway replaced O’Donnell and continued his struggles. A full-count walk started his evening before he committed a throwing error to first that allowed a runner to score. A Reynolds error allowed another run. Ridgeway eventually recorded two outs, but both were via sacrifices that scored runs. Eventually, after giving up three unearned runs, Ridgeway was pulled for Cole Quintanilla, who got a strikeout to end the inning.

The Roadrunners added two more runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Texas added one more run in the bottom of the ninth — an RBI single from Reynolds that scored Kennedy. Unfortunately, the comeback was short lived, as UTSA was able to close out the game from there for the 10-7 victory.

Texas will look to regroup this weekend with a three game series against No. 2 LSU. The series is set to start on Friday at 6:30 pm. Central at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.