Texas baseball shuts out Incarnate Word, 9-0

Texas entered Tuesday night’s game against Incarnate Word looking to avenge a 2-3 loss to the Cardinals back on March 26.

Things haven’t been pretty for the Longhorns since that mid-week loss, but they got the job done on Tuesday night and for a team that hasn’t had a whole lot of things go their way lately, that’s a positive.

Things got off to a bit of a slow start, but luckily Texas starting pitcher Coy Cobb was locked in from the get go.

Lance Ford got the Longhorns on the board in the fourth inning with a two-out single through the left side, plating Tate Shaw.

Following the RBI single, Masen Hibbeler worked a walk to load the bases for Eric Kennedy. Kennedy laced a two-RBI base hit to the gap in left bringing home Lance Ford and Caston Peter, giving the Longhorns a 3-0 lead.

The three-run lead was plenty for Coy Cobb, who fired six complete shutout innings before being relieved by Tristan Stevens. Stevens needed just seven pitches to make it through the seventh inning.

Cobb: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 HBP, 90 pitches

The Longhorns tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh as Austin Todd and Tate Shaw both added RBI singles to the box score, increasing the Texas lead to 5-0.

Kam Fields took the mound for the eighth inning and promptly continued the scoreless inning streak from the Longhorns pitching staff. Duke Ellis gave Texas an insurance run in the home half of the eighth, driving in Kennedy on a single to left. Ellis swiped second to move to a perfect 15-15 on stolen base attempts this season.

After an Austin Todd walk, Zach Zubia doubled to center, allowing Ellis to tack on yet another insurance run in the inning stretching lead now to 7-0.

And just in case a seven-run lead wasn’t enough, Ryan Reynolds added a double of his own, scoring both Bryce Reagan (running for Zubia) and Austin Todd.

One way to make sure the bullpen can’t blow the game is to give yourselves a nine-run cushion heading into the final half inning.

Just one day removed from his birthday, Cole Quintanilla entered the game and locked up the shutout victory for the Longhorns.

Needing every once of momentum heading into this weekends series against Oklahoma, this was a near perfect game for the Horns.

Game one is scheduled for Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. CST and can be seen on LHN.