No. 11 Texas completes sweep of Mississippi State with doubleheader wins

The Horns gutted out two more victories in Starkville on Sunday to extend the program’s winning streak to 17 games.

The No. 11 Texas Longhorns made their case as SEC-ready over the weekend in Starkville by completing their sweep of the Mississippi State Bulldogs with victories in the Sunday doubleheader at Dudy Noble Field, winning the first game 5-3 to secure the series and completing the sweep with a 4-1 victory.

Redshirt junior left-hander Luke Harrison struggled with his command in the first game of the doubleheader, walking four and hitting another batter in his 4.0 innings of work. The issues started in the first inning when Harrison loaded the bases with two walks and a single before giving up a run by hitting a batter.

But Harrison had recorded two outs by that point and induced a popup to shortstop the end the inning without any further damage.

Texas battled back in the top of the second inning when junior catcher Rylan Galvan drew a one-out walk before the Horns mounted a two-out rally. Sophomore center fielder Will Gasparino was hit by a pitch prior to doubles by sophomore left fielder Easton Winfield and senior first baseman Kimble Schuessler to score three runs and take the lead.

In the second and third innings, Harrison faced the minimum with the help of a double play in the second. Harrison was working up to 93 miles per hour with his fastball, velocity that has improved significantly since before his Tommy John surgery, and worked around a leadoff single in the fourth to keep the Bulldogs from cutting into the lead.

A leadoff walk in the fifth inning ended the outing for Harrison when head coach Jim Schlossnagle made a call to the bullpen for junior right-hander Ruger Riojas. The UTSA transfer retired the first batter he faced, but a bunt single and a double drove in two runs to tie the game at 3-3. After a four-pitch walk, Riojas bounced back to retire the next two batters and end the inning.

So the seven-inning affair remained tied heading into the decisive frame in which Texas demonstrated its ability to hit with two strikes. Down 0-2, leadoff batter Ethan Mendoza singled into left center, setting up junior right fielder Max Belyeu, who also got down 0-2 before timing up a curveball from Mississippi State reliever Nate Williams that stayed up in the zone, depositing it deep into the right-field stands 413 feet from home plate to take the lead.

Schlossnagle brought on freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis to close out the game. On an 0-2 pitch, Sawyer Reeves lined a ball down the right-field line for what looked like a sure double when Belyeu couldn’t play the ball cleanly. But Reeves lost his footing approaching first base and fell, limiting him to a single.

A defensive change by Schlossnagle paid off in a big way against the next batter, who drove a ball down the left-field line that looked like an RBI double if it stayed fair. The ball did remain in play, but sophomore left fielder Tommy Farmer got his first step right and closed on it with his elite speed, making a sensational diving catch near the foul line to retire Chance and keep Reeves at first base.

Volantis allowed a two-out single to keep Mississippi State’s hopes alive, only to crush them quickly by inducing a weak popup to second base for his third save.

Schlossnagle turned to freshman right-hander Jason Flores for his first weekend start and Flores flashed his upside and also demonstrated his room for improvement by struggling to command his high-level stuff.

Flores walked the leadoff batter in the first and allowed a one-out single to third base, but got out of the inning by fielding his position and starting a double play.

The second inning went more smoothly as Flores retired the side in order, but hit the leadoff batter in the third, allowed a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt, and gave up a run on a single up the middle before closing out the inning with two straight outs.

The run by Mississippi State tied the game because Galvan had hit a solo home run in the second, dropping the barrel on a 1-2 breaker and launching it into the right-field stands, taking advantage of the dimensions of Dudy Noble Field with the 347-foot shot.

Texas went back ahead in the fourth inning when Galvan ripped a one-out double down the left-field line and scored on a single by sophomore third baseman Casey Borba.

In the bottom of the fourth, Borba helped Flores in a shift by showing his middle infielder skills on a double play.

Flores departed after a walk in favor of junior right-hander Max Grubbs, who worked around two hits and two walks in his 3.1 innings of work, securing his fourth save with his scoreless outing.

In the seventh, Texas added two insurance runs on a full-count RBI single by Mendoza and a bases-loaded walk drawn by junior shortstop Jalin Flores.

Texas returns to UFCU Disch-Falk Field to host UTSA on Tuesday before No. 1 LSU comes to Austin for the team’s first SEC weekend home series.