No. 3 Texas clinches SEC regular-season title with comeback 7-4 win over Oklahoma

Max Belyeu hit the go-ahead home run in the ninth to key the Horns in his return from injury.

The historic start to SEC play for the No. 3 Texas Longhorns was enough to overcome a 1-5 stretch over the last two weeks to set up first-year head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s team to secure the regular-season conference title with a win over the Oklahoma Sooners this weekend in Norman.

That’s exactly what the Longhorns produced in the Red River Showdown on Thursday with a thrilling 7-4 comeback victory over the Sooners at L. Dale Mitchell Park behind a go-ahead three-run home run from junior right fielder Max Belyeu in his return from injury after missing 26 games with a fractured thumb.

When No. 17 Tennessee pulled out a 10-7 win over No. 8 Arkansas in Fayetteville, Texas secured the conference title outright, earning the No. 1 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament.

Starting sophomore left-hander Kade Bing against Oklahoma ace Kyson Witherspoon to preserve the normal rest for the other two Texas starters, the Longhorns were just hoping to hang around long enough to pull it out late.

So Schlossnagle wasn’t expecting a lot of length from Bing, the junior college transfer who was making his first conference start for the Horns.

Bing worked 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with a walk, a hit by pitch, and a wild pitch. Oklahoma made the Texas starter pay for the hit by pitch and the wild pitch, scoring a run in the first inning when Bing hit the leadoff batter on a full count, allowed a two-out single up the middle, and threw the wild pitch to allow the runner on third to score.

The only other damage against Bing came on a solo home run in the third inning after the Longhorns tied the game. Bing was able to record two more outs in that inning before giving way to junior right-hander Grayson Saunier.

The Ole Miss transfer has emerged as a viable weekend option out of the bullpen to keep games close when Texas trails and came through on Thursday, allowing one run on one hit with one hit batter in 3.1 innings.

As with Bing, the hit batter came back to haunt Saunier — after plunking the leadoff batter, a two-out double made it 2-1 in favor of the Sooners.

The trademark patient approach at the plate by Texas didn’t pay off until the seventh inning as Witherspoon began to tire, allowing a leadoff double to freshman second baseman Adrian Rodriguez on a grinding 10-pitch at bat that featured five two-strike pitches fouled off by Rodriguez before he laced the double into right field, hustling to stretch it.

Witherspoon departed after a one-out walk issued to sophomore third baseman Casey Borba as the Longhorns managed to get into the Sooners bullpen before the entrance of closer Dylan Crooks. James Hitt only lasted one batter, issuing a walk to pinch hitter Will Gasparino. Jason Bodin didn’t have any more success, giving up a two-run single to sophomore outfielder Tommy Farmer that tied the game at 3-3.

With sophomore right-hander Thomas Burns serving as the bridge to freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis, Texas took a one-run lead in the eighth when junior catcher Rylan Galvan singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, scoring on a one-out single by senior first baseman Kimble Schuessler through the right side.

Volantis wasn’t able to hold the lead in the bottom of the inning as Oklahoma put together some good at bats and the lanky closer missed with some pitches, allowing a one-out walk, hitting the next batter, and then giving up the game-tying single on a 1-2 pitch.

But in the ninth, Texas was able to produce an unexpected result — getting to Crooks. After a near double down the line, Farmer battled to produce a full-count double to lead off and sophomore designated hitter Ethan Mendoza reached on a throwing error by the Oklahoma second baseman.

Belyeu wasted little time after showing some rust with strikeouts in his first three at bats, ambushing a first-pitch fastball from Crooks in the zone, launching a 418-foot home run to center field at 106 miles per hour off the bat to take the lead once again.

Volantis was a little bit more crips in the ninth, working around a one-out walk to secure his fourth victory of the season, although he needed 47 pitches to get through two innings.

It was reasonable price to pay for securing the conference title in Texas’ first season in the SEC.

Rodriguez finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, and hit by pitch as the bottom of the order keyed the Longhorns until Belyeu came through big in the ninth. Along with Rodriguez, Farmer was a catalyst in a 3-for-4 performance with two runs scored and two RBI.

Looking to secure the series, the Horns take the field in Norman at 6:30 p.m. Central on Friday with SEC Network+ handling the broadcast as junior right-hander Ruger Riojas receives the start.