No. 5 Texas powers past No. 3 Georgia, 5-1

Against the nation’s most powerful team, the Horns came up with the big swings against a single solo home run by the Bulldogs.

Short-handed without sluggers Max Belyeu and Adrian Rodriguez, the No. 5 Texas Longhorns showed some grit and some pop by slugging two two-run home runs in a 5-1 win over the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on Friday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Georgia entered the game as the nation’s leader in home runs and second in runs scored, but Texas senior left-hander Jared Spencer dominated the Bulldogs lineup in his longest outing with the Longhorns by three batters, five outs, and 15 pitches, allowing a single home run among two hits while striking out 11 and working around four walks.

It was also the longest outing of Spencer’s career by all of those same metrics as the Indiana State transfer demonstrates his growth as the ace of the Texas staff in his Friday night role.

The standing ovation Spencer received from the home crowd as he departed in the eighth inning after issuing consecutive full-count walks with two outs was surely a highlight of his baseball career so far and, considering the opponent, a potential foreshadowing of what Spencer could achieve this year for the Longhorns through the rest of conference play and into a postseason that could include a top-eight national seed.

Texas only managed five hits, but made its baserunners count.

In the fourth inning, junior catcher Rylan Galvan opened the frame with the first hit for the Longhorns, a single to left field, then stole second and third with one out before scoring on a double down the left-field line by senior first baseman Kimble Schuessler on a hanging 1-2 breaking ball.

Texas consolidated the momentum quickly when sophomore third baseman Casey Borba leaned into a 2-1 pitch up and out over the plate for a two-run home run into the visiting bullpen in left field.

A double by Longhorns sophomore designated hitter Jaquae Stewart forced the Bulldogs starter from the game and Texas was able to draw a one-out walk and a two-out walk to load the bases, but junior shortstop Jalin Flores struck out swinging to leave three runners stranded.

Fortunately, the missed opportunity didn’t come back to haunt the Horns because of Spencer’s brilliance and a leadoff walk in the fifth drawn by Galvan that set up the second two-run home run of the game for Texas, this time by sophomore center fielder Will Gasparino.

At 108 miles per hour off the bat, the 391-foot home run by Gasparino came on an 0-2 breaking ball framed as high and inside on the lanky slugger was out and over the plate instead. Gasparino didn’t miss, slamming his seventh home run in the last six games.

Head coach Jim Schlossnagle’s emphasis on working deep in counts was illustrated even without scoring any more runs in the inning when Schuessler worked a 10-pitch, full-count walk, Borba struck out swinging on the seventh pitch of his at bat, and sophomore right fielder Tommy Farmer drew a two-out walk.

Georgia was able to escape further damage once again by striking out junior right fielder Jayden Duplantier. At the plate, though, the Bulldogs were only able to take advantage of a bad changeup thrown by Spencer that resulted in a solo home run in the seventh inning and couldn’t get to Longhorns freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis, flashing his trademark calm and poise on the mound in securing his seventh save by recording the final four outs, erasing a leadoff single in the ninth by inducing a game-ending double play.

Texas goes for the series win on Saturday at 2 p.m. Central on SEC Network+.