Texas baseball walks away with series win over Vanderbilt

The Commodores tied the game with two outs in the eighth with a Rustan Rigdon double against Texas reliever Sam Cozart, but the big right-hander locked up the home team after that. Cozart stranded the winning run at third base in the ninth, and then struck out the side in the 10th to preserve the win.

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The final half-inning didn’t come without drama, however. Cozart allowed a single, hit a batter and was then called for a balk to put the winning run in scoring position. He struck out the final two batters to stop the roller coaster and get the Longhorns out of Music City with the series.

Vanderbilt reliever Tyler Baird plunked Carson Tinney and walked Anthony Pack Jr. in the top half of the 10th. Commodores manager Tim Corbin went to the bullpen for Jacob Faulkner, who recorded two quick outs and looked like he’d get his team out of the jam. Faulkner then hit Callum Early to load the bases, and then walked Temo Becerra on four pitches for the Longhorns’ go-ahead run.

Vanderbilt outhit Texas 8-5, but the Longhorns capitalized on seven walks and four hit batters by eight Commodore pitchers. Ethan Mendoza hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth to give Texas a 3-2 lead after Vanderbilt walked two to load the bases.

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Adrian Rodriguez drove in Pack with a double in the fourth for the Longhorns, and then Mendoza smacked a single up the middle to plate Rodriguez to tie the game at 2-2.

Texas starting pitcher Luke Harrison struck out seven and walked one in 4.1 innings. He allowed two runs on four hits in 82 pitches before Brett Crossland came in.

On Saturday, Tinney and Pack had four of the Longhorns’ five hits, and the Longhorns struck out 14 times. Starting pitcher Ruger Riojas got roughed up for five runs on eight hits in three innings.

Aiden Robbins smashed two home runs, and Rodriguez hit his first homer of the season Friday. Texas had 14 hits in the opener, and Rodriguez had three. Robbins, Tinney and Pack each had two.

Starting pitcher Dylan Volantis struck out 11 in six innings, allowing one run on four hits in an outstanding performance.

Texas begins a 5-game homestand Tuesday against Sam Houston, and then hosts Mississippi State for a 3-game SEC tilt that starts Friday.

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