Inside Texas Today: Longhorn baseball escapes San Marcos with 9-8 win over Texas State
Welcome to Inside Texas Today! Each weekday morning, Inside Texas Today will provide the latest news and notes from around the Forty Acres, including notable events, player honors, and where to watch Longhorn sports that day.
Here’s the Wednesday, March 9, 2022 edition.
[Subscribe to Inside Texas today and get a FREE 7-day Plus trial!]
Longhorns battle back to take first game of midweek series with Bobcats
With the wind swirling in San Marcos and Bobcat Ballpark packed with 3283, Texas survived a six-run onslaught from Texas State in the bottom of the third with a six-run rally of their own in the top of the fourth, capped by an Ivan Melendez home run. Texas prevailed 9-8 despite Texas State loading the bases in the top of the ninth. Aaron Nixon walked three in the final half-inning but struck out Ben McLain to earn the save of Texas’ 12th win.
Coy Cobb earned the win, his first since a May 14, 2019 start against Incarnate Word. He pitched 0.2 innings and allowed one hit in relief of Andre Duplantier.
Texas scored two in the top of the second when Trey Faltine hit his third home run of the year, a two-run shot to left field. The Longhorns added one more in the top of the third when Melendez scored Douglas Hodo III with a sacrifice fly. In the bottom half of the inning, the Bobcats scored six. John Wuthrich led off with a solo homer, then with two on and nobody out Wesley Fiason singled to left.
Eric Kennedy couldn’t field it cleanly, allowing a runner to score. Two batters later with the bases loaded, Daylan Pena knocked a grand slam to left to put an exclamation point on a six-run frame. Duplantier retired the next three hitters, and the Longhorns entered the bottom of the fourth down 6-3.
Texas worked quickly to retake the lead. Faltine knocked a single to right to score two. Mitchell Daly followed Faltine with an RBI single of his own to bring in two more. Two batters later, Kennedy’s single scored one and brought Melendez to the plate.
The Hispanic Titanic crushed a ball for a three-run home run, giving Texas the lead back. The Bobcats trimmed the deficit by one run in the following inning against Cobb, though the run was charged to Duplantier.
Pena made it 9-8 with a groundout that scored one in the eighth. Even though Nixon had control issues in the ninth, the McAllen native stranded the bases loaded to send Texas back up IH-35 with the win.
One other notable play happened in the Texas fourth. After a leadoff single, senior Austin Todd dove back to first after a pickoff attempt. He then left the game after injuring his right shoulder on the dive. Last season, Todd tore the labrum in his right shoulder diving back to second base and missed the rest of the year.
Top 10
- 1Trending
8th year Cam Rising?
Utah QB could take medical redshirt for 8th season
- 2New
CBB AP Poll
Preseason College Basketball AP Poll Top 25 released
- 3
Graham Mertz injury
Florida QB expected to miss remainder of season with knee injury
- 4
Traeshon Holden apology
Oregon WR pens apology after spitting ejection
- 5
AP Poll Top 25
Top 10 shakeup in AP Poll
Cobb, Nixon, and Luke Harrison combined for 2.2 innings of shutout baseball in relief. Travis Sthele worked two innings, allowing an earned run on two hits.
Texas and Texas State will play the second game of their double midweek tomorrow at UFCU Disch-Falk Field with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m.
Texas viewing for 3/9
Men’s swimming and diving – NCAA Zone D Diving Championships – Madison, Wis. – Soderholm Family Aquatic Center – 3:15 p.m. – B1G+/Video
Women’s swimming and diving – NCAA Zone D Diving Championships – Madison, Wis. – Soderholm Family Aquatic Center – 11 a.m. – B1G+/Video
Men’s tennis – at Texas A&M – College Station, Texas – George P. Mitchell Tennis Center – 6 p.m. – Video
Softball – at North Texas – Denton, Texas – Lovelace Stadium – 6 p.m. – ESPN+
Baseball – Texas State – Austin, Texas – UFCU Disch-Falk Field – 6:30 p.m. – Longhorn Network
