Four Longhorns’ pitchers combined to allow just four hits as No. 10 Texas posted a 3-2 victory over Baylor in Big 12 Conference baseball action Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The triumph marked win No. 1,600 for UT head coach Augie Garrido as he became the first Division I coach to ever reach the mark. He is also only one of two collegiate coaches on any level to reach the milestone joining Gordie Gillespie who has won over 1,700 games at Lewis, Ripon and St. Francis (Ill.).
James Russell (4-2) yielded just two unearned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four Bears over 6.2 innings to earn the win. Pat McCrory, Keith Shinaberry and Randy Boone combined to pitch 2.1 innings of perfect relief with four strikeouts. McCrory retired the only batter he faced and Shinaberry and Boone had identical lines striking out two each over their hitless innings. Boone picked up his fifth save of the season.
The Bears pounced on the Longhorns with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Ben Booker reached base on a throwing error by UT shortstop Josh Prince to start out the inning. A single by Beamer Weems, who advanced to second base on the throw, put runners at second and third. Aaron Miller plated Booker with a groundout to second base and Tim Jackson drove in Weems with a sacrifice fly, staking the Bears to a 2-0 lead.
Russell hit his 10th home run of the season over the rightfield fence in the fourth inning to shave the Baylor lead to 2-1.
Texas took the lead in the fifth inning. With one out, Travis Tucker reached on an infield single and moved to third on a mishandled pickoff attempt. Chance Wheeless hit a sacrifice fly to score Tucker with the tying run. Jordan Danks followed with a solo home run down the rightfield line to put the Longhorns ahead 3-2.
Baylor was threatening to score in the seventh inning as Jeff Russell was cruising on the mound before issuing a two-out walk to Chase Gerdes and a double to Matt Sodolak, but McCrory entered the game and retired Raynor Campbell with a groundout to get out of the jam.
Jeff Mandell (2-4) was saddled with the loss for Baylor. He allowed three runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three Longhorns over 6.1 innings.
Wheeless and Russell Moldenhauer had two hits apiece for Texas.
The series moves to Waco for game two on Saturday. First pitch at Baylor Ballpark is slated for 6:30 p.m.
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