AUSTIN, Texas – No. 4 seed HCU trailed just 2-1 through four innings before five unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth gave the top-seeded Texas Longhorns a 7-1 lead they would hold the rest of the way on Friday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament Austin Regional.
The Huskies (32-24) went down in order in the top of the first and in the bottom half the Longhorns (43-12) put two runners on quickly after a hit batter and a walk. HCU starter
Parker Edwards then induced a ground ball back to the mound that resulted in an out at first but put two runners in scoring position. Texas' Kimble Schuessler then lined out to right and a perfect throw home from
Tevis Payne caught beat the runner home and the tag by catcher
Luke Bard ended the inning.
HCU put a pair of runners on with two infield singles in the second but left both stranded. Following a quick three-and-out by Edwards in the bottom half, the Huskies got their leadoff runner on when
Trevor Roper was hit by the first pitch of the inning.
Kenneth Dutka moved him over with a sacrifice bunt but the inning ended with Roper still on second.
In the bottom of the third, a leadoff walk to Will Gasparino was followed by a stolen base and an infield single to give the Longhorns runners on the corners with nobody out. An Ethan Mendoza groundout to short brought home a run and put UT ahead, 1-0. Another groundout to short moved the runner to third with two outs but a fielding error on a hard-hit ground ball to
Jeremy Rader allowed a second unearned run to come home and put HCU in a 2-0 hole through three.
The Huskies had an answer in the top of the fourth, however, with
Matthew Leiterman looping a single into center with two outs.
Katcher Halligan followed with a loop single to center of his own, moving Leiterman over to third for runners on the corners. Rader then snuck a double down the left field line just inside the bag at third to score Leiterman and get HCU on the board for a 2-1 ballgame.
Texas got its leadoff hitter on in the top of the fifth on an error followed by a single and a stolen base to give the Longhorns two in scoring position with nobody out. Edwards then got a flyout to shallow right followed by a strikeout. Schuessler then lined the first pitch he saw over the shortstop to score two and start a rally that ended with the Longhorns plating five runs for a 7-1 lead through five.
With one out in the sixth,
Luke Bard and Leiterman hit back-to-back singles followed by a walk to Halligan to load the bases. Bard was picked off, however, at third and
Graham Laxton struck out to end the inning and strand two runners.
The Huskies managed just one baserunner over the final three innings.
Edwards was a hard-luck loser on the mound for the Huskies, allowing just one earned run among the seven that scored in his 4.2 innings of work. The senior falls to 3-5 on the year after he allowed seven hits, with just one extra-base hit, while striking out two and walking two.
Nick Ferazzi and
Jack Hamilton threw 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Leiterman led HCU with three hits in four at-bats, scoring the team's one run. Halligan went 2-for-3 with a walk while Bard finished 2-for-4. Rader was 1-for-2 at the plate with the RBI double before leaving the game with an injury in the fifth following a collision at second base on a stolen base attempt.
HCU out-hit the Longhorns, 8-7, in the loss and stranded eight runners.
The Huskies will play in the first elimination game of the regional on Saturday, May 31, at 2:00 p.m. against the loser of No. 2 UTSA vs. No. 3 Kansas State.
