Borba blasts Texas past Kansas State, into regional final against UTSA
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s still an uphill battle for the Texas Longhorns if they want to get to Omaha.
No. 2 Texas beat Kansas State 15-8 in an elimination game Sunday during the Austin regional of the NCAA tournament, and now, the Longhorns have to beat UTSA twice to advance to the super regionals. The first game starts at 7:06 p.m. Sunday from UFCU Disch-Falk Field, with a second game Monday if the Longhorns win.
Texas lost to the Roadrunners 9-7 on Saturday, giving the American Athletic Conference regular season champions a big advantage, needing to win just once Sunday to advance.
Texas third baseman Casey Borba had a monster game against the Wildcats, smashing two home runs and driving in a career-high eight runs on his way to a 4-for-5 day. Borba hit a grand slam in the first inning and a 3-run homer in the third. He drove in another run with a single in the sixth.
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Max Belyeu hit a 2-run home run in the first as part of a 6-run inning, giving starting pitcher Ruger Riojas a 6-0 lead before taking the mound. Kansas State’s Seth Dardar cut the early lead in half after belting a 3-run home run in the bottom half of the frame.
Riojas settled down after that and kept the Wildcats off the board until the seventh inning. Texas built a 14-3 lead after six innings. Ethan Mendoza and Kimble Schuessler each had three hits for the Longhorns.
With the potential matchup against UTSA, it was important that Riojas pitch as far into the game as possible to save the Texas bullpen, and he did so. Riojas pitched 7.1 innings with six strikeouts and two walks before Cody Howard took over and finished the game.
Hudson Hamilton will start for the Longhorns opposite Gunnar Brown in tonight’s regional final. If the Roadrunners win, Texas will be yet another national seed eliminated in the regional round. No. 1 Vanderbilt, No. 7 Georgia, No. 11 Clemson and No. 12 Oregon have already been bounced from the tournament. Miami could eliminate No. 16 Southern Miss with a win Sunday night, and No. 8 Oregon State is in an elimination game against St. Mary’s. No. 10 Ole Miss survived Georgia Tech, but the Rebels will have to beat Murray State twice to advance.
