AUSTIN, Texas – Freshman Bryson Walker threw six hard innings for the University of the Incarnate Word baseball team, but early executed small-ball and a pair of homeruns catapulted the No. 9 Texas Longhorns to a 10-1 win on Tuesday night in non-conference action.
Walker scattered seven hits against 28 batters faced with two strikeouts in his second career start for the Cardinals. Ridge Rogers extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the fourth inning for the Cardinals' first hit of the contest and Grant Smith added to his five-game hit streak as both Rogers and Smith led the offense, going 2-for-4.
The Longhorns (15-6, 2-1 Big 12) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead after two innings. Texas laid down back-to-back bunt singles to start the night in the bottom of the first inning before back-to-back sacrifice flyouts scored both runners on base. The second inning saw Texas rattle off a single, a double and a two-RBI single to make it a 4-0 game before Walker got two pop flies to end the inning.
UIW (8-6, 5-3 SLC) had a scoring chance in the top of the third inning as Smith singled for a leadoff hit. After a Trent Koerner strikeout, Landon Etzel singled for the Cardinals to get runners on first and second. But a grounder to short and a strikeout ended the threat.
Walker settled in after the first four runs, retiring seven of the next nine Longhorn hitters including a 1-2-3 third inning. The 'Horns added another run in the fourth inning after back-to-back one-out walks and a wild pitch had runners on second and third with two outs. Douglas Hondo III hit a hard infield chopper to third base to score Witt from third before Walker got out of the inning with a flyout to right field.
Walker came back out for the top of the fifth inning, retired the Texas batters in order and got a pop fly for the first out in the top of the sixth inning before giving up a single that cut just under the diving glove of Taylor Darden at third base. Looking to get out of the inning, Walker got another strikeout for the second out, but a two-run home run by Dylan Campbell stretched the Longhorns' lead to 7-0.
The Cardinals were able to get a run across in the top of the seventh after Zach Limas reached base on a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line and Smith followed up with a single through the infield to left field. Longhorns' pitcher Palmer Wentzel posted back-to-back strikeouts before Jordan McFarland ripped an RBI double to the right field wall that scored Limas easily. Wentzel induced another UIW strikeout to end the bottom of the seventh.
With runners on the corners in the eighth inning, Peter Geib got ahold of a Cole Beddingfield fastball for a three-run homerun to take the 10-1 lead.
Down to their final three outs, Smith grounded out to shortstop and Devon De Leon hit a deep double to centerfield but was stranded as two pop flies ended the game.
The Cardinals used just three true freshman pitchers on the mound against the No. 9 team in the country. With Walker, Jaren Warwick getting two strikeouts in one inning of work and Beddingfield also throwing two strikeouts in his first action of the season.
ON DECK
The Cardinals return to Sullivan Field for a four-game Southland Conference weekend series against Central Arkansas. First pitch for the Friday night, game one, is set for 6:30 p.m.
FAN INVOLVEMENT
Join Cardinals Club today! Email UIW Baseball Director of Operations, Maddy Jordan (majorda1@uiwtx.edu) for more information.
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