Texas catcher Rylan Galvan stands at bat with Mercer during an NCAA baseball game Wednesday, March 8, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Stephen Spielman)
AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 24 Texas had 20 hits, including two grand slams, to defeat No. 17 Texas Tech 22-8 in the Big 12 Conference opener Friday in Lubbock. .
Freshman center fielder Will Gasparino hit a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning, clinching the Longhorns' big win. Max Bellew hit a three-run home run in the first inning, helping the Longhorns quickly build a 4-0 lead, and Porter Brown hit three more runs in the fourth. Texas (8-5, 1-0 Big 12) scored seven runs on target, and he added five more in the fifth to give him a 16-5 lead. After Jared Thomas hit a double and drove in a run, Rylan Galvan hit a grand slam in the fifth inning.
More than a score: Stay up to date on sports articles like this and sign up for our sports newsletter, More than a score, at kxan.com/newsletters.
Gasparino had five hits, including two doubles that led to grand slams, and was a huge breakthrough for the Longhorns. Peyton Powell had four hits, and Brown, Galvan and Bellew each had two hits. Brown and Galvan each had five RBIs, and Jarrin Flores also had two hits.
Ace Whitehead got the win in relief of LeBaron Johnson Jr. Whitehead pitched 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven, walking two, and allowing three earned runs on five hits. Johnson was retired in the fifth inning, but had a lackluster performance with six walks and two wild pitches. He allowed four earned runs on three hits and three strikeouts.
Texas Tech (10-3, 0-1) hit just .133 with six pitchers and runners in scoring position. Texas hit .391 with runners in scoring position.
The teams will continue their series Saturday at 2 p.m.
