| Sophomore Michael Rockett hit his first career grand slam on Tuesday night. |
AUSTIN – UTSA tied its season high with three home runs, including a grand slam by sophomore Michael Rockett, but No. 6 Texas clubbed two long balls of its own and held on for a 14-9 victory on Tuesday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The loss ended the Roadrunners’ season-high seven-game winning streak and they fell to 17-12 on the year. The Longhorns won for the 13th time in their last 15 contests and improved to 26-9 overall.
UTSA jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the third, but Texas exploded for seven runs on six hits, including Bradley Suttle’s grand slam off Roadrunners starter Blake Brannon, to take a 7-4 lead. The Longhorns added two more tallies in the fourth and another one inning later for a 10-4 advantage.
The Roadrunners pulled with one at 10-9 with a five-run seventh. Senior Mitch Ponza led off the frame with his second home run of the season and, after UTSA loaded the bases with one out, Rockett delivered his second homer of the year and his first career grand slam off UT reliever Austin Wood.
However, the Longhorns responded with two runs in both the seventh and eighth to secure the five-run victory.
Hunter Harris (2-0), who allowed three runs on six hits in three innings of relief of starter Kyle Walker, picked up the win for Texas. Walker lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up four runs on four hits.
Rockett finished the night 2-for-5 with a career-high five RBIs, while sophomore James Keithley was 3-for-5 to extend his career-best hitting streak to 17 games. Redshirt freshman Tim Palincsar added a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to nine games and junior Zach Etheredge left the yard for the sixth time in the last 12 games with a solo shot in the second.
Brannon (1-4), making his first start since March 18, retired six of the first batters he faced but gave up all seven runs in the second to take the loss. He went just 2.1 innings, allowing six hits and walking two.
Kyle Russell hit his NCAA-leading 18th home run of the year in the fourth for the Longhorns.
The Roadrunners return to Southland Conference play on Thursday when they head to the Metroplex for a three-game series at Texas-Arlington (9-22, 0-9 SLC). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Clay Gould Ballpark.