SAN ANTONIO ? No. 10 Texas broke open a 5-3 contest with 11 runs over the final three innings and posted a 16-5 victory against UTSA on Tuesday night in front of 2,211 fans at Wolff Stadium.
After the Roadrunners (12-6) plated three runs in their half of the fifth to pull within two, the Longhorns put up a two-spot in the seventh, six more in the eighth and three in the ninth to improve to 13-5 overall.
Preston Clark went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, a triple, five RBIs and four runs scored to lead the top third of the UT order, which went a combined 8-for-15 with nine runs.
Hunter Harris threw two scoreless innings in relief of starter Riley Boening to earn his first win of the season for the Longhorns. Harris allowed just one hit and struck out three in the 32-pitch performance.
UTSA was led by sophomore designated hitter Tim Palincsar's three hits. Junior center fielder Michael Rockett went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double in the fifth, while junior shortstop James Keithley and freshman right fielder Tyler Carpenter added two hits apiece.
Junior southpaw Kris Ruepke dropped to 1-2 after giving up six runs (four earned) on eight hits in six-plus innings. The Adel, Iowa, native walked just one and fanned three.
Boening, meanwhile, just fell short of earning a victory, as he allowed three runs on seven hits in 4.2 frames.
The Longhorns touched up Ruepke for three runs on three hits in the first. UT tacked on two unearned runs in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead, but the Roadrunners responded with a three-spot one inning later to draw within two. However, that would be the closest they would get the rest of the night.
UTSA lead-off hitters reached base in five of the first six innings, but only one ? Carpenter in the fifth ? came around to score. The Roadrunners stranded 10 base runners on the night.
UTSA concludes its current seven-game home stand on Tuesday when it hosts Texas-Pan American in a doubleheader at Roadrunner Field. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. and freshman right-hander Jason Walls (0-0, 2.84 ERA) will get the start in game one (game two starter TBA).