AUSTIN, Texas – No. 22 Texas Baseball blasted Kansas, 12-4, to open the series on Thursday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The Longhorns (37-17, 12-10) pounded out 17 hits, including three home runs.
Pete Hansen pitched six innings and allowed four runs on seven hits, while striking out five batters. He picked up his ninth win of the season to match his win total from last season.
Mitchell Daly went 3-for-5 at the plate with a grand slam and five RBI, while Ivan Melendez was 3-for-5 with a three-run homer.
Kansas got on the board first with a run in the top of the third, hitting three-straight two-out singles to take a 1-0 lead.
Texas got the run right back and more to take a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Hodo started the inning with a double before scoring on an RBI single by Austin Todd to tie the game. With two runners on and one out, Silas Ardoin then drove in two runs with double to right-center field. Daly capped off the inning with a two-out RBI single up the middle.
The Jayhawks scored one run in the top of the fourth to trim the Longhorns lead to 4-2.
No. 22 Texas blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth, using a pair of homers to grab an 11-2 lead. After singles by Trey Faltine and Hodo, Melendez blasted his 27th home run of the season off the batter’s eye in center field. The Longhorns kept the pressure on and loaded the bases with two outs in front Mitchell Daly, who launched a grand slam to left field.
Kansas got two more runs on the board in the top of the sixth, hitting a two-run homer to left field to trim the lead to 11-4.
The Jayhawks threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with one out. Tristan Stevens was called in from the bullpen and got a pair of strikeouts to get the Longhorns out of the jam.
Jared Southard and Aaron Nixon closed out the game with a scoreless inning apiece to finish off the Jayhawks.
