Texas recovered from dropping the opener of its Big 12 series with Kansas, claiming victories on Saturday and Sunday to salvage a 2-1 Big 12 series win.
The Longhorns' pitching staff led the way to a 3-0 win Saturday night, four-hitting a Jayhawks offense that had touched up Texas for seven runs and 15 baserunners on Friday. Parker French moved to 5-1 on the year, earning the win with seven innings of shutout ball, including three strikeouts. Hoby Milner and Corey Knebel combined to sit down the last six Kansas batsmen in order. An Erich Weiss single in the first inning scored the only run the 'Horns would need, after a Mark Payton walk and Taylor Stell sacrifice bunt, but Jacob Felts and Weiss went ahead and drove in two more runs anyway.
Sunday afternoon Kansas staked starter Thomas Taylor to a lead in the first inning, using a hit, walk, hit-by-pitch and balk to plate two runs. The ragtag rally ended Texas starter Dillon Peters' day early, but John Curtiss, Milner and Knebel combined to allow two hits and no runs in eight innings of relief. Milner was credited with the win; he struck out four over 2.1 innings.
Taylor stymied the Texas offense through four, but Stell, Weiss and Jonathan Walsh drove him from the game with a combined four RBIs after Texas loaded the bases on two walks and a single in the fifth. The 'Horns got two unearned runs across in the sixth and a RBI single in the seventh from Brooks Marlow to complete the scoring in a 7-2 victory.
With the two wins, Texas (23-14, 11-4) took a game and a half lead over Texas A&M for second in the Big 12 standings, after the Aggies were swept by Baylor. Texas and Texas A&M will play this upcoming weekend in a three-game set, with two games in Austin.
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