FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 6 Texas Baseball launched three homers in the first three innings and blasted No. 3 TCU 9-3 to clinch the series over the Horned Frogs on Sunday at Lupton Stadium.
The Longhorns (38-12, 13-5) started the day with a barrage of home runs to stake Pete Hansen to an early lead, and he did not let go of it. Hansen pitched seven two-hit shutout innings with four strikeouts and improved to 6-1 on the season. The lefthander was able to coax three groundball double plays in the game.
Zach Zubia had a tremendous day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two homers and four RBI. The two-homer game was the second of his career after he hit two out at LSU in 2018.
Cam Williams finished 2-for-3 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored, while Faltine went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored.
Zubia launched Texas into a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a no-doubt solo homer to left field. Williams then extended the lead to 3-0 in the second inning, lifting a two-run opposite-field homer to left field.
Zubia sent his second homer of the day to right field to make the score 4-0 in the top of the third inning.
Ivan Melendez made the lead 5-0 in the fifth inning, driving in Mike Antico with an RBI single to center field.
Texas exploded for four more runs in the sixth and batted around in the inning to make the score 9-0. Douglas Hodo III singled to start the inning and then moved all the way to third when Trey Faltine reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Cam Williams then delivered an RBI single to right field to drive in Hodo.
After a pitching change, Mike Antico walked to load the bases before Mitchell Daly worked an RBI walk. With the bases still loaded, Zubia drove in his third and fourth runs of the game with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.
Cole Quintanilla came out of the bullpen with two runners on and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth but was able to get three fly ball outs to end the threat.
TCU scored three runs in the top of the ninth off of reliever Drew Shifflet before Aaron Nixon came to mound and finished the game with two strikeouts and a ground out.
Texas returns to UFCU Disch-Falk Field for its final five regular season games, starting against Texas Southern on Tuesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m.