Red-hot Rowan Kelly came to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance to extend the Gauchos season, but a thrilling comeback was not to be.

The UC Santa Barbara baseball team battled to the end, but fell to host Texas 6-4 in the Austin Regional final on Sunday afternoon.

“I think our guys gave a really good effort,” Checketts said. “Kellan’s start was outstanding, set the tone for us, gave us a shot. We came up short against a very good baseball team.” 

UC Santa Barbara (40-20) held the lead through six innings behind a strong start from pitcher Kellan Montgomery and continued offensive production from Kelly. However, Texas (43-13), the tournament’s No. 6 national seed, scored four runs over the final three innings to secure the victory and advance.

Montgomery, a Santa Barbara native, delivered one of his strongest outings of the season. The right-hander retired the Longhorns in order in the first inning and held Texas scoreless through five innings while allowing only a handful of baserunners. Kelly provided early offense with a solo home run in the first inning, his second home run of the day after homering earlier against Tarleton State.

“I think just trusting myself and the guys behind me. The last couple outings haven’t really been what I wanted, so just not making it anything bigger than it is,” Montgomery said. “This is my first time in playoff baseball, so I’m just trying to enjoy every moment with a really special group. It was just trusting myself and the seven guys behind me.” 

Texas broke through in the sixth inning, loading the bases before a sacrifice fly by Adrian Rodriguez and a two-out single by Ethan Mendoza drove in two runs and gave the Longhorns their first lead of the game at 2-1. Relief pitcher Van Froling entered and recorded the final out of the inning.

The Gauchos responded immediately in the bottom half. Consecutive walks by Liam Barrett and Kelly set the stage for a sacrifice bunt attempt by William Vasseur that resulted in multiple Texas throwing errors. Barrett scored on the initial errant throw, while Kelly later crossed the plate after another misplay, giving UC Santa Barbara a 3-2 advantage.

Texas regained control in the seventh inning. After a runner’s lane interference call erased a potential scoring play, Aiden Robbins hit a two-run home run four pitches later to move the Longhorns back in front. Texas added two more runs in the eighth, including one on an RBI double and another following a failed pickoff attempt, extending its lead to 6-3.

UC Santa Barbara narrowed the deficit in the bottom of the eighth. Kelly doubled off the top of the left-field wall and later scored as the Gauchos cut the lead to two runs. The inning ended with the potential go-ahead run still at the plate.

The Gauchos mounted one final threat in the ninth. Xavier Esquer and Cole Kosciusko opened the inning with singles, and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs. Kelly came to the plate with the tying run in scoring position, prompting Texas to make a pitching change.But Longhorn starting pitcher Luke Harrison made a rare relief appearance to record the final out and preserve the victory.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) received a $10,000 donation and 30 pet beds on Thursday.

The donation was from Robert Thiele, an Amazon delivery driver and owner of Clark Courier Services, which was named in honor of his late bulldog, Clark, who passed away this spring after a battle with cancer.

“I named Clark Courier Services after Clark because just like our drivers, he delivered smiles every single day. In a world full of best friends, Clark was the bestest,” said Thiele.

According to Amazon, the donated pet beds were given a second life through Amazon Re:Turn, which repurposes textiles from customer returns that could not be resold or donated.

As a surprise for Thiele, APA! unveiled memorial plaques dedicated to Clark on shelter kennels, which were inscribed with his name and the words “forever delivering.”

“Our Delivery Service Partners are local, small business owners embedded in the communities they serve. Robert’s been delivering in Austin for nearly seven years, and he’s not just moving packages. He’s showing up for the people, the pets, and the neighborhoods around him. That’s what this program is about,” said Emma Crowley, Amazon spokesperson. “Today, we got to give a little back to someone who has and will continue to give so much to others.”

Almost one year ago today, the Texas Longhorns found themselves in the losers’ bracket of their own regional, falling to the No. 3 seed UTSA Roadrunners in the 2025 Austin Regional. 

For just a brief moment, it looked as if history was going to repeat itself once again, as the No. 3-seeded Tarleton State Texans got another chance at an upset, beating the Longhorns back in the regular season, 6-1, at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. 

But today, history was not going to repeat itself — the team that the Texans saw in the regular season was a different animal than the iteration in the winners’ bracket. Under another furious day at the plate for Texas, and an outstanding night on the mound for Dylan Volantis, Texas was not going to fall into the losers’ bracket for a second consecutive year. 

“Obviously that guy on the mound, he’s one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in college baseball for a reason,” said Tarleton State head coach Fuller Smith about Volantis. “We didn’t do a very good job, and I don’t know if we would beat anybody tonight, to be honest.” 

Longhorns Look Unstoppable 

If the past two days proved anything, Texas is playing its best baseball at the most crucial time of the season — in all three fronts of the game. 

After a poor showing in the Southeastern Conference tournament by the Longhorns’ top three hitters. Aiden Robbins, Carson Tinney, and Anthony Pack Jr. have carried the brunt of the Texas offense in the postseason. 

In the second inning alone, the trio rocketed three straight home runs to put the Texans down an early 6-0 hole, a deficit they would not come out of. 

“I remember when I stepped on home plate [Anthony] Pack Jr. greeted me at home,” Tinney said.  I looked at him, I was like, ‘It’s your turn now.’ And then two pitches later, he sent one out.”

Defensively, the Longhorns’ outfield, which struggled trying to find the right combination, has finally found the right grouping in Robbins, Pack Jr., and Dariyan Pendergrass. 

Robbins and Pendergrass both were able to come up with deep fly ball grabs in the past two games. In the infield, missing core member Ethan Mendoza at second base, nonetheless, has yet to skip a beat. 

“Pendergrass is a pretty veteran player, he’s been around the block a few times in college baseball,” Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Aiden has been a great teammate — Pack [Jr.] has improved greatly over the course of time.” 

However, the real star of the regional so far has been the dominance on the mound from starters Luke Harrison and Volantis. 

In the regional defining game, Volantis had no issue tossing up the Tarleton State order, who found great success against UC-Santa Barbara in the opening game. The sophomore pitcher lasted 6.2 innings, tossing seven strikeouts and allowing just three hits on the night. 

With the giant lead by the time Volantis was pulled in the sixth inning, the Longhorns still have not used any of their premier relief arms in this regional. 

“Those two innings were definitely helpful [in the SEC Tournament],” Volnatis said. “I definitely could have done the same without those two innings today.” 

Texas now awaits a third rematch with Tarleton State or UC Santa Barbara and will not have to face either of their premier arms — notably Guachos pitcher Jackson Flora, a surefire first-round selection in this year’s MLB Draft. 

The Longhorns will roll with Ruger Riojas tomorrow night and likely unload its best arms who have not seen action since the final regular season series against Missouri to seal up their first regional victory in three seasons. 

“It’s always good to stay in the winner’s bracket and avoid those moments, but we haven’t won anything yet. We won two games,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m certainly excited about how we played to this point and yes, I’m glad we don’t have to play two tomorrow, but the tournament’s not over.” 

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Advertisement

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow