No. 1 Texas sweeps Texas A&M, 6-5 with comeback win

This team just finds way to win.

For the third straight game, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns were only separated from the Texas A&M Aggies by one run in a 6-5 comeback victory on Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field to sweep the series for the fifth time in SEC play.

Moving to 19-2 in conference, the Longhorns have a five-game lead over the Razorbacks, next week’s opponent in Fayetteville, thanks to a go-ahead, wind-aided home run in the eighth inning by freshman left fielder Adrian Rodriguez.

With the wind blowing out of the south at 14 miles per hour, Rodriguez put the ball into the jet stream at 46 degrees off the bat and it cleared the 340-foot wall down the left-field line, traveling just 345 feet.

The big fly from Rodriguez capped a day of comebacks for Texas, which fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and 4-2 in the fourth inning.

Texas A&M jumped out to a quick lead by capitalizing on poor command from Texas freshman right-hander Jason Flores in his second weekend start. Flores has had trouble with hitting batters, entering the game with 11 on the season in 28.0 innings, but had only walked four. That streak ended on Sunday when Flores issued two one-out walks on only nine pitches.

The “dominate the zone” approach by Longhorns pitching coach Max Weiner was put into perspective when Flores allowed a double and a single as the Aggies took a 2-0 lead before Flores responded with two strikeouts.

The big freshman departed the game without recording an out in the second inning after two more walks on nine pitches, forcing senior right-hander Andre Duplantier into the game.

Duplantier escaped the jam and went on to throw 68 pitches over 5.2 innings, the longest outing and the most pitches Duplantier has thrown since an appearance against Sam Houston in 2022. The 6’2, 235-pounder allowed three runs on four hits, including a two-run double in the fourth inning and a game-tying home run in the seventh inning.

It wasn’t perfect, but the remarkable, lengthy performance by Duplantier not only kept the Longhorns in the game, it set up the bullpen to finish it.

Sophomore left-hander Ethan Walker made this third appearance of the year to retire left-handed batter Kaeden Kent to end the seventh, junior right-hander Grayson Saunier worked around two singles to open the eighth inning with some help from senior first baseman Kimble Schuessler, who fielded an attempted sacrifice bunt and cut down the lead runner at third. Saunier retired the next two batters to escape the jam.

More trouble awaited the Ole Miss transfer in the ninth in the form of a one-out single and a full-count walk that forced junior right-hander Max Grubbs into the game to save it. Schuessler again played a big role defensively, starting a 3-6-1 double play that ended the game as Grubbs recorded his fifth save of the season.

Rodriguez was a catalyzing force at the bottom of the lineup for the Longhorns, going 3-for-3 with a double in addition to his home run, three RBI, two runs, and a walk.

The double by the former A&M signee scored the first run for Texas in the bottom of the third before sophomore designated hitter Ethan Mendoza drove in Rodriguez with a sacrifice fly.

In the sixth, Schuessler scored on a wild pitch and junior catcher Rylan Galvan drove in two more runs with a single to center field to beat a shift.

Galvan finished 2-for-4 with the two RBI and a walk.

The four-game homestand for Texas ends on Tuesday against Prairie View A&M.