Longhorns Outscore Incarnate Word 41-4 in Series Sweep

A complete recap of Texas' series against Incarnate Word.

Texas came into their weekend series with Incarnate Word looking to let out their frustrations following a rough week before, which is exactly what they did. The Longhorn offense exploded in this series while the pitching staff returned to their early season form in the sweep of the Cardinals. 

Game 1: Texas 19 Incarnate Word 2

Texas' season-high of 18 runs against The Citadel lasted a whole two days before it was bested in game one of this series. The star of the show offensively for Texas in game one was without a doubt Murphy Stehly, as he continued his scorching hot start at the plate. Stehly drove in six in game one, including a three-run home run in the first inning to start the scoring barrage for the Longhorns. 

The top-of-the-lineup for Texas also produced a pair of home runs and five RBI, as Hodo launched a three-run home run of his own with Kennedy providing a two-run home run to tally the 19th Texas run. On the mound, Pete Hansen was his usual dominant self, throwing six innings of two-run baseball before turning it over to the bullpen to slam the door shut and secure the win. 

Pete Hansen 3

Pete Hansen 

Doug Hodo

Doug Hodo

EK

Eric Kennedy 

Game 2: Texas 10 Incarnate Word 2

Texas kept the momentum rolling from their Friday win into Saturday as they had no issue in this one. While they didn't hit any home runs, the offense still managed a great showing, led by Eric Kennedy. Kennedy drove in four in a 3-5 effort at the plate, as the top of the Texas lineup continues to get on base and drive in runs in clutch situations. Ivan Melendez also continued his hot start at the plate, going 2-5 with an RBI double and an RBI triple, as he aims for another Big 12 Hitter of the Week award. 

On the mound for Texas was their usual Saturday starter Tristan Stevens, as he enjoyed a bounce-back game following a shaky outing against South Carolina last Sunday. Stevens tossed seven innings of two-run baseball, picking up his fourth win of the season and helping Texas secure the series win. 

Game 3: Texas 12 Incarnate Word 0

Talk about a perfect ending to the weekend for Texas, as they notched their first shutout since the seventh game of the season, a 2-0 win over Alabama. Murphy Stehly was once again the star of the show for Texas offensively, as he launched three home runs and drove in four in the process. 

Stehly now sees his average on the season sit at a staggering .458 following the series against Incarnate Word. He wasn't alone in the home run party, though, as Melendez launched a two-run home run for his ninth home run and 33rd RBI. 

Meanwhile, Texas may have found their Sunday starter to replace the injured Tanner Witt, as Lucas Gordon threw seven shutout innings while only allowing four hits, a perfect outing to cement his status on Sundays before conference play. 

Lucas Gordon 3

Lucas Gordon

Murphy Stehly 2

Murphy Stehly

EK 2

Eric Kennedy

What's next for Texas

Following a series sweep over Incarnate Word, Texas will host Central Arkansas on Tuesday as they look to extend their win streak to five games and enter conference play on a high note. After Central Arkansas on Tuesday, Texas will travel to Lubbock for a three-game weekend series against a talented Texas Tech team, looking to start conference play strong. 


You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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Connor Zimmerlee
CONNOR ZIMMERLEE

Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.