In a thrilling match at the Austin Regional, UTSA unseated the No. 2 overall seed Texas in a dramatic 9-7 comeback victory on Saturday night. The win places the Roadrunners (46-13) in an advantageous position, while Texas (43-13), playing on their home turf, is pushed into the losers’ bracket. Texas will now face No. 3 seed Kansas State in a critical elimination game on Sunday. To move on to the super regionals, the victor of that match must overcome UTSA not once, but twice, with one game on Sunday night and potentially another on Monday.
During the early innings, Texas appeared in command. The Longhorns capitalized off UTSA’s Conor Myles and reliever Connor Kelley, rallying to a 6-1 lead with a five-run third inning. However, UTSA was far from willing to concede. James Taussig, starring with a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, managed a double and two RBIs. Alongside Nathan Hodge’s two-run single, he contributed substantially to closing the gap to 6-5 by the end of the fifth inning.
The Roadrunners refused to rest on their laurels, surging ahead with three additional runs in the sixth inning. RBI singles by Hodge and Mason Lytle, capped by Garrett Gruell’s run-scoring double, turned the tide in UTSA’s favor, giving them an 8-6 advantage. Rylan Galvan then tried to rally the Longhorns with a solo home run in the seventh inning, bringing Texas within striking distance at 8-7.
Taussig, however, sealed the deal for the Roadrunners in the ninth inning, delivering a crucial insurance run with a clutch two-out single that followed Lytle’s one-out double. With his contribution, UTSA maintained their lead, while Kendall Dove (3-0) earned the win after pitching a scoreless fifth inning. Braylon Owens provided a reliable finish by closing out the game, allowing only one run over the final four innings. His efforts secured his third save of the season.
On the Texas side, Max Grubbs, stepping in after starter Luke Harrison, took the loss. Grubbs allowed two runs across 1 1/3 innings, with Harrison initially yielding five runs, though just two were earned, over 4 1/3 innings.