No. 4 Texas Rallies Late, Takes Series Against No. 11 Alabama

This feels weird, doesn’t it?

For only the second time in their six Southeastern Conference series of the season, the No. 4 Texas Longhorns will already be the crowd series winner ahead of Sunday’s series finale. The Longhorns were able to come from behind in the seventh inning to take down the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide, 3-1, Saturday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Texas starting pitcher Ruger Riojas was impressive in his first Saturday start of the season, lasting five innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while picking up 11 strikeouts, just one shy of his career high of 12 he set against USC Upstate earlier in the season.

“Thought Ruger [Riojas] battled. I thought Alabama did a great job of fighting,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Then, [Jayden Duplainter] came through with the with the big knock to tie the game.”

Longhorns Break Pitching Duel Late

With Dylan Volantis now occupying Riojas’ spot as the Friday starter ahead of this weekend and Schlossnalge announcing he’ll keep his sophomore pitcher in the spot going forward, the Longhorns rotation isn’t hurting now that their ace is in the Saturday spot.

Against the Crimson Tide, the Longhorns' pitching rotation has tossed for 36 strikeouts, the most across a series first two games this season. The 19 strikeouts thrown Saturday tied a program high for strikeouts in a single game.

“We have good pitchers. We've proven that. … Alabama was a top 10 team. What 10 days ago? That's how much this league can just change. They're still, they're still a really good team,” Schlossngale said. “I thought we just did a good job execute pitches the last two days.”

Riojas struggled to open up the afternoon, walking his first batter and allowing back-to-back hits with a double from Alabama’s best hitter, right fielder Brady Neal, to drive in the first and only run of the game for the Crimson Tide.

“The end goal is to finish the game regardless of pitch count,” Riojas said. “That's my job — What I want to do is keep the ball for as long as I can.”

After the lapse, Riojas was able to settle in, tossing for 11 strikeouts and allowing just one more hit for the rest of the afternoon to Neal in the third inning. The highlight of the afternoon was Riojas tossing a rare four-strikeout inning, the first for the Longhorns since the second game of the 2024 Big-12 Tournament against Cincinnati.

Alabama starting pitcher Zane Adams was locked in a classic pitching duel with Riojas, tearing up a Texas batting order for six innings and holding them to just five hits and zero runs while on the mound. Adams was able to get out of a jam with two runners in scoring position, tossing second basemen Ethan Mendoza out with his fifth strikeout of the afternoon.

“Zane Adams was outstanding,” Schlossnagel said. “[He] had his change-up going, was executing on all his pitches on a tough day to hit.”

Alabama’s narrow one-run lead soon dissipated when Matthew Heiberger relieved Adams at the top of the seventh. Texas found its spark after Heiberger walked his first two batters and then allowed right fielder Jayden Duplainter to knock through an RBI single towards right field to tie the game up.

“Before the inning, we were just confident that we were going to win the game from the start,” Duplainter said. “Just being confident in that in that spot, and wanting to be in that situation, and then just trusting the work and it play out in the game.”

Robbins loaded the bases with a single of his own, and despite a pitching change ahead of catcher Carson Tinney at-bat, Tinney fired an RBI single for the game-winning run, sending Casey Borba home.

Shortstop Adrian Rodriguez launched a sac-fly for an insurance run in the seventh, closing out the Longhorns' late-game comeback.

Relief pitcher Sam Cozart made his second appearance of the series, closing out the game in the ninth inning, tossing three consecutive strikeouts to secure the Longhorns fifth conference series of the season.

“We also get to find out that he can do it [pitch in back-to-back days],” Schlossnagle said. “It's not so much the number of pitches last night, it's just being up and down twice. And down twice, and then finishing the game. So that's a really good sign for us for the future, whether it be next weekend, or beyond.”

Texas will look for its second SEC series sweep of the season against Alabama tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

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