Texas Takes Doubleheader Opener Over WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -A classic pitchers’ duel fell Texas’ way as the Longhorns grabbed a 5-2 decision over West Virginia in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Monongalia County Ballpark on Saturday afternoon.

Texas pitcher Pete Hansen was a bit more effective than Mountaineer starter Jacob Watters, going 8.2 innings while allowing just two runs on Dayne Leonard’s seventh inning home run. Moving to 8-1 on the season, the sophomore standout scattered six hits while striking out eight against just one walk.

Watters turned in his best start as a Mountaineer, but got no support while striking out 15 of the 27 batters he faced. He allowed two solo home runs and one walk, with one of the roundtrippers coming on a well-placed low pitch that was golfed over the left field wall as he dropped to a tough-luck 2-5 on the season.

In the seventh, Watters was charged with two more runs after yielding a single and a walk, but that did little to detract from his 115-pitch outing.

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Texas (33-16, 10-9) clubbed solo homers in the fourth and the sixth, then expanded its lead to 4-0 with the pair of runs in the seventh. Leonard’s shot into the Mountaineer bullpen was WVU’s only serious offensive play in the first eight innings.

Braden Barry was 3-3 at the plate, but was erased twice, once on a double play and once on an attempted steal.

SEAMS AND BARRELS

WVU (27-17, 9-7) did not have a runner in scoring position until the ninth, when it put runners on first and third before a fly ball ended the game.

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Texas batters pushed the limits of the batters box to the edge and beyond, with several clearly starting their at-bats outside the box. None were corrected, though, by home plate umpire Grady Smith.