{"id":211105,"date":"2026-03-19T07:59:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T07:59:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/211105\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T07:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T07:59:21","slug":"texans-shock-longhorns-in-austin-hand-2nd-ranked-texas-2nd-loss-of-season-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/211105\/","title":{"rendered":"Texans shock Longhorns in Austin, hand 2nd ranked Texas 2nd loss of season"},"content":{"rendered":"

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AUSTIN \u2013 Tarleton State shocked the No. 2 team in the nation on Tuesday, handing the Texas Longhorns just their second loss of the season with a 6-1 win in Austin.<\/p>\n

Tarleton State (13-7) earned its best win in program history, its third win over a Power Four conference team ever, its second this season alone. Texas (18-2) entered the day tied with USC with the tied-fewest losses in the nation at one, but the Texans shut out the Longhorns over the final eight innings to earn the upset bid.<\/p>\n

The Texans allowed just one run and two hits on the game to a Texas team who entered the night with the 12th best scoring mark across all of NCAA Division I (9.9 runs per game) and the 15th best batting average (.335). Meanwhile, the Texan offense powered through six runs on eight hits against a Texas pitching staff that ranked No. 3 in the nation in ERA (2.54), No. 4 in WHIP (1.04), and No. 4 in hits allowed per nine innings (6.1).<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of the fight and grit this group of young men showed tonight,\u201d head coach\u00a0Fuller Smith\u00a0said. \u201cThey competed, made pitches, made plays, and got the bigtime hits when we needed. It was a total team win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tarleton State\u2019s two of three Power Four victories in program history have come in a two-week span, following the Texans\u2019 6-5 win over Baylor at home on March 3. These wins come after Tarleton State\u2019s narrow 3-1 loss against No. 7 ranked Arkansas in the fourth game of the season at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 16. Texas, ranked No. 2 in the country, represents the highest ranked opponent Tarleton State has faced in program history. This midweek matchup was the fifth all-time meeting between Tarleton State and Texas, the first in nearly 30 years. The Longhorns were 4-0 all-time against the Texans, all games in Austin, with all previous games played between 1994-97.<\/p>\n

The Texans remain perfect in true road games this year, improving to 5-0, with the win at No. 2 Texas and a four-game sweep at New Mexico March 6-8.<\/p>\n

During that sweep, Tarleton State\u2019s pitching staff also allowed just a two-hit outing on the day. On Tuesday, the Texans used five to get the job done.\u00a0Brendon Carter\u00a0got the start, allowing a run on a hit and a walk with a strikeout in the first inning.\u00a0Ethan Jaques\u00a0took the next three innings and earned the victory, improving to 3-0 on the year, allowing no runs on no hits with four strikeouts and two walks.\u00a0Jackson Elizondo\u00a0took the fifth, allowing no runs on no hits, a strikeout and two walks.\u00a0Anthony Treto\u00a0handled three innings, allowing no runs on no hits, five strikeouts and three walks.\u00a0Tai Phetluangsy\u00a0closed things out, per usual, allowing no runs on one hit with a strikeout and a walk.<\/p>\n

Texas earned its lone run on the second at-bat in the bottom half of the first, a solo home run by Carson Tinney. That was the Longhorns\u2019 only hit until the ninth inning, with Tarleton State seeing 34 straight Longhorn batters fail to get a hit. With two outs in the ninth inning, the Longhorns got a single for their second hit, but Phetluangsy followed with the final out right after.<\/p>\n

Tarleton State did most of its damage in the fourth inning, turning a one-run deficit into a three-run lead with a four-run frame.\u00a0Rayner Heinrich\u00a0was plunked to start the inning, then\u00a0Slade McCloud\u00a0singled.\u00a0Carson Lorch\u00a0followed with a walk to load the bases with nobody out.\u00a0Cage McCloud\u00a0then hit an RBI single to right field to tie the game, scoring Heinrich.\u00a0Brady Englett\u00a0then turned an 0-2 count into an RBI walk to give the Texans a 2-1 lead.\u00a0Ike Shirey\u00a0later singled through the left side for a two RBI hit to boost the Texans ahead 4-1.<\/p>\n

Tarleton State added a run in the seventh, started by a Heinrich walk with nobody aboard and two outs. The left fielder then stole second, and\u00a0Slade McCloud\u00a0immediately rewarded him with an RBI single through the right side to make it 5-1 Purple and White.<\/p>\n

In the ninth, Heinrich again started a two-out nobody-on scoring chance with a single. He then scored on a deep fly to left that was dropped by the outfielder, making it 6-1 Texans, the final.<\/p>\n

Heinrich extended his hitting streak to 15 games, batting 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring three runs.\u00a0Slade McCloud\u00a0and Lorch each had multi-hit outings, with Lorch going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and a run, and\u00a0Slade McCloud\u00a0going 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Heinrich and Lorch each had a stolen base on the night, as well.\u00a0Slade McCloud\u2019s\u00a0hitting streak is now at 11 games.<\/p>\n

Texas\u2019 Kade Bing took the loss in relief, dropping to 0-1 after allowing three earned runs on one hit, a walk and a hit by pitch, without recording an out.<\/p>\n

Tarleton State will stay on the road and head to Nacogdoches to take on old rival Stephen F. Austin. It will be a three-game series between the Texans and \u2018Jacks, starting Friday at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

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