Coming off a series victory against the then-No. 8 Louisville Cardinals in Kentucky, the Michigan State Spartans arrived in Austin with momentum that was swiftly halted by a sterling start from senior right-hander Ruger Riojas and three home runs by the No. 3 Texas Longhorns on Friday in an 8-1 win at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
In his second game as the No. 1 starter for the Longhorns, Riojas struck out 10 batters while allowing one run on three hits in six innings against the Spartans, looking dominant
with a fastball that reached into the high 90s and effective secondary pitches from his high arm slot.
When pitching coach Max Weiner went to the bullpen, he turned to three talented freshmen right-handers for an inning apiece — Michael Winter, Brett Crossland, and Brody Walls. Winter had to work around two hits, but the three pitchers ultimately didn’t allow a run and combined for four strikeouts.
At the plate, sophomore second baseman Ethan Mendoza led the way with a 3-for-4 performance that included his third home run of the season, a two-run shot to right field in the fourth inning that made it 4-1. In the fifth, junior first baseman Casey Borba followed with his own two-run blast, a 405-foot bomb to left-center. The most surprising home run came from 5’10, 190-pound freshman right fielder Anthony Pack Jr., who pulled a 363-foot home run over the wall in right field.
Mendoza and junior center fielder Aiden Robbins notched the other two RBI for the Horns.
Texas goes for the series victory on Saturday at 2 p.m. Central on SEC Network+.
