Three-run home run by Casey Borba fuels 8-7 win by No. 11 Texas over Mississippi State

A five-run seventh inning gave the Horns a win in their SEC opener.

Moved up two hours because of inclement weather forecast in the Starkville area on Friday evening, the No. 11 Texas Longhorns came through on time to secure an 8-7 victory in the program’s SEC opener over the Mississippi State Bulldogs by delivering the game’s biggest inning at Dude Noble Field.

After Texas was finally able to chase starter Pico Kohn in the seventh inning after a hit by pitch and single to start the frame, sophomore center fielder Will Gasparino went the other way against a shift to single past the first baseman to score one run and junior catcher Rylan Galvan singled up the middle to score another to tie the game at 5-5.

Sophomore third baseman Casey Borba worked a full count against sidewinding right-hander Chase Hungate, who hadn’t allowed a run this season in seven appearances, keeping his hands tight and exploding through a fastball on the inside of the plate, pulling it into the left-field stands for a three-run, 414-foot home run that came off the barrel at 105 miles per hour.

Mississippi State had seemingly been in control since the second inning.

Texas opened the scoring in the top of the frame when freshman designated hitter Adrian Rodriguez drew a full-count walk and Galvan scored the first runs for the Longhorns in the SEC by hitting the program’s first home run in its new conference, a 369-foot shot to left center.

The Bulldogs responded quickly, however, first taking advantage of a high fastball from senior left-hander Jared Spencer for a solo home run by the leadoff batter in the bottom of the second.

With two runners on base following two singles, Mississippi State came up with another big swing, an opposite-field shot down the right-field line.

Neither team scored again until putting up matching runs in the fifth inning when sophomore second baseman Ethan Mendoza tripled and scored on a pickoff play at third when the catcher threw the ball into left field.

Down 5-3, Texas rallied to take the an 8-5 lead in the five-run seventh capped by Borba’s bomb and needed the bullpen to make it stand after Spencer departed in the sixth inning, having allowed five runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts and one walk. Senior right-hander Andre Duplantier replaced the Indiana State transfer, walking the first batter he faced on a full count to load the bases, but striking out the next batter swinging the end the threat.

Duplantier faced the minimum over the next two innings before facing some self-inflicted trouble in the ninth, issuing a one-out walk, retiring the next batter, but then throwing a wild pitch and issuing another walk that prompted head coach Jim Schlossnagle to make a call to the bullpen for freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis, the Sunday starter last weekend reserved for a stopping role or long relief if necessary against Mississippi State.

Volantis allowed an 0-2 double to left center that scored two runs credited to Duplantier, but ended the game by inducing a groundout into the hole at shortstop played well by sophomore Jalin Flores to end the game and secure the program’s first SEC victory.

Dangerous weather conditions forecast in the Starkville area on the Saturday forced the postponement of Saturday’s game — the two teams will play two seven-inning games on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. Central on SEC Network. The second game will start about 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game and will air on SEC Network+.