No. 1 Texas scores five unanswered runs in bounce-back rally over Florida

The Horns won 5-2 after scoring all five runs following a lengthy rain delay.

Like the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, redshirt junior left-hander Luke Harrison needed a bounce-back performance after his season-worst effort in a loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks last week.

In a game delayed by two hours due to rain, Harrison and the Longhorns got what they needed in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over the Florida Gators at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, using Harrison’s five-inning performance to stay close long enough for the bats to come alive after play resumed in scoring five unanswered runs to break a four-game conference losing streak.

Skipping graduation to pitch through the lingering effects of the flu impacting the team over the last week, Harrison was able to locate his pitches and change speeds and arm slots in allowing two runs, one earned, while striking out eight and hitting one batter, a runner immediately erased by a double play.

“I think just his ability to mix it up, show different things. He’s even dropped his arm angle at times to show different slots. Just keeping hitters off balance makes the fastball play up probably a little harder than what it is,” junior catcher Rylan Galvan said.

The ability to limit free passes was a reversal from last weekend and gave the Horns their first quality start since the Texas A&M series, the type of starting performance that was a hallmark in the team’s historic start to SEC play.

Harrison’s 73-pitch effort allowed head coach Jim Schlossnagle to set up his bullpen the way that he wanted despite getting only one out from junior right-hander Ruger Riojas on Friday, turning to sophomore right-hander Thomas Burns for five outs in the Arizona State transfer’s first win at Texas and then handing the ball to freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis, who only faced eight batters in recording the final seven outs for his 12th save overall and 11th in SEC play, setting the conference freshman record.

After the rain delay, the Longhorns scored all five runs in the sixth inning, doing enough offensively in that frame to pull out the win.

Galvan started the rally with a solo home run, his team-leading 14th of the season, the most for a Texas catcher since 1992, ambushing a 1-0 fastball out over the plate and sending it over the monster in center field, a 416-foot blast that came off the bat at 109 miles per hour.

Junior shortstop Jalin Flores followed with a solo shot of his own to move into the school’s top five in career home runs with 35, pulling an elevated 1-0 fastball on the inner half over the Yeti Yard in left-center field.

An infield single and two walks loaded the bases with two outs for freshman left fielder Jonah Williams, who broke the tie with the biggest hit of his young career, finding the barrel on a 1-1 outside fastball and send it into the left-center gap for a bases-clearing double.

Texas goes for the series victory on Sunday at 1 p.m. Central with freshman right-hander Jason Flores receiving the start.