AUSTIN — No. 4 The University of Texas at Austin survived its midweek matchup against UTSA baseball with a go-ahead grand slam from catcher Carson Tinney in the bottom of the eighth, handing the Roadrunners an 11-8 loss on Tuesday at UFCU Dish-Falk Field.
The Longhorns (36-10, 15-8 SEC) led by four after the first inning, but the Roadrunners (33-15, 15-16) pulled ahead with a six-spot in the top of the third. Texas tied the game 7-7 in the bottom half of the inning, and for the next four frames, that score remained. In the seventh, UTSA broke through with an RBI double from junior infielder Diego Diaz. The Longhorns put runners on second and third in the eighth, forcing UTSA coach Pat Hallmark to call in junior reliever Connor Kelley. Kelley walked one before surrendering the grand slam.
“[Tinney] is going to play in the big leagues,” Hallmark said after the game. “Hopefully, Kelley does too. Kelley has a shot to play in the big leagues. So, it’s just baseball. That little play, the grand slam, which is obviously huge, it’s going to be all over social media — and that’s great.
“Congratulations to Tinney and Texas. They deserve that moment, but that was not the game. The game was a lot of stuff before that, [stuff] that we can do better. Connor Kelley is still a star, and I love him.”
After the Longhorns scored four on UTSA senior pitcher James Hubbard in the first, the Roadrunners responded with a solo slam from Diaz in the second.
In the third, Texas infielder Ethan Mendoza misfired on a throw to first base, allowing sophomore utility Caden Miller to score. In the next at-bat, graduate catcher Andrew Stucky drove a two-RBI single into right field. Diaz picked up his second hit in three innings, putting two on base with sophomore utility Jacob Silva due up. Before Silva took to the batter’s box, Hallmark made a change. He called in senior outfielder Garrett Gruell to pinch hit. The decision paid off immediately as Gruell took the first pitch yard and put the Roadrunners in front by three.
“Gruell is good against lefties,” Hallmark explained. “Silva is okay against lefties too, but Gruell is just really good against lefties, and sometimes I might not do it that early in the game, but against the Longhorns, you’ve got to take your shots when you get them.”
Even after the large momentum swing, Texas refused to go away, tying the game in the bottom half of the inning.
Diaz’s flawless night at the plate continued in the seventh with his fourth hit in as many attempts that scored Stucky and put UTSA up by one.
With junior stopper Sam Simmons on the mound, it appeared UTSA was going to upset Texas for the fourth time in two years. Instead, the Longhorns capitalized on an error and a walk from Simmons in the eighth, forcing Hallmark to turn to Kelley.
Tinney’s homer left the Roadrunners with just three outs to turn in three runs. The top of the order fell in succession to Texas pitcher Thomas Burns and the Longhorns avenged their 2025 Austin Regional loss.
UTSA will return to American Conference play against Memphis University. Game one of the series is set for 6 p.m. Friday at FedExPark Avron Fogelman Field.
