No. 24 Texas slams No. 17 Texas Tech with four homers, two grand slams to snap losing skid

The Texas Longhorns snapped a losing streak and made a statement on Friday night.

Behind 20 hits, No. 24 Texas slugged its way to a 22-8 win at No. 17 Texas Tech in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Texas entered the weekend in Lubbock with a four-game losing streak, which was its longest in-season skid since 2019.

Fueled by a three-run homer by Max Belyeu, Texas (8-5, 1-0) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning at Rip Griffin Park. That would be the first of four Longhorns homers. Rylan Galvan and Will Gasparino both smashed grand slams and Porter Brown added a three-run shot.

Backed by those homers, Texas only needed two pitchers. Ace Whitehead earned the win after pitching 4⅔ innings of relief.

Every player in Texas' lineup had at least one hit. Gasparino led the way with a 5-for-6 performance that included four runs and four RBIs. He became the first Longhorn to record five hits in a game since Ivan Melendez did so against Texas Tech in 2022. Gasparino fell one hit short of the school record that Ruben Ortega set in 1946.

Texas matched its highest run total in its all-time series against Texas Tech. The Longhorns also scored 22 runs in a win in Lubbock in 2008. Texas and Texas Tech have played 172 games in a series that began in 1968. The 173rd meeting between the two schools is set for Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Texas Tech is now 10-3 this season.

Texas announced during the game that assistant coach Philip Miller is not currently with the Longhorns. According to a statement released by a team spokesperson, Miller "has requested and been approved for a personal leave of absence. He is not with the team in Lubbock for this weekend’s series."