AUSTIN, Texas (Interstat) — The top-ranked Texas Longhorns remained perfect on the season, overpowering the South Carolina Upstate Spartans 14-2 in a nonconference baseball game Friday night at UFCU Disch–Falk Field.

The Longhorns, now 13-0, showcased a potent offense and dominant pitching to dispatch the Spartans, who fell to 7-8.

Texas starter Ruger Riojas set the tone early, striking out 12 batters over six strong innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits. His performance stifled a Spartans lineup that managed only five hits total.

South Carolina Upstate struck first in the second inning when Grant Griggs launched a solo home run to left field, giving the visitors a brief 2-1 lead after Texas had answered an early Spartan run with a solo shot from its leadoff hitter, Mendoza, in the first.

The game’s momentum shifted decisively in the bottom of the third. After a strikeout and a single, Texas third baseman Temo Becerra connected on a two-run homer to left field, scoring Derek Robbins and putting the Longhorns ahead for good at 4-2. Becerra finished the night 3 for 4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored.

Texas extended its lead in the fifth on a two-run homer by Robbins, scoring Jalin Tinney, who had been hit by a pitch. The Longhorns then broke the game open with a six-run eighth inning, turning a 10-2 advantage into a rout. The most important sequence of the game came in that eighth inning, as Texas sent 11 men to the plate. Pinch-hitter Josh Livingston delivered an RBI double, Robbins added an RBI single, and with the bases loaded, left fielder Anthony Pack Jr. sealed the victory with a grand slam to right-center field. Pack’s blast, his only hit of the night, accounted for four of his game-high four RBIs.

The Spartans’ other run came in the seventh on a wild pitch from Texas reliever Max Grubbs. South Carolina Upstate starter Max Eichenberger took the loss after a tough outing, allowing six earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings of work.

The Longhorns’ victory defied the projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a closer 8-5 Texas win. The Longhorns’ 80.2% pregame win probability proved conservative as the team continued its best start to a season in recent memory.

Texas will look to continue its unbeaten streak in the second game of the series against South Carolina Upstate on Saturday. The Spartans aim to even the series before returning home for a Tuesday contest at Wofford.