The No. 4 Texas Longhorns and No. 10 Mississippi State Bulldogs are heading for a decisive Sunday series finale at UFCU Disch-Falk Field after Brian O’Connor’s team took advantage of the Longhorns bullpen and Texas couldn’t come up with game-changing, two-out hits.
“We obviously left a ton of guys on base, but they were all with two outs — I don’t think we had a runner at third base with less than two outs, and so you’re counting on a timely hit. And the difference in the game was the swings they got with two outs,” Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said.
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In an attempt to keep senior right-hander Ruger Riojas fresh for the postseason, Schlossnagle removed the UTSA transfer after five innings and 71 pitches even though Riojas was still throwing at a high level, allowing one run on three hits and commanding his pitches well enough to strike out seven batters without allowing a walk, hitting a batter, or throwing a wild pitch.
The move to freshman right-hander Brett Crossland worked well in the sixth inning when the 6’5, 255-pounder struck out the side. In the seventh, Crossland was able to work around hitting the leadoff batter by immediately inducing a double play, but hitting the next batter in an 0-2 count ultimately proved catastrophic for Texas when junior right-hander Thomas Burns came on and gave up an RBI single on a 1-2 pitch and then had a 1-1 fastball down and in to Drew Wyers launched over the left-field fence for a three-run home run.
The Bulldogs scored two more runs in the eighth inning, both credited to sophomore right-hander Jason Flores, who allowed a leadoff walk and a first-pitch single. After freshman right-hander Brody Walls entered the game, a wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, setting up an RBI groundout and a run-scoring double that put the Horns in a 7-1 hole.
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Despite the struggles in the bullpen, Schlossnagle isn’t worried.
“If the bullpen has a bad day, does that make it a concern? I mean, it doesn’t to me, it may to you, but they’re not going to be perfect,” Schlossnagle said. “So, I mean, that’s our bullpen those guys. Burns has been awesome about four or five times in a row. I mean, yeah, it’s not a concern in any form, to me.”
When Texas threatened for the first time in the fourth, it was with two outs, so when junior designated hitter Ashton Larson grounded out to short on the first pitch he saw, it negated the two singles that preceded his at bat.
After a solo home run by junior first baseman Casey Borba in the fifth inning, Texas put runners on first and second in the sixth with one out, but Jayden Duplantier struck out pinch hitting for Larson and freshman center fielder Maddox Monsour grounded out to short after Borba drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases.
A similar situation unfolded in the seventh when the Longhorns loaded the bases with two outs with the help of an error and two full-count walks, but in a familiar trend, redshirt senior third baseman Temo Becerra hit a grounder to the shortstop that turned into a fielder’s choice.
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In the eighth, Texas was unable to take advantage of three walks when freshman left fielder Anthony Pack Jr. took two strikes before flying out to left field.
The ninth inning saw the home team try to mount a furious comeback started by a solo home run by sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez, who is still battling enough discomfort in his surgically-repaired left hand that he’s made the decision to only bat left handed for the remainder of the year.
It was only the second home run of the season for Rodriguez.
Texas was able to load the bases with one out after an infield single and two walks, but the momentum slowed when Monsour struck out swinging before junior catcher Aiden Robbins came through with a two-run single to narrow the deficit to 7-4.
When Tinney was hit by a pitch, the Horns loaded the bases once again, but Pack wasn’t able to take advantage, striking out swinging on a 2-2 pitch to end the game.
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The seven baserunners left stranded by the freshman standout were among the 17 left on base by Texas on Saturday. But just like the bullpen, Schlossnagle didn’t come away concerned about the lack of timely hitting.
“As I always say, batters left on base never, ever, ever bother me, ever, unless they’re less than two outs with a runner on third. What bothers you is when you’re not getting on base. That’s really stinks, because then you have no chance to score,” Schlossnagle said.
So after making four Mississippi State relievers combine to throw 121 pitches on Saturday, Schlossnagle heads into Sunday’s matchup at 1 p.m. Central on ESPN with a high level of confidence in his team’s ability to win the series.
“Super confident. Super confident,” Schlossnagle said. “I mean, we’re facing a great team, but we’ve got Luke [Harrison] on the mound and they’ve got a good lefty going for their team, and I was glad to see us fight back.”
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