How Texas Baseball Let Game 2 Slip Away Against Mississippi State

The Texas bullpen was a long, exhausting storyline for much of the season’s first half.

Time and time again, Longhorn starters did their job — only for things to unravel late. Ole Miss is a prime example; a pair of walks and hit batters from Thomas Burns and Cal Higgins set the stage for a two-out grand slam by Tristan Bissetto that handed Texas its first defeat of the year.

Recently, though, that narrative had quieted. The bullpen had steadied. The late-inning collapses had, for the most part, disappeared. That was until Saturday, of course.

Ruger Riojas delivered one of his best performances in weeks, striking out seven and allowing just three hits without issuing a walk. But despite the strong start, Texas watched another lead slip away in a 7-4 loss to Mississippi State that evened the series.

Burns falters after recent momentum

Texas Longhorns Pitcher Thomas Burns throws a pitch on the mound at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. | Texas Athletics

Since Ole Miss, Burns hadn’t been utilized in those kinds of high-leverage situations as often. But after some commendable outings in recent weeks, he eventually earned the trust of head coach Jim Schlossnagle.

Burns came in after Haiden Leffew allowed a leadoff home run, a walk, and a single in the eighth. With one out and two runners on, Schlossnagle trusted the reliever in a high-leverage spot, rather than turning to an already-proven Cozart.

But Burns fared well last night. With one out and two runners on, Burns struck out Vytas Valincius, then induced a groundout from Bryce Chance to help secure game 1 against the Bulldogs.

Saturday, however, did not yield the same results.

After Riojas delivered five near-perfect innings, Brett Crossland took over in the sixth and struck out the side, giving the Longhorns momentum in what had been a tight 1-1 pitchers’ duel.

Then what began as a manageable seventh inning quickly spiraled. Crossland hit two batters, injecting life into a Mississippi State lineup that had been largely quiet all afternoon. From there, Texas turned to Burns.

Mississippi State capitalized immediately. A two-out RBI single broke the tie, and just moments later, a three-run homer from Drew Wyers flipped the game entirely. In the span of just a few batters, the low-scoring contest turned into a 5-1 deficit.

Texas cycled through more arms in the eighth, but the issues followed. Free passes, a wild pitch and another pair of run-scoring plays allowed Mississippi State to extend its lead and remove any remaining margin for error.

The bats certainly didn’t help either.

The Longhorns left the bases loaded in three consecutive innings and finished the game hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position. Even in the ninth, a late push fell short when Anthony Pack Jr. struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Still, one game doesn’t erase the progress the bullpen has made in recent weeks. Burns, in particular, had looked much improved entering Saturday. Nevertheless, it was a disappointing sight for a unit that seemed to be trending upwards.

It was a collective underperformance from the Longhorns, something they’ll hope to avoid in a rubber match against the Bulldogs tomorrow at 1 p.m.

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