Pete Hansen Struggles as Texas Drops College World Series Opener 7-3
The Texas Longhorns came into Friday's game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hoping to see ace Pete Hansen bounce back from a rough Super Regional outing against East Carolina. However, Hansen would continue to struggle as the Longhorns dropped their College World Series opener to Notre Dame.
No. 9 Texas 3 Notre Dame 7
The Longhorns knew if they wanted any shot at beating Notre Dame, they would need an ace-caliber performance from starter Pete Hansen. That would not be the case though for Texas, as Hansen only managed to last 4 1/3 innings and be charged with six runs on nine hits. This is Hansen's second straight start that saw him fail to make it through five innings.
While Hansen struggled on the mound, the Longhorn offense was ice cold at the plate, as they were never able to fully take advantage of their opportunities. They would cut it to a 2-1 Notre Dame lead on an Eric Kennedy RBI fielder's choice in the bottom of the third, but the Fighting Irish would answer with a run in top of the fourth and three in the top of the fifth off of Hansen to extend their lead to 6-1 after five innings.
The lone bright spot on the day for the Longhorns was Tristan Stevens, who came in out of the bullpen in relief of Hansen and delivered 4 2/3 innings of one-run baseball. That lone run would come in the top of the ninth on a two-out solo home run off the bat of Carter Putz, putting Notre Dame up 7-3 for good.
What's next for Texas?
When the College World Series bracket was finalized, it felt inevitable that Texas would have to face rival Texas A&M. However, the Longhorns undoubtedly would have preferred that come in the winner's bracket, rather than the losers bracket. If the Longhorns want to keep their season alive, they must beat Texas A&M to do so.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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