Longhorns Notebook: No. 24 Texas Outmatched, Falls to No. 7 Texas A&M 9-2
A win was something the No. 24 Texas Longhorns (7-5) were in desperate need of against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies (12-0). Instead, the losing streak extended to four games as things continue to look rough for the Longhorns.
The trend from the weekend of a lack of complementary baseball once again reared its ugly head as the pitching, all things considered, did their job as best they could against a potent lineup. Meanwhile, the bats disappeared and it resulted in another disappointing brand of baseball.
Now, here are three key takeaways from the Longhorns' 9-2 loss to the Aggies.
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Witt's progress continues
All eyes were trained on Tanner Witt entering the season, eager to see how he looked after another offseason to work towards getting healthy. He got his second start of the season on Tuesday against the Aggies and the improvement from his first start was noticeable.
The starter gave the Longhorns 3.1 innings of two-run baseball, with the two runs coming on a two-run home run from Brandon Montgomery. Other than that, though, he looked strong on the mound with a trio of strikeouts and three hits scattered across his outing.
If he can continue to build on each appearance, the Longhorns have another solid bullpen piece or starter when needed.
Bats disappear
Much like their game against LSU in Houston, the Longhorns' bats were a complete no-show against a strong pitching staff. They were held to just two runs, both which came via a sacrifice fly, on six hits.
The biggest issue for Texas was its inability to take advantage of getting men on base. Each of the first two innings saw the Longhorns have multiple men on base, and both innings saw those two runners get stranded. A worrying trend, if that continues into conference play it will not be pretty.
Losing skid continues
Texas had the opportunity against the Aggies to snap a rough three-game losing streak and get in the win column. Instead, they continued to look a tad uninspired on the field and came out flat from the jump. A combination of no hitting, shaky pitching and overall bad play doomed the Longhorns.
Things don't get any easier, either, as they open conference play against a dominant Texas Tech Red Raiders squad. Unless they turn it around in a hurry, this losing streak could get ugly leaving Lubbock.
What's next for Texas?
The Longhorns kick off conference play on Friday evening as they travel to take on the No. 17 Texas Tech Red Raiders looking to break their four-game losing streak at 6:30 p.m. CT.