No. 3 Longhorns Baseball Drops Series to No. 11 Texas Tech
The Texas Longhorns baseball team suffered their first series lost of the season against No. 11 Texas Tech over the weekend. This series was the first real test for the Longhorns in what has been an incredible season thus far.
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Texas fell to Texas Tech on Friday evening 6-3. Pitcher Ty Madden went 5.0 innings on Friday evening but gave up 5 earned runs. Madden has been a stabilizing force on the rotation but was out matched against the Red Raiders starting up lineup on Friday night.
Centerfielder Mike Antico was once again an offensive highlight as the speedster hit a homerun on Friday and was easily the bright spot for the team on the evening.
Saturday evening was much of the same story as the Longhorns dropped the game 5-3 to the Red Raiders. Saturday night represented the first series loss of the season for Texas.
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Pitcher Tristian Stevens, another reliable weekend starter, had similar stats to Madden's start on Friday when he went 6.0 innings and gave up 5 earned runs. A usually reliable arm once again came up short for the Longhorns.
Slugger Ivan Melendez was the offensive highlight of the evening as he hit a leadoff home run in the seventh inning. Saturday evening once again was a dark mark on the Longhorns season as their quest to prove they are one of the top teams in the nation took a hit this weekend.
Sunday was a completely different story for Texas as they got back to looking like themselves. The Longhorns won 11-3 on Sunday as they tried to get back on track against one of the best teams in the nation.
Pete Hansen, who has been trying to make his case for more weekend games, was absolutely phenomenal. Hansen pitched 7.2 innings and only gave up 1 earned run, easily the pitching highlight of the weekend for Texas.
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Hansen has solidified himself as a pitcher who needs more high leverage matchups and can be one of the best arms in the rotation. Pressure has not seemed to phase him up to this point in the season.
Douglas Hodo was the star of the offense on Sunday afternoon as he hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to put the game out of range of Texas Tech. The usual suspects of designated hitter Ivan Melendez, third baseman Cam Williams, and second baseman Daly Mitchell all had an impact on the 11-run scorefest on Sunday afternoon.
The Longhorns will host the Texas State Bobcats on Tuesday evening in a non-conference matchup. The opportunity to get back on track will be tantalizing to the Longhorns who want to prove they are the best in the NCAA.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. CST on Tuesday.
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