On Friday night, it came right roaring back.<\/p>\n
In a game the Longhorns controlled for several competitive stretches, a disastrous middle-to-late innings collapse from the bullpen flipped the script, allowing Texas A&M to surge ahead and take Game 1 with a 9-8 victory<\/a> at Blue Bell Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n Different game, same story Texas pitcher Max Grubbs (38) throws a pitch in game two of the Big 12 baseball series. | Chase Seabolt\/For the Avalanche-Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n Usually, elite pitching outlasts elite hitting.<\/p>\n On paper, that leaned heavily in Texas\u2019 favor. The Longhorns entered the night with a 3.07 ERA, while Texas A&M starter Shane Sdao had struggled in SEC play, carrying an ERA north of 9.00 in conference outings.<\/p>\n While undoubtedly still very talented, Texas had every opportunity to take advantage of the left-hander\u2019s SEC struggles. And that supposed No. 2 best pitching team in the nation? They were meant to hold up just fine against an elite Aggie lineup.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n But they didn\u2019t. And it cost them.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Longhorns traded blows with the Aggies through the first five innings, highlighted by a two-run home run from Aiden Robbins in the fifth and another blast from Carson Tinney in the sixth to put Texas up 6-4.\u00a0<\/p>\n But everything unraveled in the sixth \u2014 a sentence that\u2019s becoming all too familiar.<\/p>\n A leadoff walk from Ruger Riojas forced a move to the bullpen, and it all went downhill from there. Three different Texas pitchers combined to issue a string of free passes, loading the bases without a hit. Texas A&M capitalized with two bases-loaded walks and a sacrifice fly from Gavin Grahovac to reclaim a lead they would not let up for the rest of the night.<\/p>\n Brett Crossland continued to battle command in the seventh, issuing \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 more walks and hitting Texas A&M batter Terrence Kiel II in the helmet. Another sacrifice fly extended the Aggies\u2019 lead, forcing Texas to play from behind the rest of the night.<\/p>\n In total, Texas A&M scored nine runs on just seven hits \u2014 with four runs coming directly off free passes.<\/p>\n Riojas wasn\u2019t dominant, but he was far from the primary issue. The right-hander battled through five-plus innings, limiting hard contact for stretches and giving Texas a chance to win. Still, a few well-timed Aggie swings \u2014 combined with some costly defensive lapses behind him \u2014 kept the game within reach for the home team.<\/p>\n The bullpen did the rest to secure the win for A&M.\u00a0<\/p>\n To its credit, the offense didn\u2019t go quietly. Robbins and Anthony Pack Jr. delivered back-to-back solo home runs to cut the deficit to one in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate and injecting life into the dugout.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the rally ended there, as Temo Becerra popped out to seal the loss.<\/p>\n Friday night collapses have become a familiar storyline for this Texas team. But fortunately for the Longhorns, they have a knack for responding, already bouncing back from a series-opening loss in three of four SEC series this season.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll look to do it again Saturday when Game 2 begins at 2 p.m. CT. <\/p>\n Sign up to\u00a0our free newsletter<\/a> and follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0X<\/a> and\u00a0Instagram<\/a> for the latest news.<\/p>\n![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01knxdez7nt8try1gyfk.jpg\" "\\"Texas")
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