The No. 4 Texas Longhorns and No. 10 Mississippi State Bulldogs are heading for a decisive Sunday series finale at UFCU Disch-Falk Field after Brian O\u2019Connor\u2019s team took advantage of the Longhorns bullpen and Texas couldn\u2019t come up with game-changing, two-out hits.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe obviously left a ton of guys on base, but they were all with two outs \u2014 I don\u2019t think we had a runner at third base with less than two outs, and so you\u2019re counting on a timely hit. And the difference in the game was the swings they got with two outs,\u201d Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said.<\/p>\n
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In an attempt to keep senior right-hander Ruger Riojas fresh for the postseason, Schlossnagle removed the UTSA transfer after five innings and 71 pitches even though Riojas was still throwing at a high level, allowing one run on three hits and commanding his pitches well enough to strike out seven batters without allowing a walk, hitting a batter, or throwing a wild pitch.<\/p>\n
The move to freshman right-hander Brett Crossland worked well in the sixth inning when the 6\u20195, 255-pounder struck out the side. In the seventh, Crossland was able to work around hitting the leadoff batter by immediately inducing a double play, but hitting the next batter in an 0-2 count ultimately proved catastrophic for Texas when junior right-hander Thomas Burns came on and gave up an RBI single on a 1-2 pitch and then had a 1-1 fastball down and in to Drew Wyers launched over the left-field fence for a three-run home run.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs scored two more runs in the eighth inning, both credited to sophomore right-hander Jason Flores, who allowed a leadoff walk and a first-pitch single. After freshman right-hander Brody Walls entered the game, a wild pitch allowed both runners to advance, setting up an RBI groundout and a run-scoring double that put the Horns in a 7-1 hole.<\/p>\n
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Despite the struggles in the bullpen, Schlossnagle isn\u2019t worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the bullpen has a bad day, does that make it a concern? I mean, it doesn\u2019t to me, it may to you, but they\u2019re not going to be perfect,\u201d Schlossnagle said. \u201cSo, I mean, that\u2019s our bullpen those guys. Burns has been awesome about four or five times in a row. I mean, yeah, it\u2019s not a concern in any form, to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Texas threatened for the first time in the fourth, it was with two outs, so when junior designated hitter Ashton Larson grounded out to short on the first pitch he saw, it negated the two singles that preceded his at bat.<\/p>\n