The University of Texas baseball team extended its losing streak to four games with a 3-2 home loss Tuesday night to Texas State. Texas had the weekend off following a three-game sweep at West Virginia last week, but the ‘Horns were unable to regroup as Texas State capitalized on three UT errors.
“I think we have to work on (the players’) attitude,” Texas head coach Augie Garrido said. “The losing has piled up on them. The losing is a pretty big demon that robs you of your confidence if you don’t have the mental toughness.”
UT fell behind, 1-0, after a Texas State leadoff home run to left field off Texas sophomore starter Connor Mayes. But the Longhorns regained the lead when freshman left fielder Tyler Rand smacked a two-run RBI double, giving Texas a 2-1 advantage. UT held the lead until the seventh inning. A failed pickoff attempt and a wild pitch put a Bobcat runner on third, after which Texas State third baseman Mickey Scott tied the game, 2-2, with an RBI single.
Yet another failed pickoff attempt and a fielding error by sophomore right fielder Patrick Mathis allowed the winning run to score for Texas State in the eighth, and the UT bats went silent for the final two innings. Garrido said sloppy defense has been a huge factor in Texas’ struggles this season.
“(Fielding errors) have been way too consistent,” Garrido said. “We hoped for a solution because we’ve always had strong pitching and good defense, and that’s been an ongoing problem. We have the lowest fielding percentage and the weakest defensive statistics we’ve had in many years.”
The Longhorns are running out of time to find a solution. UT plays its final series of the season this weekend in Austin against Baylor before the Big 12 championship begins May 25, presenting the team with one more chance – a chance that would require an outstanding performance.
“The coaches are going to have to really continue to try to keep (the players) recognizing what their opportunities are,” Garrido said. “The opportunities are to win the games with Baylor, get into the tournament and win the tournament. That’s where the opportunity for the 2016 baseball team is. There is no other opportunity.”
Baseball extends losing streak to four with 3-2 loss to Texas State
Blanche Schaefer 