In the eighth inning, the Texas baseball team found itself in a familiar position Friday: in prime position to score. With runners on second and first base with two outs, the tying run came to the plate.

Redshirt freshman infielder Trey Faltine walked up to the plate, after having homered earlier in the game, looking to keep his team’s chances of winning alive. With a full count, Faltine struck out swinging on a 94-mph fastball up in the zone.

The No. 3 Longhorns dropped a Friday game for the first time this season as they fell to Big 12 rival No. 11 Texas Tech 6-3 at UFCU Disch Falk Field.

“It’s a good test for the team,” redshirt senior outfielder Mike Antico said. “We haven’t been in that position before. I’m sure the (coaches) love to see how we react in that situation.”

Throughout the game, Texas struggled to bring home runners when they were on base. The offense managed to get on base in different ways, but they never could find a way to put points on the board.

The Longhorns looked like they were going to have a big third inning when Faltine hit a solo homerun, and they found themselves in a bases-loaded situation with only one out. The next two batters only managed to bring home one run as they ended the inning with two runners stranded.

The Texas offense just never really got going at any point of the game, and the Texas Tech team took advantage of its moments when the Red Raiders had runners on base. The Longhorns finished the contest with twice the number of runners stranded than their opponents.

“As an offense, we weren’t rolling like we usually do,” Antico said. “We really didn’t have that ‘get them on, get them over, get them in’ (mentality) tonight which has been the reason for our success throughout the season.”

For an offense that has been consistent down the stretch of the season, the Longhorn batters just never really looked comfortable over a period of time. They finished the contest recording more walks than hits and had two runs come from solo home runs.

With the offense struggling, there was only so much that the Texas pitchers could do on the mound. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Ty Madden got the start for his team and recorded his second loss of the year but was dealing with some discomfort, head coach David Pierce said.

“I don’t want to take anything away from an offense that goes out and earns it, but Ty (Madden)’s got a major blister,” Pierce said. “He just couldn’t overcome it.”

The Longhorns are now in a position that they have not been in all year. Antico believes that the next two games are going to show what the entire squad is made of.

“It really shows the character of the team (in) situations like this,” Antico said. “Adversity, failure, all that type of stuff will bring out the best in teams and players. It’s a good challenge for the team going forward.”