Texas fails to overcome Indiana’s big sixth inning in 4-2 loss
February 26, 2023
Texas failed to secure the sweep against Indiana and dropped the series finale, 4–2 on Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The Longhorns were unable to recover from Indiana’s four runs scored in the sixth inning.
Following the defeat, Texas head coach David Pierce took his team into the clubhouse to talk privately before the players could begin their normal post game festivities of greeting fans and signing autographs.
Pierce said it is one of the most embarrassing losses he’s had since he arrived at Texas.
“I told them that I (wasn’t) in there to yell and scream at you, I’m here to make you understand that detail just lost you this game,” Pierce said. “If we play like that, we’re going to lose a lot of games.”
The Longhorns were hampered by their lack of success on the basepaths. In a span of three innings, junior Mitchell Daly, graduate student Porter Brown, junior Garret Guillemette and freshman Jayden Duplantier were called out on the basepaths. Three of which were thrown out when stealing by Indiana senior catcher, Peter Serruto, and Guillemette was thrown out while attempting to advance on a wild pitch.
While Serruto made strong throws to beat out the runners, some of those attempts should probably never have been taken.
“(When) we get put in those situations more, we’ll get more comfortable,” junior outfielder Dylan Campbell said. “But at the end of the day, there’s no excuse for it. We’ve all been playing baseball for a while.”
It was shaping up to be an excellent bounceback outing for redshirt sophomore pitcher Travis Sthele.
In his start last week, Sthele allowed eight runs to Vanderbilt in three innings. Although none of his runs were credited as earned for that contest, the righty picked up the loss for his efforts. A quality rebound performance Sunday against Indiana would go a long way for the pitcher.
For the majority of Sunday’s contest, Sthele’s start looked like a career-best. Sthele struck out six Hoosiers and, through a career-long five innings pitched, didn’t allow a single run to score.
Yet after allowing three hits and advancing a runner on a balk in the sixth, Sthele was pulled with two runners on base and the lead cut down to one run.
The following two relief pitchers each gave up a hit against the first batter they faced, ultimately giving Indiana a 4–2 lead that they would hold the remainder of the game. Despite Sthele starting the season 0–2 now, Pierce thought it was a performance he could build on.
“He’s throwing the ball really well and I thought he continued to do that today,” Pierce said. “He’s not a guy that’s going to be all tense and pumped up, he needs to be relaxed.”
With the loss, Texas falls to 3–4, and the Longhorns remain in Austin when they play No. 1 LSU on Tuesday.
