In the bottom of the ninth inning, down by two runs, graduate infielder Kimble Schuessler stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. With a step and a swing, Schuessler made contact with the ball, aiming to hit it towards the right side of the outfield.
However, Texas State freshman infielder Dawson Park, with a jump and a catch, prevented the ball from ever making it to the outfield. With Dawson’s catch claiming the third out, No. 5 Texas baseball was defeated on Tuesday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
“A lot of bad at-bats early and in the middle of the game,” said head coach Jim Schlossnagle. “(We) had the opportunity to stretch the lead but didn’t do it with the top of the order. And when you let people hang around, you leave yourself open to the bounce of the ball, and that’s what happened.”
The Longhorns looked to maintain control of the game early on through their pitcher’s performance. Sophomore Kade Bing led the charge from the mount, pitching until the seventh inning. The transfer threw 81 pitches, producing zero hits, 50 strikes and two strikeouts.
“I feel like my performance went pretty well,” Bing said. “I just went out there, just focusing on having fun, dominating the zone and just treating every pitch like it was my last. I feel like everything was working. I feel like whenever I stay confident with it and just do my thing, it works pretty well.”
Despite Bing’s no-hitter performance, Texas State managed to score a run when freshman left fielder Caden Baker was walked during his at-bat. Baker eventually made it back to home plate to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead. The Longhorns quickly equalized the score when sophomore center fielder Will Gasparino hit a home run to center field.
Freshman Jason Flores came in for Bing in the seventh inning, with a tied score and one out on the board. The pitcher immediately got to work, causing redshirt senior designated hitter Austin Eaton to hit a flyout. Flores claimed the third strike of the inning when he struck out redshirt sophomore infielder Justin Vossos. The Longhorns carried this momentum into the bottom of the inning, with freshman catcher Cole Chamberlain hitting a double and scoring on a balk from the pitcher.
Flores began the eighth inning by striking out freshman outfielder Caden Baker and sophomore outfielder Samson Pugh. However, Texas State sophomore infielder Ryne Farber hit a double and an error from Gasparino led to the Bobcats’ tying the game.
“I drop-stepped and going back, I wasn’t really sure where I was or how close I was to the wall,” Gasparino said. “At the end of the day, I catch that ball 10 out of 10 times, usually. It’s just baseball.”
The Bobcats gained control of the game in the eighth inning, scoring three more times, and with the Longhorns not scoring in the bottom of the inning, went into the ninth leading 5-2. Sophomore outfielder Tommy Farmer IV scored in the ninth inning for the Longhorns, but the comeback effort came too late.
Texas baseball returns to Disch-Falk Field on Friday to kick off its weekend series versus No. 3 Georgia. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“Nothing changes when you’re facing a great team,” Schlossnagle said. “The kids played hard, and they’ll be ready to go this weekend, facing a top-five team in the country. There’ll be a lot of great players on the field.”
