Game #43: No. 1 Texas 6, Texas A&M 5
Records: Texas A&M (24-19, 8-13), Texas (37-5, 19-2)
WP: Grayson Saunier (1-0)
LP: Caden McCoy (3-2)
Save: Max Grubbs (5)
Box Score
AUSTIN, Texas — It was like having recurring nightmares.
Except Sunday’s was the most haunting of the three.
Despite leading by multiple runs on multiple occasions, Texas A&M fell 6-5 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field as No. 1 Texas completed an excruciating Lone Star Showdown sweep of the Aggies.
"It definitely stings," A&M head coach Michael Earley said. "Not what we wanted. We know the situation we're in. We've been knocked to the mat before, and we're going to continue to get back up.
"As tough as that is, especially playing here, we've got to move on. That's going to be tough for right now, but we're going to move on, and we're going to be fine."
A&M lost by a run on Friday. A&M lost by a run on Saturday. Sunday completed the trifecta.
Over the past few days, a lack of timely hitting sank the Aggies.
On Sunday, they seemingly tried handing the finale to their bitter rivals.
"There's no moral victories. There's no style points in baseball," Earley said. "You either win or you lose. It doesn't matter if you play well and get beat.
"We're a good baseball team. We're going to continue to be a good baseball team. We're going to continue to grind. We're going to continue to play close games. In the end, we're going to pull more out than we don't."
Currently, A&M is 2-5 in one-run games.
Sure, Adrian Rodriguez's eighth-inning homer off Caden McCoy served as Sunday's difference, but a moment like that only felt inevitable after A&M's best relievers melted down in a three-run sixth... or perhaps even earlier.
Starter Myles Patton departed with two outs in the inning, and A&M was up 4-3.
However, typically-reliable reliever Weston Moss issued three straight walks to load the bases before Rylan Galvan singled home a pair off Luke Jackson to give Texas a 5-4 advantage.
"Moss just had one of those games he hasn't had all year," Earley said. "He didn't have his stuff. I'm going to continue to go right to him. He just had a bad one, man."
Moss and Jackson combined to throw 32 pitches but only 11 strikes.
That relief futility blew A&M's second two-run lead of the afternoon, but the Aggies' inability to fully capitalize with men in scoring position also did them in... again. Across the first two days of the series, A&M was 0-for-15 with RISP.
Finishing 4-for-15 in the metric on Sunday, the Aggies still left 10 men on base, including two in the first, second, fourth and eighth.
"They pitched us really tough the whole time," Earley said. "We didn't get it done. Period. There's no other answer than that. We've got to be better. You need a few more hits. You need those hits in those key situations, like Wyatt (Henseler) got one, to win games like this."
Caden Sorrell had an RBI double in the first as Bear Harrison's run-scoring single completed a two-run first.
"It hurts," Sorrell said. "We were close. We played good, but not good enough this time."
Henseler drove in a pair with a two-out double in the fourth.
A&M's only other run was Sorrell's opposite-field homer in the seventh as he added a Superman-esque diving catch to a 3-for-5 day at the plate.
Yet Texas scored two in the third and pushed three across in the sixth to eliminate A&M's 2-0 and 4-2 leads.
"We lost by one run each game," Sorrell said. "The series could've been completely different with just two pitches, so we can compete with any team. We know that. Our confidence is good. Yeah, this loss stings a lot, but we'll be fine."
As they did the two days prior, the Longhorns got one more big hit. Rodriguez, a former A&M signee, just so happened to find the latest difference-maker.
And so, the Aggies will limp back to College Station.
After battling back into postseason conversation, another tall task is staring the Maroon & White in the face as No. 7 LSU comes to Blue Bell Park next weekend.
"Full confidence in this team and this group of guys in that locker room," Earley said. "We're going to bounce back, and we're going to keep fighting. That's not even a concern to me."
If the trip to Austin was something of a nightmare, A&M must wake up quickly.
Though nobody will be sleeping easily in Aggieland on Sunday night.
fightinag said:
Now that they are in the SEC texas beats A&M in football, texas beats A&M in basketball, now texas sweeps A&M in baseball !
Tell me why we should be optimistic !
MagnumLoad said:
It is very difficult to believe in A&M men's sports. Really hard.
Kamala is on texags?AgfromHOU said:
If you have to be convinced of anything, you don't believe in anything.
