Last night, the Texas Longhorns looked shell-shocked as they fell to the Georgia Bulldogs in their first game of the College World Series.
Despite starting ace pitcher Dylan Volantis on the mound, the Horns suffered a 7-1 loss to the Dawgs, sending Texas into the losers' bracket and Georgia to the winners' circle, for now. After the loss, Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle didn't hold back when breaking down the Longhorns' poor performance when it mattered most.
"From a defensive standpoint, that is the worst game we’ve played all season, which is super disappointing," Schlossnagle said.
Beyond the fact that they gave up seven runs, which simply isn't a sustainable way to keep your postseason hopes alive in Omaha, the Horns looked as sloppy as they had all year while they played the Bulldogs.
Bad defense spelled ruin for Texas baseball at CWS
Volantis hit four batters and threw two wild pitches that catcher Carson Tinney simply couldn't control, giving Georgia free base runners and free runs. The Bulldogs only actually earned two of their seven runs, additionally aided by three fielding errors from the Horns' defense.
Not to mention that on the other side of the ball, Texas couldn't connect their bats with the ball... at all. Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko had a complete game, earning 15 strikeouts and giving up just four hits, leading to the Horns' singular run in the top of the fifth inning. The Dawgs also only committed one error, playing nearly perfect baseball on defense.
"I was actually super impressed. In an era of baseball where there's strikeouts and emotional things happen in the game, I didn't see him, once, scream at our team or do anything that some of those kids do these days. I thought he was super professional and was outstanding," Schlossnagle said of Volchko's performance on the mound.
The usual suspects, Anthony Pack Jr., Aiden Robbins, Temo Becerra, and Tinney, all went 0-for-15 at the plate. Without their usually reliable power hitters connecting, the Longhorns simply couldn't keep pace with the offense that Georgia was able to produce.
Luckily, Texas has a chance to redeem itself when the Longhorns face the Alabama Crimson Tide in their second game of the College World Series. The Tide is coming off an equally shell-shocking loss, falling 9-0 to the Oklahoma Sooners in their Omaha opener. On the other side of things, Georgia and Oklahoma will face each other.
Also read: Jim Schlossnagle won't forget who built the Texas program he's taking back to the CWS
Schlossnagle confirmed the Horns would start senior, right-handed pitcher Ruger Riojas against Alabama on Monday in a game that would determine if Texas's trip to the College World Series would keep going or if the Longhorns would be heading back to Austin.
Texas and Alabama are scheduled to throw out the first pitch at 1 p.m. CT on Monday, June 15, followed by the matchup between the Bulldogs and the Sooners. If the Longhorns lose to the Crimson Tide, their season would be over. If they win, they would face the loser of Oklahoma-Georgia in yet another elimination game.
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