A bad series is going to happen at some point. That's how baseball goes, as no team can play perfect over the course of the long, grinding season. For the No. 1 Texas Longhorns (38-8,19-5) that time finally came against the No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks (40-9, 17-7).
The first two losses were ugly for the Longhorns, as they were outscored 15-1 which resulted in their first series loss of the season. They aimed to avoid a sweep on Saturday and at times appeared poised to salvage the series.
However, that would not be the case despite the offense finally coming to life. Pitching again struggled as it did in the first two, with their usually reliable arms all of a sudden struggling to command their stuff en route to a 13-8 loss and a sweep.
Now, here are three key takeaways from the Longhorns’ series sweep by the Razorbacks.
Pitching falters in a big way
Entering this series the Longhorns had dominated some of the best offenses in the SEC, from LSU to a scorching hot Texas A&M. However, that could not have been further from the case against the Razorbacks. Starting with Ruger Riojas, the veteran right-hander allowed nine runs which is a career high and more than his previous six SEC starts combined.
It didn’t get any better for Luke Harrison and the bullpen on Saturday. Five arms took the mound for Texas and while they held Arkansas to six hits, they allowed 14 free passes which led to five of the six runs scored. Sunday was more of the same, as they allowed 13 runs on 11 free passes and 11 hits.
A bad series is no reason to panic, but if the free passes continue to persist heading into postseason play then it will be a short appearance for Texas.
Offense not much better
While pitching has been the strong suit this season for Texas, there have been times where the offense has carried the load or made up for rough days by the arms. Unfortunately, that was also not the case in this series.
Through the first two games the bats managed only one run on seven hits, a solo shot from Rylan Galvan, while striking out a staggering 29 times. There were signs of life in the finale as they plated eight runs on nine hits, offering hope that the first two games are not indicative of what's to come.
Erase it and move on
Every team has a bad stretch at games at some point during the season. Even though the Longhorns had torn through conference play in their first seven series, they were due to stumble at some point. That series just so happened to be this one.
Working in their favor is the fact that they still have two SEC series left. What that means is they can still achieve the goals they set out to when the season started, beginning with a conference title. To do so, though, they’ll need to forget this series happened and bounce back in a big way.
What’s next for Texas?
The Longhorns return home on Tuesday to kick off a mini four-game homestand with their final midweek game of the year against the Lamar Cardinals at 6:30 p.m. CT from UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
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