Longhorns Notebook: No. 19 Texas Escapes Baylor With Series Win
The Texas Longhorns (26-12, 8-4) against the Baylor Bears (13-23, 5-10) in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 knowing that a series win or sweep would go a long way towards maintaining first.
However, while they did get their third conference series win on the season, the Longhorns will be happy to get out of Waco as quickly as they can and return to Austin.
A series win is a series win but it was one that the Longhorns likely feel should have been a sweep - and it should have been, as they blew a four-run ninth inning lead in a 10-9 walk off loss in game two.
Now, though, they are returning home for a brief five-game home stand as they look to not only hold onto first place in the Big 12, but continue to build their resume to be a regional host come June.
With the Longhorns set to return home for five straight games, here are three key takeaways from the series win over Baylor.
Ninth inning woes
As we mentioned earlier, there is little doubt that the Longhorns will be leaving Waco thinking they should have swept Baylor. They took the series opener 11-9, but it was a game that really should not have been that close. After putting up five runs in the ninth, the Longhorns bullpen turned around and gave up six before closing the door on the late rally.
It was even uglier in game two, though, as they headed to the ninth ahead 9-5 and ready for a series win on Saturday. That was where it went downhill, though, as they gave up five runs in the ninth and were walked off to set up what would be a rubber match on Sunday.
While they managed to not give up any ninth inning runs in the series finale, the Longhorns cannot allow six and five runs respectively in the ninth inning moving forward.
Offense stays hot
With the major struggles by Texas pitchers not named Lucas Gordon, it can be easy to feel down about how the team looks. However, the offense continued to stay hot at the plate and took advantage of a weaker Baylor pitching staff in crucial moments all weekend long.
The Longhorns put up 27 runs on 38 hits in the three-game series, having no trouble putting up runs when needed. Of course, the Longhorns moving forward down the home stretch will hope their pitching bounces back, but if the bats stay hot like this it'll take a large amount of pressure off the pitching staff.
Another conference series win
All things considered, a pretty win is much better than an ugly loss, especially when those pretty wins help you maintain first place in the Big 12. At the end of the day they will be happy to leave Waco having taken two out of three, even though it likely could have been a sweep.
There are only 12 conference games left for Texas, and the Longhorns having only dropped one of their first four series in conference play bodes well down the stretch. If they can stay hot at the plate and the pitching can bounce back from a shaky weekend, then the Longhorns are in prime position to bring home the Big 12 championship.
What's next for Texas?
The Longhorns return home to kick off a five-game home stand on Tuesday against the Abilene Christian Wildcats at 6:30 p.m. CT.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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