The Texas Longhorns dropped Game 2 of their series with the Stanford Cardinal late Sunday night. As we expected, Stanford was a tougher challenge for Lebarron Johnson Jr. after a masterful performance against Miami.
On the other side, Stanford pitcher Quinn Mathews missed several bats on his way to 16 strikeouts on 156 pitches. The good news for the Longhorns is that they shouldn’t have to face Quinn Mathews in the finale. The bad news is that there will be a finale after last night’s 8-3 loss.
Highly regarded MLB prospect and Texas starter Tanner Witt steps into the pressure cooked situation for the Longhorns in the closeout game. Monday’s elimination game isn’t the first full-count, do-or-die scenario Witt has faced, and there’s reason to believe he’s up to the task.
Witt will need help from his offense after the lineup struggled in Game 2. In its 16 strikeouts, the team was seen swinging at several pitches outside of the strike zone. It’s unclear whether or not Texas batters were anticipating backdoor sliders, but the Longhorns showed little discipline at the plate for the game.
The final game of the series is set to take place Monday night at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. Both Witt and the Texas lineup will look to bounce back from struggling the last time both took the field.