Senior right-hander Ruger Riojas’ best season took a big blow on Thursday as the second-ranked Texas Longhorns lost 9-1 to the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, the second win in the conference for interim head coach Monte Lee and his team.
Rioja was efficient around the leadoff hit in the first inning, but South Carolina, the worst hitting team in the SEC, took advantage in the second inning with a four-pitch leadoff walk from the Texas ace. The Gamecocks got an early start on Riojas’ run, hitting a leadoff double on the first pitch of the inning.
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Riojas got a strikeout opportunity and then allowed one run with one out, nearly escaping the inning without inflicting any major damage. Instead, South Carolina quickly scored on a 1-1 single to shortstop that escaped Riojas’ reach. On the first pitch in a row, the Gamecocks took advantage of Borba’s lack of range compared to redshirt senior Temo Becerra, pulling the ball down the third-base line and beyond the reach of junior Casey Borba for an RBI double and a two-run triple.
In a midgame interview, Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagel wasn’t sure if Riojas was tilting his pitching as the Gamecocks ambushed the breaking ball, but the five runs allowed in the second inning came after the UTSA transfer had allowed just seven in 39.2 innings entering the game, making the frame itself the worst for a Riojas team that struggled with a dramatic weight gain late in last year’s season due to a serious illness. Losses and efficiency plummeted.
Riojas, who himself appeared shell-shocked in the dugout after the second inning, conferred with pitching coach Max Weiner and decided on a more fastball-focused approach, but it still resulted in another hit and the bases loaded in the third inning before giving way to freshman right-hander Brody Walls.
Walls and two other relievers, sophomore right-hander Jason Flores and redshirt senior right-hander Cody Howard, gave up a combined three runs over the final five innings. After pitching three innings, Walls had the longest outing of his young career, striking out four but also giving up two earned runs. Flores gave up a solo shot in one inning on the mound.
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Texas had six hits and 12 strikeouts and didn’t look threatening in the batter’s box, scoring just a solo shot by junior center fielder Aiden Robbins, but couldn’t get a critical hit, going 2-for-14 (.143) with runners on the field and going 5 with runners in scoring position. No hits were recorded in the at-bat as junior second baseman Ethan Mendoza stranded three runners and Borba left three more.
It was an especially tough game for junior catcher Carson Tinney, who struck out four overs and looked to be under pressure again.
Texas attempts to rebound with redshirt left-hander Luke Harrison starting Friday at 6 p.m. on Central SEC Network+.
