Kyle Russell set the Texas single season record for home runs with his 21st of the year, but that was the only bright spot for the Longhorns last night. Texas dropped the game to the Rice Owls, 7-4 in Houston.
The trouble for Texas' offense started at the top, where Jordan Danks went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Danks, who entered the game with a .475 on-base percentage, creates all kinds of problems for the opposing defense when he gets on base (15-15 stolen bases on the year), but he never could solve Rice starter Chris Kelley.
Texas' pitchers, meanwhile, consistently struggled as well, giving up runs in six of Rice's eight innings at bat. Austin Wood, Pat McCrory, Keith Shinaberry, and Hunter Harris all allowed runs to score.
The Longhorns drop to 31-11 on the season and officially split the two-game series with Rice. Texas takes the diamond again this weekend for a three game series in Lincoln with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
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