Texas baseball’s 16-game start ended in heartbreak as Ole Miss rallied late and escaped Austin with a dramatic 9-8 extra-inning win.
Texas baseball finally blinked Friday night. After ripping through the first month of the season unbeaten, the No. 2 Longhorns saw their 16-game winning streak snapped by Ole Miss, falling 9-8 in a wild 11-inning battle at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
It was the first loss of the season for Texas (16-1, 0-1 SEC) and a reminder that life in the SEC rarely comes easy.
For much of the night, the Longhorns looked like they would keep the perfect start rolling.
Texas brought the offense early with three home runs that electrified the Austin crowd. Ethan Mendoza got the party started with a three-run blast in the third inning, tying the game and shifting momentum.
One inning later, Casey Borba kept his scorching stretch alive by launching his fifth home run in five games, briefly giving Texas control.
The biggest swing came in the eighth when Anthony Pack Jr. crushed a three-run homer, his fourth of the season, stretching the Longhorns’ lead to 7-3 and putting Texas within striking distance of its 17th straight win.
Then the game flipped. Ole Miss stormed back late, and the defining blow came when Tristan Bissetta launched a go-ahead grand slam, stunning the crowd and putting the Rebels back in front.
Texas refused to go quietly, though. With the Longhorns down to their final strike in the ninth inning, Temo Becerra delivered a clutch RBI single to tie the game and force extras.
The drama stretched deep into the night during a marathon 4-hour, 34-minute showdown.
In the 11th inning, Texas had one final opportunity with the tying run aboard, but Ole Miss reliever Landon Waters slammed the door with a strikeout, ending the comeback bid.
Reliever Tyler Rabe earned the win for the Rebels after striking out five across two innings, while Texas right-hander Brett Crossland took the loss after a hit batter eventually came around to score the decisive run.
The Longhorns will try to bounce back quickly Saturday afternoon as the series continues in Austin.
After a historic start, Texas baseball just got its first real taste of SEC chaos.