ARLINGTON — Cade McGee's two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning was the difference Tuesday night in Texas Tech's 6-4 win over Texas in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field.

The loss left Texas, seeded 10th, without any margin of error. The Longhorns (35-21) fell into an elimination game on Wednesday against Cincinnati (21-24).

"All season, we've had our backs against the wall a lot," UT infielder Jack O'Dowd said. "This is a situation that we've been in before. We just need to kind of lean on that experience and lean on how comfortable we are with our backs against the wall and just trust what we've done all year."

Both teams showcased some major-league power at the home of the Texas Rangers as O'Dowd and Jared Thomas and Texas Tech's Drew Woodcox and Austin Green all homered in the first four innings. Max Belyeu also contributed a two-run double during that span as the Longhorns and Red Raiders battled to a 4-4 tie.

Thanks to a home run-robbing catch by UT centerfielder Will Gasparino in the fifth frame, that tie was preserved until the ninth. With one out and a runner on board, McGee blasted a shot to left field that bounced off the foul pole.

That swing spoiled an effective outing for UT reliever Andre Duplantier II. Over four innings and 44 pitches, he allowed three hits and registered six strikeouts. Duplantier last pitched three innings in 2022.

Texas coach David Pierce said that he would have turned to closer Gage Boehm had the Longhorns led in the ninth. But with Texas wanting to save its arms and Duplantier throwing well, Pierce didn't feel like there was a need for a pitching change.

"He literally made one bad pitch (tonight)," Pierce said. "His cutter just backed up on him and the kid put a good swing on it."

Texas outhit Tech (32-24) by one, but six of UT's nine hits were split between O'Dowd and Belyeu. The Longhorns stranded 10 runners, including baserunners in scoring position in three of the last five innings.

"It's pretty obvious that it's frustrating," Pierce said. "You can credit them for making pitches, and we just didn't get it done."

Dating back to the 2022 Big 12 championship game, Texas has now lost seven straight games at Globe Life Field. The Longhorns also went 0-3 at Houston's Minute Maid Park this season.

Texas will need to find a way to win at an MLB ballpark by Wednesday afternoon. Texas and Cincinnati, which was beaten by Central Florida in extra innings Tuesday, have never played before.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Longhorns beaten by rival Texas Tech at Big 12 baseball tournament