Carson Tinney’s Walk-Off Blast Saves No. 4 Texas in Wild Comeback Win vs Sam Houston

Tuesdays in college baseball are always a toss-up, and are really never a true reflection of a team’s capabilities.

Sometimes, they are won in blowout fashion. Other times, it’s excruciating no-shows. And, for the average viewer, the best-case scenario is usually a complete roller coaster of emotions.

Tuesday night was no different.

After falling behind early, storming back, surrendering the lead again and staring down another frustrating midweek collapse, No. 4 Texas secured its eighth midweek victory of the season with a dramatic 15-14 win over Sam Houston after Carson Tinney launched a 463-foot, two-run walk-off home run in the ninth inning.

“Certainly a positive,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “After having a tight one against (Vanderbilt), and then tonight being down 8-3, taking the lead, getting it back on one swing … Just one of those games. I’m glad we won.”

Winter struggles again; bats rebound

Texas junior first baseman Casey Borba celebrates a home run against the Texas State Bobcats. | Texas Athletics

Freshman right-hander Michael Winter made his second straight start but once again struggled to throw strikes, lasting just one-third of an inning before being pulled. Winter allowed two hits, walked a batter, hit another and gave up two earned runs as Sam Houston jumped ahead early.

Sam Houston catcher Wes Baker quickly became the biggest problem for the Longhorns.

After an RBI double from Nathan Fink helped extend the lead, Baker crushed a grand slam to right field in the third inning, blowing the game open and giving the Bearkats an 8-2 advantage.

Texas chipped away from there.

Tinney delievered a solor homer before the Longhorns loaded the bases and Casey Borba delivered the biggest swing of his month.

Borba crushed a three-run homer to left field — his first since March 31 — to suddenly pull Texas within one. After hitting nine home runs in March, Borba had gone 47 at-bats in April without leaving the yard.

“He’s been struggling, but he’s been working hard, and the game rewarded tonight,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m just really happy to see like 1,000 pounds fall off his back.”

Aiden Robbins then led off the sixth with his 18th home run of the season to tie the game before Mendoza ripped a two-run double to give Texas its first lead of the night at 11-9.

Then, because Texas can seemingly never make things easy, Baker struck again.

The freshman catcher launched his second three-run homer of the night off reliever Brett Crossland in the seventh inning, putting Sam Houston right back in front. Baker finished with seven RBIs and nearly stole the game by himself.

After Anthony Pack Jr. scored on Temo Becerra’s two-out RBI single in the eighth to tie things again, Kirby Orth answered with a two-run shot the ninth to give Sam Houston a 14-12 lead and put Texas down to its final three outs.

The next sequence proved favorable for the Longhorns.

After Aiden Robbins lined an RBI single to cut the deficit to one, Tinney delivered the defining swing of the night, sending a first-pitch slider deep to left field for the walk-off winner.

Texas used seven different pitchers Tuesday night, and only Kade Bing — who recorded the final two outs of the ninth — did not allow an earned run.

“I didn’t think the pitching was that bad,” Schlossnagle said. “It was just big swings. We gave up three huge swings in the game — the grand slam, the three-run homer and then the two-run homer.”

It was far from the clean midweek tune-up Texas hoped for before another SEC weekend, but the Longhorns escaped with a win nonetheless.

Texas will host No. 10 Mississippi State this weekend for a three-game series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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