No. 2 Texas Easily Dispatches Incarnate Word in Midweek Win: Longhorns Notebook

The No. 2 Texas Longhorns (27-6) appear to be back to their winning ways in midweek games. After two straight losses, they beat the Texas State Bobcats last week and then took care of business tonight against the Incarnate Word Cardinals (16-17).

It was all Texas from the jump in this one, too. Roaring out of the gate, the scoring started early and often – including a pair of six-run innings in the second and third during the 16-4 blowout win against Incarnate Word.

On the mound, the Longhorns trotted out a bevy of bullpen arms. And aside from a three spot in the third, it was a strong showing to limit a Cardinals lineup that has been able to put up runs in bunches at times this season.

Three key takeaways from the Longhorns' win over the Cardinals

Texas Longhorns second baseman Ethan Mendoza celebrates after scoring against the Texas State Bobcats. | University of Texas Athletics

Offense gets rolling early

It has not been an uncommon occurrence for the Longhorns to start off slow offensively at the plate this season. This has been especially true in multiple of their midweek games so far.

Fortunately for them, though, that was not the case in this one. Taking advantage of free passes and passing the baton, they plated two runs in the first, six in the second and six in the third to jump out to a quick 14-3 lead.

They would add on two more thanks to solo home runs off the bats of Ethan Mendoza and Carson Tinney, showcasing just how potent this lineup can be when firing on all cylinders and everyone doing their job.

Can’t escape a crooked number

While the Longhorns beat the Texas State Bobcats 10-8 last week, it was as close of a game as the scoreboard indicates. Helping out Texas State in that regard was a pair of three-run innings in the first and seventh.

Against the Cardinals, the Longhorns again gave up another three-run inning. They allowed three in the third due to a combination of free passes, hits and an error on Aiden Robbins in center.

Though it didn’t ultimately come back to bite Texas in this one, this is a potentially concerning trend that it will need to stamp out.

Back on track in midweeks

On paper, midweek games are ones that teams like the Longhorns should win a bit easier than games in conference play. However, they’ve learned the hard way that those wins are not guaranteed unfortunately.

After back-to-back losses on Tuesday against the Tarleton State Texans and Houston Cougars, they righted the ship against Texas State. Keeping that good feeling rolling, they secured another run-rule in this one against the Cardinals.

Midweeks are not always the best determinant of how good or bad a team is. They are, though, a way to stack up wins and gain momentum as you head into conference showdowns over the weekend, which the Longhorns will be happy to do ahead of a tough weekend.

What’s next for Texas?

The Longhorns are back in action on Friday evening, as they hit the road to kick off a three-game conference series against the No. 18 Texas A&M Aggies.

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