No. 4 Texas Bounces Back, Beats Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Longhorns Notebook

The best way to flush a bad series loss is to come back and take care of business in your next midweek game. This was the mindset for the No. 4 Texas Longhorns (28-7) in their Tuesday night showdown against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (16-20).

After a disappointing showing against Texas A&M, the Longhorns looked for a bounce back win. At first, though, it appeared to be on track for another midweek upset loss as they trailed 5-0 after the first and then 6-1 entering the bottom of the third inning.

That would be the last run the Islanders scored until two outs in the top of the ninth. Between those runs, Texas woke up the bats in a big way to the tune of 13 unanswered runs -- which was complemented by a strong showing from Kade Bing and Hudson Hamilton in a 14-7 win.

Three key takeaways from the Longhorns' win over the Islanders

Texas Longhorns catcher Carson Tinney and outfielder Aiden Robbins celebrate together at home plate. | University of Texas Athletics.

Bing and Hamilton offer stability

Teams see their pitching depth tested in midweek games, especially during the thick of conference play. When Michael Winter failed to get out of the first inning, it appeared it was going to be a long night for the Longhorns staff.

Kade Bing and Hudson Hamilton had other ideas. The veteran duo combined for six innings and allowed only one run, settling things down on the mound in a game that looked like it was going to be another upset loss for Texas.

If the duo of Bing and Hamilton can continue to provide solid midweek outings, they could find themselves as key bullpen arms come postseason play.

Offense overcomes sluggish start

In what has been a recurring theme at times for the Longhorns this season,they started slow in this one. Entering the fourth they found themselves trailing 6-2. And then the bats finally woke up.

Overcoming the slow start, they plated four in the fourth, three in the fifth and four more in the sixth to take a 13-6 lead. Making matters even more impressive was the variety of the way runs were driven in, from sac bunts to extra base hits.

While a slow start is never ideal, Texas showed again that it can flip a switch and bury an opponent in an avalanche of runs at any given moment.

Carson Tinney stays hot

When the Longhorns landed Tinney out of the transfer portal this offseason, it was universally viewed as one of the biggest portal wins. It wasn’t hard to see why either, as he was a finalist for the Buster Posey Award last season.

However, it was a slow start for the catcher as he struggled out of the gate to start his time in Austin. That didn’t last long. Settling in for Texas, Tinney continued to swing a hot bat and went 3-for-5 with five RBI, including a solo home run.

On the season, he’s now hitting .325 with 13 home runs and 32 RBI. Turning things around, Tinney stays hot and will be a key bat as Texas looks to get to Omaha.

What’s next for Texas?

The Longhorns are back in action on Friday evening, as they welcome the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide to Austin to kick off a three-game series.

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