The Longhorns continued their hot play at the plate Tuesday, recording double-digit hits for a third consecutive game in route to defeating Texas State 5-3.
Texas (15-9) jumped out to an early lead for a second straight game, scoring three runs on four hits in the first inning. Erich Weiss kicked off the scoring for Texas with an RBI single, with C.J Hinojosa and Alex Silver also adding RBIs during he inning.
The Bobcats scored their first of the game in the third inning on a two out, two run double by Morgan Mickan. They would tie the game in the fourth inning after a wild throw on a pickoff attempt by Texas reliever Kirby Bellow scored Cody Lovejoy. Silver put Texas in the lead to stay with an RBI single in the sixth inning to score Mark Payton. Texas would score another run in the seventh on an RBI single by Hinojosa.
Payton had three hits in four at bats to extend his career high hitting streak to 13 straight games. The junior scored two runs Tuesday and improved his team leading batting average to .430 on the year.
“We’re getting more experienced and more consistent,” head coach Augie Garrido said. “The easier parts of the game we’re making look easier and less clumsy than we did earlier in the year. The hard parts of the game [like] run scoring, that’s never easy but I think we’re becoming more consistent.”
Chad Hollingsworth came out strong in his fifth start of the season, retiring the first eight batters of the game before allowing a pair of two out runs in the third inning.
The freshman pitched three innings and allowed two runs on two hits, striking out one.
The Texas bullpen registered another strong performance, as it combined to allow just one unearned run in six innings. Cameron Cox picked up his second win of the year after striking out three batters in two scoreless innings, and Corey Knebel pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his fifth save.
The Longhorns’ next action will take place Thursday in Stillwater, Okla. when they take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their second Big 12 series of the year. Texas is 1-2 in conference play thus far.
