After two games of dueling it out defensively, Texas’ offense was able to wake up and make Houston pay for its poor pitching in the series finale Sunday afternoon.   

“We didn’t get a lot of hits, but we had 10 walks and five strikeouts, and I really like that ratio much better,” head coach David Pierce said. “It wasn’t the prettiest, and we’ve got plenty of work to do, but at the same time, winning on the road two out of three times is a good weekend.” 

The Texas baseball team never looked back after taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning, ultimately defeating the Cougars 8-2. They were led at the plate by redshirt freshman infielder Trey Faltine’s two runs, two hits, including a homer in the ninth inning to ice the game, and two RBIs. 

The Longhorns also had a great game defensively, led by redshirt sophomore pitcher Kolby Kubichek. 

Kubichek left Houston’s offense in shambles as he recorded a career-high nine strikeouts in six innings and allowed just five hits on 99 total pitches. Every time the Cougars were in scoring position, Kubichek stopped them in their tracks. 

Pierce was delighted with what he saw from Kubichek and the rest of the defense. 

“I thought Kolby was great,” Pierce said. “I really (think) our defense is continuing to play good, solid baseball.”

It was a different story for the Cougars, however, as their pitching unit allowed 10 walks. Houston repeatedly went to the bullpen and used seven different pitchers in hopes of stopping the high-powered Texas offense, but none were able to succeed. 

Houston’s offense wasn’t able to find success either, as Kubichek refused to allow Houston any wiggle room for a comeback. The Cougars were led at-bat by freshman third baseman Will Pendergrass, who had one run on one hit, including a double in the bottom of the second inning. 

Texas’ batting has been hit or miss through 12 games this season, as the Longhorns have had seven games with less than five runs and five games with at least eight. 

Pierce, however, wasn’t extremely worried about his offense. He instead emphasized the importance of the team’s play on defense as the key for them to win games. 

“Pitching and defense have to be the constant,” Pierce said. “If we do those things, it puts us in a position to have an opportunity to win the game.”

Texas looks to build on this dominant defensive showing as they head back home to play Sam Houston State University on Tuesday night.