For the first time this young season, top-ranked Texas baseball faced late-game pressure. 

Holding a one-run lead against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the bottom of the ninth, head coach David Pierce brought in sophomore pitcher Aaron Nixon to close the game. Despite the pressure, Nixon delivered two straight strikeouts and an eventual groundout to seal a 5–4 victory at Whataburger Field.

Pitching proved to be the difference for the Longhorns against A&M-Corpus Christi. The combination of sophomore Lucas Gordon, redshirt junior Daniel Blair, freshman Luke Harrison and Nixon allowed just two hits on the night, and all four Islander runs were unearned. 

The cold and windy conditions in Corpus Christi presented difficulties for Texas in the field, with the Longhorns recording three errors on the night

Early on, it looked as if Texas would cruise to a victory. The Longhorns held a 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning, and Gordon had a no-hitter going up to that point. 

Then the Texas defense faltered. Gordon hit a batter, then two consecutive fielding errors allowed the Islanders to load the bases. 

After a groundout brought the score to 4-2, A&M-Corpus Christi junior Leo Markotic blasted a ball for a double that tied the game. Gordon’s first hit allowed on the night was a costly one. 

Although Texas scored fewer runs than it has so far this season, the offense came in clutch in the seventh inning when it mattered. Redshirt sophomore Silas Ardoin hit a single to lead off the inning. He then used a passed ball to advance to second before advancing further on two straight fly outs to score what would ultimately be the game’s winning run. 

Ardoin finished with three hits on the night, continuing his hot offensive start to the season.

Texas baseball heads to UFCU Disch-Falk Field with an unblemished 5–0 record to begin a three-game weekend series against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday.