After the No. 10 Longhorns dropped a bit of a stunner to Air Force on Tuesday, losing 14-2, redshirt sophomore Trey Faltine wasn’t about to let Texas drop the second game of the midweek series.

In the bottom of the ninth in a tied 10-10 ballgame, Faltine stepped up to the plate at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The shortstop blasted a ball high in the air on a 2-2 count towards the visiting team’s bullpen for a home run, giving Texas the walk-off victory over Air Force on Wednesday.

After the game, Faltine said he drew inspiration from former teammate Cam Williams, who hit a similar walk-off home run in 2020 against Boise State.

“I remember my freshman year Cam Williams hit a walk-off home run out there and (today) was literally just like that,” Faltine said. “I kept telling myself that I was going to do exactly what ‘The Hammer’ did, so shout out to him for that.”

Loser of three of its last four games, Texas desperately needed a momentum-building victory against Air Force Wednesday evening. A walk-off win can do just that for the Longhorns, who head into a series against Baylor this weekend. 

Although the team’s record isn’t where he wants it to be, Faltine said he likes playing with his back against the wall.

“We’re a tough a— team,” Faltine said. “We’re competitors, so we are equipped for this. We know what we can do, and we’ll come out and play the game every day no matter what.”

After an RBI single from redshirt senior Skyler Messinger brought the score to 8-1 in the second inning, it looked as though Texas would cruise to a blowout victory.

But the Falcons then quickly responded by launching two home runs, two doubles and a single to score five runs in the third inning. 

It was not long before the Longhorns and Falcons were back to trading offensive blows. After the big offensive third inning from Air Force, the Longhorns managed to piece together a single run in both the fifth and sixth inning. In the seventh inning, Air Force blasted back-to-back solo home runs off of redshirt junior Coy Cobb to bring the score to 10-8. 

In the top of the ninth, Air Force pieced together a comeback off of a solo home run and a bunt single to tie the game and force the bottom of the ninth. Throughout the night, Air Force totaled 17 hits and six home runs.

Assistant coach Philip Miller, who took over coaching duties after head coach David Pierce was ejected in the seventh inning, said he is glad the team can celebrate the victory because winning is not easy.

“You have to take every one,” Miller said. “Every (win) is kind of like a little story, and each one’s different. It’s definitely encouraging to see these guys rallying around each other right there.”