Texas ended its non-conference schedule in a much better way than it began by taking four of its six games during the break, including three over-ranked opponents.
"Our adjustments started a month ago, and now we're getting a sense of harmony," head coach Augie Garrido said Tuesday.
The No. 18 Longhorns also began league play over the break by facing an unranked Red Raiders squad in Lubbock on Friday and Saturday. However, the teams were unable to decide the weekend series. According to Big 12 regulations, a conference series must end 72 hours after the start of the first game. Therefore, Saturday's rubber game was canceled due to inclement weather after Texas (15-10, 1-1 Big 12) and Texas Tech split the first two.
The split reflects how even both games were, as one run in the final three innings won both contests.
The Longhorns were unable to win the pitching duel on Saturday, as Tech's starter Miles Morgan went the full nine innings while shutting down Texas with a career-high 15 strikeouts.
Kyle McCulloch was on top of his game for Texas too, as he sat the Raiders down in order through the first three innings and worked out of some jams.
But Morgan's career day was too much, as the Longhorns were unable to respond to Tech's final run in the bottom of the seventh. The 2-1 loss broke the Longhorns' three-game win streak and was the first loss to the Red Raiders since March 30, 2003.
Friday's contest came down to a fly ball in the ninth inning. Carson Kainer came through for the Longhorns during their last go-round by lifting a sacrifice to right, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
That run was the left fielder's last of three RBIs during the win, including a two-run double that gave Texas its first lead of the series. Kainer knocked in all but one of the Longhorns' runs Friday as they opened up Big 12 play with a 4-3 win.
That game was Kainer's last in what was a blistering four-game run over the break, starting on March 11 in Texas' second game against then-No. 22 Long Beach State. During that span, Kainer notched nine RBIs off of 10 hits while crossing home six times. Texas won the series with Long Beach State, taking the first and third games.
Kainer's best performance came Tuesday against No. 16 Arizona State, as he was perfect at the plate and knocked in five runs. While those explosive numbers came from a change in Kainer's approach at the plate, it was nothing new for the junior.
"I went back to the way I was batting my freshman year," Kainer said after Tuesday's win. "I've shortened up, and I'm more concerned with making contact. That's the easiest way to hit."
With the 1-1 conference record, Texas sits tied for second in the conference with the Red Raiders, Kansas and Baylor - both behind Missouri - and opened up with two wins over last place Texas A&M.
The Longhorns started a new season Friday, one which might prove harder than their difficult non-conference schedule. Five Big 12 teams went into conference play ranked in Baseball America's top 25 - Nebraska, Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma and Kansas.
"The first 23 games are a buffer for what's to come," Kainer said Tuesday. "Big 12 teams have a way of keeping up with us in the standings."
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