 "Photo: Eliot Meyer")
The Longhorns slipped into a funk this weekend at the Houston College Classic, but it looks like they worked themselves out of it.
A pair of errors plagued losses to Tennessee, and No. 13 Rice made Sunday's game with Houston important for Texas' psyche. The Longhorns responded with an 8-7 win over the Cougars and appeared to get back on track.
"It wasn't a slick, perfect game, but at the same time, it was a definite step forward," coach Augie Garrido said. "It revealed that we have character and the right attitude.
Texas' skipper said the win was huge for the team.
"I don't care how you measure this thing, players are taught to win," Garrido said. "How many times can you go into that locker room and tell them, 'Here's what you have to do to be successful,' and then you knock on the door and you fail, and you fail. It doesn't take long, and you run out of things to say."
The weekend was a learning experience for the Longhorns.
"It reveals where we are and what we need to do. We have the athletes, the arms and the skill to get it done," Garrido said Saturday after Texas' 10-4 loss to Rice. "It shows the separation in the teams at this point. The separation isn't in athleticism but where we are at this moment. We're not thrilled by what happened, but realistically, it reveals the truth about where we are and where [Rice] is - at least tonight. We've got a long way to go to be in championship form, that's clear."
There were a few bright spots for Texas (6-2) in Houston.
Cameron Rupp delivered a monster performance, earning all-tournament honors at the classic. The freshman catcher went 6-for-12 with five RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage in the Longhorns' three games.
Freshman pitchers Cole Green and Stayton Thomas both had impressive outings against Cougars. Green accumulated four earned runs in 6 2/3 innings but started the game with six one-hit innings. Thomas got the win with his 1 2/3 no-hit innings coming in the ninth and tenth.
Texas hopes to build on what they started Sunday. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2-5) is in town for a two-game series with the Longhorns beginning today. Texas can use the contests to prepare for its series with powerhouse Stanford next weekend.
The Longhorns are expected to start junior left-hander Riley Boening against the Islanders' lefty Jake Olier. Boening pitched two innings in his first appearance this year with three strikeouts and just two hits against Virginia Commonwealth.
Texas' series with Corpus Christi will be about correcting the things they were unhappy with in Houston.
"There's not anything that happened that can't be fixed, and I think it will be fixed," Garrido said. "I think we'll come out of this tournament a better team as a result. That's what this is about - to find out about yourself."
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