Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Schedule note

It's official: the Horns will play a double-header against Alabama A&M on Wednesday, May 14th. Start time is 1 o'clock. The press release says the 2nd game will start immediately after the first ends but I suspect there will be at least a 30-minute break between games.

Posted by Joanna at Wednesday, 6:33 PM | Permalink

Monday, May 5, 2008

What happened to the Mighty Fine Burger promotion?

All season long we've been hearing about Mighty Fine Burgers at Disch-Falk Field. They sponsor the fireworks. We're told at least once each game that if the Horns manage to shut out their opponent, everyone will get a coupon for a free chili-dog (or some such) on our way out the gate.

All. Season. Long. During. Every. Game.

That's the kind of promise that they don't really have to worry about very much. In 2006, the Horns only shut their opponent out once at home. In 2007, three times. So, Mighty Fine gets lots of advertising without much chance of having to pay up. But, the promo people who deal with these things have to be ready for each and every game. Just in case. Right?

Last Tuesday, Kenn Kasparek threw that no-hitter. And, sure enough, amidst the celebration and fireworks, the public address announcer was ready and he told us to make sure we collected our vouchers (or coupons or whatever he called them) on our way out the gates. And, we hung around and sang "The Eyes" and cheered for Kenn and generally were happy as clams. And, we left. And, nobody gave us any vouchers. Or coupons.

And, I didn't think a thing about it 'til I was back at the park on Saturday and Mr. PA-man made his announcement near the start of the game about how if the Horns were to shut out the Bears, we'd all get some free Mighty Fine food. And, I thought back to Tuesday. And, realized that nobody was at the gates as we left. And, I thought that maybe we left too late. That maybe they'd run out of paper before we got to the gates. And, I thought about posting something. But, I forgot all about it again by the time I got home.

Until Sunday when, once again, we were regaled with tales of free food from Mighty Fine should the Horns blank the Bears. And, lo (!), the Horns blanked the Bears! Yippee! And, again, as people celebrated and started to leave, the big booming voice told us to be sure and grab our coupons on the way out. I was gonna be taking photos of kids running the bases so thought I might miss out. But, Esther wasn't taking photos so she decided to check out the situation. She went off to the lf gate (which is the gate we normally enter and exit the stadium) and: no coupons. So, she walked back to the 3b gate. And: no coupons. So she went 'round to the main gate behind home plate. And, guess what? No coupons.

So, what's up Mighty Fine? And, UT advertising/sales folks? We're told that the only way UT can afford to field a team is for us to listen to droning announcers making ad pitches during every break in the action and being assaulted visually by billboards and blinking signs. So, we play along. We cheer on the team. And, we listen. And, we watch as each new billboard shows up. And, we take it. But, shouldn't we get the little bauble that we're promised? Instead, we apparently only get empty promises. Thanks a lot.

The thing is, most people probably won't use the coupon. And, "they" know that. Chances are, I wouldn't use it. I know I won't be using that coupon from Shoe Carnival. I frequently decline the free bauble. I don't need another plastic doo-dad gathering dust at my house. But, dammit, if you go on and on all season long, and we have to sit there and listen to it all season long, the least you could do is stand by your word. Right? Bah.

Was it Mighty Fine's fault? Or the UT promo people? Who dropped the ball? My guess? The folks at UT who run the promos. For this promo to work, they have to make sure there are people manning the gates at the end of the game. And, they have to have the boxes of coupons ready. As soon as the opponent scores, that's one less thing they have to take care of during a game. But, when it gets late in the game and there's a big fat zero on the Visitor line of the box, they need to set their plan in action. They need to make sure there are people manning the gates...people with coupons in hand. So, was it them? Does it matter? Not really. Well, it might matter to one of the muckity-mucks at Mighty Fine. I suspect they don't want people thinking they don't live up to their word. Some muckity-muck in UT Promotions (or whatever that office is be called) might care...should any of 'em ever even hear about the problem. The right thing to do, of course, is for Mighty Fine (or UT) to mail two coupons per ticket to every season ticket holder. One for each game. That won't address the problem for people who bought tickets at the gate, though, eh? Poor them.

Sigh...

Posted by Joanna at Monday, 11:38 PM | Permalink

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Game 48: Baylor at Texas

Kenn Kasparek pitched another great game today. As Coach Garrido said in the post-game interview, you always wonder how someone who pitches a fantastic game will do the next time they go out to the mound. Would Kenn put too much pressure on himself? Luckily, he held up under the pressure and got his 3rd win in as many starts. Two of those wins came against the Bears! Today's game was what people refer to as a pitcher's duel. Texas scored a couple early and held on to win 2-0:

The starting line-ups:

    Baylor                       Texas
    ------                       -----
    Shaver Hansen, 3b            Michael Torres, dh
    Beamer Weems, ss             Travis Tucker, 2b
    Dustin Dickerson, dh         Jordan Danks, cf
    Adam Hurnung, 1b             Kyle Russell, rf
    Aaron Miller, rf             Russell Moldenhauer, lf
    Raynor Campbell, 2b          Brandon Belt, 1b
    Ben Booker, lf               Preston Clark, 3b
    Gregg Glime, c               Cameron Rupp, c
    Paul Miles, cf               David Hernandez, ss
    Craig Fritsch, p             Kenn Kasparek, p

Prevailing conditions at the start of the game:

The wind was coming in from the east (which is pretty unusual) for most of the game. It was about 73 deg. F at the start of the game and got up to 80.

Here's Kenn on the mound at the start of the game:

Baylor went 3-up/3-down in the top of the 1st: strikeout, fly out to lf, strikeout looking.

The Horns also went 1-2-3: Michael Torres grounded out to 1b, Travis Tucker grounded out to 2b, and Jordan Danks struck out.

For the last month or so (I first noticed it at the Texas State game at the Dell Diamond), the Horns have been getting together in a little huddle before they take the field defensively. Here they are getting ready to take the field in the 2nd:

Baylor threatened in the 2nd. Hornung flew out to cf:

Miller also flew out to cf. Campbell singled to cf and Booker reached on a bunt single (moving Campbell to 2b). Glime lined out to cf. Jordan made a nice running catch to kill the rally. Hmmm...all three outs to cf. I did not realize that at the time.

Happy to have ended up with a foul ball (during Glime's at bat, I think):

The Horns scored 1 in the bottom of the 2nd. Kyle Russell reached on a walk. Here he is diving safely back to 1b as the pitcher tried to hold him close to 1b:

Russell Moldenhauer then tried to bunt Kyle to 2b:

Alas, he bunted the ball too hard and right to the mound. The pitcher, though, made a bad throw to 2b, resulting in runners at 1b and 2b (E1). Brandon Belt (after fouling off a couple of bunt attempts) then singled through the right side, scoring Kyle and moving Russell to 3b. Here's Brandon swinging for that single:

Brandon stole 2b with Preston Clark at the plate. Preston went on to strike out. Cameron Rupp reached on a full-count walk. David Hernandez lined out to 3b and Michael Torres grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.

Baylor went 1-2-3 again in the 3rd: fly out to cf, pop out to ss, ground out to 2b.

Texas scored another run (the final run of the game) in the 3rd. Travis Tucker was hit by an 0-1 pitch:

Jordan Danks moved Travis to 2b with a sac bunt down the 1b line:

Kyle Russell struck out. Russell Moldenhauer then doubled down the lf line to score Travis. And, Brandon Belt grounded out to 1b to end the inning.

Here's a shot of a few people that sit in our section:

They won the HEB Tailgater prize before Saturday's game. Woo hoo!

And, the game went on...

In the top of the 4th, Dickerson grounded out to 2b, Hornung struck out looking, Miller was hit by a 2-2 pitch, and (after a visit to the mound by Skip Johnson) Campbell struck out.

In the bottom of the 4th, the Horns went down in order: Preston Clark flew out to cf, Cameron Rupp grounded out to the pitcher, and David Hernandez struck out.

In the top of the 5th: Booker lined out to rf (great diving catch by Kyle), Glime walked, Miles struck out, and Hanson lined out to rf.

In the bottom of the 5th, Michael Torres singled to lf and moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Travis Tucker. Jordan Danks grounded out to 1b (moving Michael to 3b) and Kyle Russell flew out to lf to end the threat.

In the 6th, the Bears went down in order again: Weems grounded out to ss, Dickerson struck out looking, and Hornung struck out swinging. And, in the bottom of the inning, Brandon Belt hit a 1-out double but was stranded at 2b.

The Bears went down in order in the 7th (for the 4th time in the game). In the bottom of the inning, the Horns loaded the bases (without benefit of a hit) but failed to score: David Hernandez struck out, Michael Torres walked, Travis Tucker struck out, Jordan Danks was hit by a pitch, Kyle Russell walked (loading the bases), and Tant Shepherd (pinch-hitting for Russell Moldenhauer) flew out to cf.

In the 8th, Hanson reached on a 2-out double to lf. He was stranded there when Weems grounded out to 2b. Great play by Travis Tucker to get the out. In the bottom of the inning, Cameron Rupp reached on a 2-out infield single but was stranded at 1b.

The Horns sent Cole Green to the mound to start the 9th:

And, the Bears kept things a little interesting. Dickerson grounded out to 2b. Hornung then singled past ss and moved to 2b on a wild pitch. Miller grounded out to 2b, moving Hornung to 3b. Campbell struck out swinging to end the game. Horns win!

And, another few photos...

Here's Hook 'Em dancing with some folks during the 7th inning stretch:

And, the kids running the bases after the game:

And, a few more:

And, the last bunch of 'em:

Posted by Joanna at Sunday, 11:26 PM | Permalink

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Game 47: Baylor at Texas

Sigh. I was so hoping the last two games were signs that the Horns had turned the corner. Did they? Current indicators make you wonder. Here's the line for today's game:

Austin Wood got the nod for the Horns. I was surprised at this news...until I realized the change was most likely made to give Kenn Kasparek an extra day of rest so he could start tomorrow. Austin and the Horns did very well into the 6th. The 2nd, 3rd, and 5th were 1-2-3 innings. Very nice. Through the 5th, he only gave up 2 hits (a double to lead off the game and a 2-out single in the 4th) with no additional runners reaching base. Alas, he got into a bit of trouble in the 6th, giving up back-to-back singles after getting the first batter of the inning to ground out to ss. After a visit to the mound by Skip Johnson, Austin coaxed a 1-6-3 double play out of the next batter. Very nice play...all around. I was rather surprised to see Austin return to the mound in the 7th. Sadly, he gave up a solo shot and hit a batter to start the 7th. After getting an out, he gave up a towering 2-run shot. Which finally prompted a pitching change. Relief pitching was not very helpful, alas. Stayton Thomas went in and walked two. Brandon Workman then went in and walked another before giving up a sac fly and finally ending things with a pop out to ss. Texas down 0-4 in the blink of an eye. In the 8th, the Bears went: ground out to ss, single, 4-6-2 double play. Not bad. In the 9th, after two quick outs, Brandon hit a batter and then walked another. After two quick outs. I did mention that, right? So, Pat McCrory went in. Pat hit a batter (1st pitch), gave up a 2-run single, and then walked a batter. So, Keith Shinaberry went in and got the final out. The Horns played error-free defense but did not appear to make smart decisions with respect to pitching changes. Sigh.

On the offensive side of things, the game was just miserable. The Horns loaded the bases in the 1st and failed to score. They stranded a runner at 1b in the 2nd. They stranded two (at the corners) in the 3rd. They went 1-2-3 in the 4th. In the 5th, like the 3rd, they stranded runners at the corners. In the 6th, they left one at 2b. They left one at 1b in the 7th. They loaded the bases in the 8th with no outs and only managed to get one across. And, then went down 1-2-3 in the 9th. Double sigh.

Texas loses 1-6.

I did take my camera to the park today, so, some photos...

Coaches Harmon and Garrido watch Baylor take infield practice:

Prevailing conditions as the coaches met with the umpires prior to the start of the game:

The wind was blowing in hard for most of the game. Of course, when Hornung hit that homerun to lf in the 7th, the wind was nowhere to be seen. It was 68 deg. F at the start of the game and warmed up to 73.

Austin Wood warming up on the mound before the game started:

Travis Tucker laying down a sac bunt in the 1st:

In the 2nd, the throw got to Brandon Belt before Ben Booker could get to 1b:

My friend Liz made it onto the "Fan Cam" on the scoreboard in the middle of the 2nd and didn't have a clue:

Jordan Danks laying down a sac bunt that moved Travis Tucker to 2b in the 3rd:

We watched this napkin fly up into the air, dance around, and then fly over the roof of the stadium:

Wind. Wind. Wind. It was windy. I included that photo for Bob, by the way. Hi, Bob!

Jordan Danks dives safely back to 1b in the 5th:

Russell Moldenhauer singled in the 8th:

The Eyes of Texas:

And, one last thing. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some steel posts had been installed over the rf wall. And, I figured the folks in charge weren't satisfied with all the advertising already adorning the stadium. Here's a shot of things a couple of weeks ago as Kyle Russell was catching a fly ball in rf:

Here's how things looked today:

So, yeah: not enough advertising before today. You don't suppose this is how they're gonna get rid of the busses over the rf wall, do you? They're starting at the rf corner and will slowly move their way around to lf? What? Me? Cynical? No way. That's not in the plans. Uh-uh. I'm being completely ridiculous. Right? I guess we'll see.

Posted by Joanna at Saturday, 10:26 PM | Permalink

Game 46: Texas at Baylor

I worked 'til about 7:45 and then went out to listen to some music by a couple of great singer-songwriters: Gurf Morlix and Slaid Cleaves. The Horns had just finished their big top-of-the-fifth (wherein they scored 4 runs after David Hernandez and Michael Torres made two quick outs to start the inning) and seemed to have the game well under control, leading 6-0, when I turned the radio off and headed into Threadgill's for a bit of dinner before the music. And, I'm happy to report that the Horns did not let me down. They went on to win 12-1. Chance Ruffin threw a complete game. He threw 150 pitches on his way to that complete game which makes me rather nervous. 150 pitches? Really? With the Horns ahead by 5 or more for the final 5 innings of the game? Wow. And, yikes!

Michael Torres did not get a hit tonight and it seems that things were looking a bit bleak for his 30+ on-base streak (he'd gotten to base in something like the last 36 or 37 games in a row going into today's match up with the Bears). He failed to reach through the first 8 (strikeout in the 1st, ground out in the 2nd, fly out in the 5th, fly out in the 6th, and a ground out in the 7th) but did reach in the 9th on a fielding error by 1b. So, the on-base streak continues.

Anyway, since I didn't hear most of the game, I'll just give you a couple of pointers:

• Ruffin mows down Baylor in Baseball's 12-1 win (from the TexasSports.com page)
• Box score and Play-by-Play (from the TexasSports.com page)
• Ruffin has 11 strikeouts in victory by Alan Trubow (Statesman)

Here's hoping the games in Austin go as well!

Posted by Joanna at Saturday, 12:57 AM | Permalink

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Photos from last night's game

My mom sent copies of the photos she took at last night's game. And, I'm sharing them with you. She suggested that I could put up "a big disclaimer so that people won't think you took the fuzzy photos." Heh heh. Consider yourselves (or should it be "myself"?) disclaimed. Some photos are better than no photos, right? I noticed that there aren't any photos on the TexasSports.com site so I guess they didn't have a photographer out there either. So sad.

Anyway, here you go...

First, a couple of Kenn Kasparek early in the game:

Michael Torres at the plate:

Travis Tucker at the plate:

Going through the "good game" line:

And, a shot of the scoreboard at the end of the game:

Thanks, Mom!

Posted by Joanna at Wednesday, 11:10 PM | Permalink

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Game 45: Texas State at Texas

No hitter!!! No hitter!!! NO HITTERRRRRR!!!!!!

Wow. Kenn Kasparek threw the 20th no-hitter ever thrown by a Texas pitcher tonight. Oh my. What fun. He was one hit batter (in the 7th) away from throwing the 3rd perfect game. The last person to throw a no-hitter for Texas was Adrian Alaniz in 2005 at home against the Sooners. Kenn faced the minimum 27 batters (a double play erased that hit batter). He threw 9 strikeouts. There were 12 ground outs, 3 fly outs, and 2 pop-outs (both in foul territory). Kenn threw 10 pitches to the first Texas State batter. That first batter and the last were the only batters to work the count full against Kenn. Amazing, eh? By my count, he threw 112 pitches in the game. Wow.

And, me without my camera.

Texas won the game, by the way. 11-0. Heh heh.

I don't usually do this but, just for fun, here's a scan of my scoresheet for tonight's game:

[Click for full image in new window.]

So...the line:

																			R	H	E
Texas State			0	0	0			0	0	0			0	0	0		-		0	0	2
Texas			0	2	2			1	1	1			4	0	x		-		11	13	0

Isn't that just the prettiest thing?

Here's how things played out:

• 1st inning - Texas State
• Kenn Kasparek on the mound for Texas.
• Field grounded out to ss.
• Randell grounded out to 2b.
• Goldschmidt flew out to rf.
• 1st inning - Texas
• Holbrooks on the mound for Texas State.
• Michael Torres (dh) grounded out to 3b.
• Travis Tucker (2b) reached on catcher's interference. That's the 3rd time in the last two games. Wow. The catcher (Theriot) was hurt on the play. He was hit on the back of his catching hand. The trainers looked his hand over for almost 10 minutes, wrapped it up, and he stayed in the game for awhile.
• Travis was caught stealing (2-6) on the 2nd pitch to Jordan Danks (cf).
• Jordan struck out.
• 2nd inning - Texas State
• Loftin struck out.
• Babcock grounded out to 3b. A very nice scoop and throw by Preston Clark on a slow bouncing ball.
• Witek popped out to 1b (foul).
• 2nd inning - Texas
• Kyle Russell (rf) singled to rf.
• Texas State sent a new catcher (Martinson) into the game behind the plate. Theriot's injury from the catcher's interference in the 1st inning apparently started to bother him too much to stay in the game.
• Russell Moldenhauer (lf) tried to bunt Kyle to 2b. He hit the ball too hard at the pitcher who fielded and threw to 2b in plenty of time to get Kyle out. Alas, the throw was not a good one and went on into cf. Kyle jumped on the opportunity and made it to 3b; batter safe at 1b on the error.
• Brandon Belt (1b) grounded out to the pitcher, putting runners at 2b and 3b.
• Preston Clark (3b) grounded out to 2b, scoring Kyle and moving Russell to 3b.
• With Cameron Rupp (c) at the plate, Russell scored on a wild pitch.
• Cameron lined out to 1b.
• Texas up 2-0.
• 3rd inning - Texas State
• Martinson grounded out to ss.
• Farrow struck out looking.
• Atwood struck out.
• 3rd inning - Texas
• David Hernandez (ss) popped out to 2b.
• Michael Torres singled to rf and then stole 2b with Travis Tucker at the plate.
• Travis grounded out to 2b, moving Michael to 3b.
• Jordan Danks singled up the middle, scoring Michael.
• Jordan stole 2b and moved to 3b on a passed ball with Kyle Russell at the plate.
• Kyle doubled to the rf corner, scoring Jordan.
• Russell Moldenhauer grounded out to ss.
• Texas up 4-0.
• 4th inning - Texas State
• Field struck out looking.
• Randell grounded out to 3b.
• Goldschmidt flew out to cf.
• 4th inning - Texas
• Brandon Belt flew out to lf.
• Preston Clark singled up the middle.
• Cameron Rupp was hit by a pitch, moving Preston to 2b.
• David Hernandez struck out.
• Michael Torres singled to lf, scoring Preston and moving Cameron to 2b.
• Travis Tucker grounded out to ss.
• Texas up 5-0.
• 5th inning - Texas State
• Loftin grounded out to 2b.
• Babcock grounded out to 3b.
• Witek struck out.
• 5th inning - Texas
• Texas State sent Borski to the mound.
• Jordan Danks flew out to lf.
• Kyle Russell hit a TOWERING homerun into the Texas bullpen.
• Russell Moldenhauer flew out to cf.
• Brandon Belt grounded out to 2b.
• Texas up 6-0.
• 6th inning - Texas State
• Martinson grounded out to the pitcher.
• Farrow struck out.
• Atwood grounded out to 2b.
• 6th inning - Texas
• Texas State sent Boles to the mound.
• Preston Clark popped out to 3b. For a second, it looked like the ball wouldn't be caught as the third baseman and the shortstop converged on the mound while the pitcher tried to make sure he was out of the way. Alas, the third baseman did make the play.
• Cameron Rupp singled up the middle. The second baseman made a nice play to stop the ball and keep it from going into cf.
• Cameron advanced to 2b on a wild pitch (first pitch to David Hernandez).
• David grounded out to ss, moving Cameron to 3b.
• Michael Torres doubled to rf, scoring Cameron.
• Travis Tucker grounded out to 3b.
• Texas up 7-0.
• 7th inning - Texas State
• Field was hit by a pitch (3-1 count) to end the perfect game.
• Randell grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
• Goldschmidt grounded out to 2b.
• 7th inning - Texas
• Texas State sent Gaviglio to the mound.
• Jordan Danks flew out to cf.
• Kyle Russell singled through the right side.
• Russell Moldenhauer walked on 4 pitches, moving Kyle to 2b.
• After a couple of pitches to Brandon Belt, Texas sent Runey Davis to pinch run for Russell. I'd noticed that Kevin Keyes had gone out to warm up his throwing arm so it made me wonder if Russell got hurt somehow. I dunno.
• Brandon singled through the left side, scoring Kyle and moving Runey to 2b.
• Texas State sent Brundridge to the mound.
• Preston Clark reached on a 6-4 fielder's choice, moving Runey to 3b (Brandon out on the play).
• Cameron Rupp walked to load the bases.
• David Hernandez singled to cf, scoring Runey and Preston, and moving Cameron to 3b.
• Michael Torres singled to lf, scoring Cameron and moving David to 2b.
• Travis Tucker (9th batter of the inning) struck out.
• Texas up 11-0.
• 8th inning - Texas State
• Kevin Keyes went into lf (for Runey Davis in the line-up).
• Loftin grounded out to 3b.
• Babcock popped out to the catcher in foul territory (nearly in the Texas dugout).
• Fuller (pinch-hitting for Witek) struck out looking.
• 8th inning - Texas
• Fuller stayed in the game at 2b.
• Jordan Danks grounded out to 2b.
• Kyle Russell struck out looking after fouling off a couple of pitches.
• Kevin Keyes drew a full-count walk.
• Brandon Belt grounded out to ss.
• 9th inning - Texas State
• Martinson flew out to rf.
• Farrow struck out looking (3rd strikeout of the game for him).
• Gambill (pinch-hitting for Atwood) worked the count full and then struck out looking to end the game!!!!!

Pretty good, eh?

The big offensive stars of the day: Michael Torres who went 4-for-5 with a double, a run scored, 3 batted in, and a stolen base; and Kyle Russell who went 4-for-5 with a double, a homerun, 3 runs scored, 2 batted in, and 1 strikeout.

This was a very fun game. I really hope it bodes well for the rest of the season. 'Glad I was there. 'Sorry I didn't have my camera with me, though. Sigh...

Shout out to Sandy and Cindy, by the way! Thanks for stopping by.

Posted by Joanna at Tuesday, 10:38 PM | Permalink

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Game 44: Texas at Kansas State

Texas went with a new line-up today: (1) 2b Travis Tucker, (2) dh Michael Torres, (3) cf Jordan Danks, (4) 3b Preston Clark, (5) 1b Tant Shepherd, (6) rf Kyle Russell, (7) c Cameron Rupp, (8) lf Kyle Lusson, and (9) ss David Hernandez. Austin Wood started on the mound for the Horns. Lance Hoge started for KSU. Craig Way and Bill Little on the radio.

• 1st inning - Texas
• Travis Tucker reached on catcher's interference (E2).
• Michael Torres tried to bunt Travis to 2b but hit the ball a bit too hard at the pitcher. So, 1-6 fielder's choice (Michael safe at 1b).
• Jordan Danks doubled down the lf line, moving Michael to 3b.
• Preston Clark doubled to rf, scoring Michael and Jordan. It sounded to me more like a single with Preston moving to 2b on the throw home as they tried to catch Jordan but he slid safely, beating the tag.
• Tant Shepherd singled through the right side. Bill commented that the ball went off the first baseman's glove and then the second baseman's glove as they both dove for the ball. Preston scored on the play.
• Kyle Russell singled to cf, moving Tant to 2b.
• Cameron Rupp struck out.
• Kyle Lusson singled up the middle, scoring Tant and moving Kyle to 2b.
• David Hernandez (Texas batted around) struck out looking to end the Texas half of the inning.
• Texas up 4-0.
• 1st inning - KSU
• Cruz popped out to ss in shallow lf.
• Scott singled to rf. A sinking liner that Kyle almost managed to catch. He missed the ball but got up with it quickly enough that the batter held at 1b.
• Tenbrink flew out to lf (in the gap). Nice jump and run by Kyle Lusson to get to the ball.
• Scott stole 2b with Bloxom at the plate.
• Bloxom (switch-hitter) singled to rf, driving in Scott. He advanced to 2b on the throw home. At least it was a throw home this time (rather than a throw to 3b) that allowed the batter to take an extra base.
• King (switch-hitter) grounded out to 3b.
• Texas up 4-1.
• 2nd inning - Texas
• Travis Tucker drew a 4-pitch walk.
• Which prompted a pitching change. Justin Lindsey went to the mound. Lindsey's numbers: 4.50 era, 0-0 record, 10 appearances, 14 innings pitched, 21 hits, 10 runs (7 earned), 7 walks, 12 strikeouts, 3 doubles, 1 homerun, batters hitting .333, 1 wild pitch, 1 hit batter.
• Michael Torres squared to bunt and Travis stole 2b on the first pitch.
• Michael then grounded out to 1b (unassisted) to move Travis to 3b.
• Jordan Danks drew another 4-pitch walk to put runners at the corners.
• Preston Clark tried to get a couple of safety squeeze bunts down but fouled them both off. On the 3rd pitch, Jordan stole 2b.
• Preston went on to ground out to ss, scoring Travis and moving Jordan to 3b.
• Tant Shepherd flew out to cf.
• Texas up 5-1.
• 2nd inning - KSU
• Muenster (switch-hitter!) lined a single into rf.
• Wiley struck out.
• Muenster stole 2b on the 1st pitch to Dellasega.
• Dellasega lined out to lf.
• Jurica struck out swinging after fouling off a thousand pitches. Okay, maybe not. Here's how his at-bat went, though: (1) called strike, (2) ball, (3) ball, (4) swing and miss, (5) foul ball, (6) foul ball, (7) foul ball, (8) foul ball, (8) foul ball, (10) foul ball, (11) foul ball, (12) ball, (13) swing and miss. Geesh!
• Texas up 5-1.
• 3rd inning - Texas
• Kyle Russell drew a full-count walk.
• The pitcher threw to 1b (keeping Kyle close) at least 10 times during Cameron Rupp's at-bat.
• Cameron (as he tried to stay awake amidst all those throws to 1b) fouled off a couple of bunt attempts and was eventually hit by a 2-2 pitch, moving Kyle to 2b.
• Which prompted a 2nd pitching change. Tyler Ruch went in for KSU. His numbers: 11.81 era, 0-0 record, 5 appearances, 5.1 innings pitched, 7 hits, 7 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 homeruns, batters hitting .333, 1 hit batter.
• Kyle Lusson bunted down the 1b line and the first baseman made a great scoop and throw to get Kyle Russell out at 3b. Runners at 1b and 2b.
• David Hernandez singled through the right side to load the bases.
• Travis Tucker lined out to 2b. The second baseman threw to the ss covering 2b to complete the double play (Kyle Lusson caught off the bag). Wow.
• Texas up 5-1.
• 3rd inning - KSU
• Cruz singled to rf.
• Yelovich went in to run for Cruz and moved to 2b on a balk called against Austin Wood on his first pitch to Scott.
• Scott flew out to lf.
• With Tenbrink at the plate, another balk was called on Austin Wood, moving Yelovich to 3b. Austin and Coach Garrido both asked for clarification from the ump as to why he called the 2nd balk.
• Tenbrink grounded out to 2b, scoring Yelovich.
• Bloxom flew out to cf.
• Texas up 5-2.
• 4th inning - Texas
• Yelovich stayed in the game in cf.
• Michael Torres struck out swinging.
• Jordan Danks singled off the mound and through the middle.
• Preston Clark singled up the middle, moving Jordan to 2b.
• Tant Shepherd reached on a 3-6 fielder's choice, moving Jordan to 3b (Preston out on the play).
• Kyle Russell got ahead 3-0, watched a couple of called strikes, and then popped out to 3b (foul...the wind blew the ball back into the field of play).
• Texas up 5-2.
• 4th inning - KSU
• King reached on an error. The throw from David Hernandez (ss) was a bit high but Tant Shepherd should have caught it (E3).
• King stole 2b (5th pitch to Muenster). The ball was in time but Travis Tucker could not hold on to it.
• Muenster flew out to shallow rf.
• Wiley went down swinging.
• Dellasega singled to lf, driving King home.
• Skip Johnson made a quick trip to the mound to visit with Austin Wood.
• Jurica (13 pitches last time, remember?) flew out to rf (only 3 pitches this time).
• Texas up 5-3.
• 5th inning - Texas
• Chase Bayuk to the mound for KSU. His numbers: 7.53 era, 1-4 record, 13 appearances (6 starts), 1 save, 28.2 innings pitched, 39 hits, 26 runs (24 earned), 16 walks, 23 strikeouts, 6 doubles, 2 homeruns, batters hitting .325, 1 wild pitch, 1 hit batter, 3 balks. Craig said he remembered Bayuk being a crafty left-hander from last year's series.
• Cameron Rupp hit a come-backer to the pitcher, out 1-3 on the play.
• Kyle Lusson flew out to rf.
• David Hernandez popped out to 2b.
• 1-2-3 inning. Damn. Texas up 5-3.
• 5th inning - KSU
• Brandon Belt went to 1b for the Horns. I did not hear Craig or Bill mention the substitution but it was reported on GameWatcher. I will freely admit that I kept tuning Bill Little out because he was going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and (you get the idea) about the Big 12 standings and what was happening in games around the conference. And, it just got to the point that I just wanted to find a way to shut him up!!! I do like Bill Little but when he starts going on about all the minutia ("If they win the next two, and then [blah blah blah] they might end up in 5th but if they lose the next two and [blah blah blah] they'll probably end up in 7th, but if they split the next two and [blah blah blah] they might end up tied with...") my head starts to explode. It's all fine and dandy when he's looking at all the numbers spread out in front of him but it hurts to listen to when you can't actually see any of it and it's just numbers after numbers after possible outcomes after possible outcomes and there's absolutely no way anyone listening on the radio has a prayer of keeping up with it all. Anyway...
• Yelovich grounded out to the pitcher.
• Scott popped out to 2b (in shallow cf).
• Tenbrink popped out to 3b down the line. Great play by Preston Clark to catch the ball over his shoulder. Excellent!
• 1-2-3 inning. Why does this one make me happy...unlike the one in the top of the inning? Heh. Texas up 5-3.
• 6th inning - Texas
• Travis Tucker popped out to ss in shallow lf.
• Michael Torres singled to the gap (Craig did not specify which gap but GameWatcher said left center).
• Jordan Danks hit into a 4-6 fielder's choice.
• Preston Clark walked on 4 pitches.
• Brandon Belt (it became clear at this point that Craig and Bill did not see Brandon go in at 1b in the 5th because they announced him as a pinch hitter) was left at the plate when the Wildcats managed to catch Jordan Danks stealing 3b. That's the 2nd time in his Texas career that Jordan has been caught stealing, both times on field turf. Hmmmm...
• 6th inning - KSU
• Bloxom flew out to lf.
• King went down swinging.
• Muenster grounded out to the pitcher.
• Another 1-2-3 inning! Texas up 5-3.
• 7th inning - Texas
• Brandon Belt doubled to the lf corner.
• So KSU sent Trevor Hurley to the mound. His numbers: 6.35 era, 0-2 record, 18 appearances (no starts), 1 save, 22.2 innings pitched, 21 hits, 18 runs (16 earned), 11 walks, 26 strikeouts, 4 doubles, 3 homeruns, batters hitting .256, 3 wild pitches, 3 hit batters.
• Kyle Russell flew out to rf at the warning track. Brandon tagged up and moved to 3b.
• Russell Moldenhauer (pinch hitting for Cameron Rupp) doubled down the line, driving Brandon home.
• Runey Davis went in to pinch run for Russell.
• Kyle Lusson lined through the right side, rbi. He made it to 2b when the right fielder had trouble with the ball (E9). The run is earned.
• David Hernandez reached on a 1-5 fielder's choice. On the play, Kyle broke with the crack of the bat and was unable to return to 2b.
• Travis Tucker reached on the 2nd catcher's interference of the day (E2). Wow.
• Michael Torres flew out to cf.
• Texas up 7-3.
• 7th inning - KSU
• Surprisingly, Austin Wood still on the mound for the Horns. According to Craig Way, he'd thrown 114 pitches going into the 7th. Kawika Emsley-Pai went into the game at catcher.
• Wiley (who'd already struck out twice) struck out looking. He was not a happy camper. Heh.
• Dellasega walked (first walk of the day for Austin).
• Jurica hit into a 5-4-3 double play!
• Not quite a 1-2-3 inning, but I'll take it. Texas up 7-3.
• 8th inning - Texas
• Jordan walked and was then caught stealing (2-4) on the first pitch to Preston Clark. So, he's now been caught stealing 3 times when trying to steal on field turf. He was successful once today, I should note.
• Preston Clark flew out to rf.
• Brandon Belt lined out to rf.
• Texas up 7-3.
• 8th inning - KSU
• Austin Wood still on the mound with 128 pitches.
• Yelovich grounded out (bunt attempt) to the pitcher.
• Scott fell behind 0-2, worked the count full, and finally drew a walk.
• The Horns then sent Stayton Thomas to the mound. Austin went 7.1 innings, threw 138 pitches, and gave up 3 runs (1 unearned) on 5 singles with 5 strikeouts with 2 walks and 2 balks. Good outing. It looked a little iffy at the start of the game but Austin seemed to be getting stronger a the game went along until he was into the 7th inning.
• [Aside: I had the Mizzou/Aggie game on FSN as I listened to this game. The Aggies jumped out to a 2-run lead and then Mizzou scored one and then tied it up in the 9th. In the bottom of the 9th, with runners at the corners and 1 out, the Aggies did not score. Extra innings for them. If Mizzou has travel restrictions we may end up with another tie in Big 12 play. Weird.]
• Tenbrink flew out to rf right at the fence.
• Bloxom reached on an error by 1b. Brandon Belt could not handle a ball hit to him behind the 1b bag.
• King hit a bloop single to lf. Scott scored (unearned) and Bloxom moved to 3b. Kyle Lusson appeared to hurt his throwing (right) arm as he dove for the ball. He was looked over by the trainers and ended up being replaced by Kevin Keyes.
• Texas also went to the bullpen and called Pat McCrory to the mound.
• Muenster popped out to 2b (behind 1b at the line).
• [In the Aggie game, Mizzou loaded the bases on a hit batter with 2 outs in the 10th but could not capitalize.]
• Texas up 7-4.
• 9th inning - Texas
• KSU sent Daniel Edwards to the mound. His numbers: 3.28 era, 2-3 record, 19 appearances (no starts), 7 saves, 24.2 innings pitched, 16 hits, 10 runs (9 earned), 11 walks, 30 strikeouts, 5 doubles, 2 homeruns, batters hitting .195, 1 wild pitch, 3 hit batters.
• [Kyle Colligan hit a walk-off homerun over the fence in front of the scoreboard to win the game for the Aggies 3-2 (bottom of the 10th).]
• Kyle Russell struck out swinging.
• Kawika Emsley-Pai singled through the left side.
• David Hernandez struck out looking.
• Texas up 7-4.
• 9th inning - KSU
• Wiley (3 strikeouts on the day) and batting .188 drew a 4-pitch walk. Sigh.
• Bunker (pinch-hitting for Dellasega) and batting .192 grounded out to the pitcher. Pat made it interesting by not being able to catch the ball cleanly. He did not give up on the ball and got the out at 1b. Yes. Wiley moved to 2b.
• Jurica reached on a 6-5 fielder's choice!! Great play by David Hernandez and Preston Clark.
• Yelovich was hit by a 1-0 pitch, bringing the tying run to the plate. Sigh... This team sure knows how to go about things the hard way, eh? Yikes.
• Skip Johnson made a visit to the mound when Pat fell behind 3-1 to Scott.
• Pat worked the count full and got Scott to ground out to 3b to end the game. Yes!
• Texas wins 7-4. Whew.

Wow. I'm so glad the team pulled this win off. They made it interesting, though. A little too interesting for my druthers, I have to admit. Deep cleansing sigh...

Coach Garrido's post game (very paraphrased) comments: Austin Wood used his veteran status to maintain control of the game. He competed on every pitch and gave a great effort today. We did let an inning turn around where we didn't get a bunt down. But, we kept at it. It was a must win day and when you've been losing, the "we've got to win" demon" climbs into the picture and makes it a lot harder to keep your focus and win those games.

And, now we look forward to Texas State at home on Tuesday, Baylor in Waco on Friday, and then in Austin on Saturday and Sunday. The Bears beat Texas State last week on Wednesday after losing to the Horns on Tuesday. They lost both games against Nebraska yesterday and are currently up 6-2 as they try to get the third game of the series in before more rain hits Waco. They are playing in the 6th according to GameTracker so maybe they're hoping the rain will hit soon. The Bears are 8-12 in Big 12 play going into today's game. The Bears are scheduled to play UT-Arlington in Arlington on Tuesday and Sam Houston State at home on Wednesday before their series with the Horns starts up on Friday.

Posted by Joanna at Sunday, 4:45 PM | Permalink

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Game 43: Texas at Kansas State

As usual for "away" games, this report is based on the radio broadcast. The Horns started with the same line-up as last night and Cole Green on the mound. And, went down in order to start the game. The Wildcats returned the favor.

In the 2nd, Russell Moldenhauer surprised KSU and reached on a 1-out bunt down the 3b line. Alas, Preston Clark and Cameron Rupp struck out to leave him stranded at 1b.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Bloxom reached on a single and was then erased on a fielder's choice (King aboard). Wiley singled through the right side, moving King to 2b. Muenster singled up the middle, scoring King and moving Wiley to 2b. After a quick visit to the mound by Skip Johnson, Vaughn singled off Cole Green's leg (ouch!) to load the bases. Cole elected to stay in the game. Jurica flew out to cf (sac), scoring Wiley. Muenster also tagged up and moved to 3b. Cruz grounded out to 3b to end the inning. Texas down 0-2.

In the 3rd, David Hernandez was hit by a 1-2 pitch and moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Travis Tucker. Michael Torres singled to lf. On the play, the KSU left fielder had trouble getting hold of the ball but David slipped a bit rounding 3b so went back to 3b. Runners at the corners with 1 out. Jordan Danks fouled off a few pitches, worked the count full, and ended up reaching on a 3-6 fielder's choice. David scored on the play. Which prompted a visit to the mound. Kyle Russell singled through the left side, moving Jordan to 2b. Brandon Belt flew out to cf. Texas down 1-2.

In the bottom of the 3rd, the Wildcats went down in order: ground out to 3b, fly out to cf, and strikeout. Nice.

In the 4th, Russell Moldenhauer started things off by flying out to cf (right at the wall). Preston Clark flew out to lf. Cameron Rupp doubled down the rf line. Craig Way and Bill Little had a good chuckle about Cameron sliding into 2b in a bit of an ungainly manner...speculating that the field turf messed him up a bit. David Hernandez flew out to cf, stranding Cameron.

In the bottom, King started things off with a fly out to lf. Wiley grounded out to 1b, unassisted. Muenster reached on an error by David Hernandez at ss. David tried to rush his throw and it went high, pulling Brandon off the bag. Muenster stole 2b (delayed steal) on the 2nd pitch to Vaughn. The throw was in time but Muenster managed to knock it loose as he slid into the bag. Vaughn walked. The runners advanced on a wild pitch but were stranded when Jurica flew out to lf. Whew.

In the 5th, Travis Tucker led off with a ground out to 2b. Michael Torres singled into cf. Jordan Danks was robbed by the ss who snagged a ball headed to ss. Great play as the ss then gunned the ball to 1b to catch Michael Torres off the bag. The ball was hit so hard that Michael had no chance to get back to 1b. Very good play as described by Craig Way.

In the bottom of the inning, Cruz flew out to cf at the wall. Scott walked. Tenbrink singled through the right side, moving Scott to 2b. Bloxom then walked on 4 pitches to load the bases. Which prompted a pitching change. In went Stayton Thomas. King hit the first pitch he saw from Stayton into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning!!

Kyle Russell started the 6th off with a full-count pop out to 3b in foul territory. Brandon Belt reached on a walk (full count). Russell Moldenhauer flew out to cf. And, Preston Clark popped out to 1b (foul).

In the bottom, Wiley grounded out off the pitcher (1-6-3). Muenster flew out to lf. Vaughn walked (he also walked in his previous plate appearance in the 4th) and then moved to 2b on a wild pitch. Sigh. Jurica grounded out to the pitcher, though, to end the inning.

In the 7th, Cameron Rupp started things off with a single up the middle and was moved to 2b on a sac bunt by David Hernandez down the 1b line (out by pitcher, unassisted). Travis Tucker grounded out to ss, moving Cameron to 3b. Which prompted a visit to the mound. Michael Torres then flew out to lf. Damn.

In the bottom of the 7th, Stayton Thomas fell behind 3-1, worked the count full, and then gave up a single to Cruz. The Wildcats sent Yelovich in to pinch run for Cruz. Yelovich then moved to 2b on a balk. On the play, Stayton stepped off to throw to 1b but Brandon Belt had charged toward home to cover the bunt. Stayton had nobody to throw to so the balk was called. Scott hit a sac bunt (1-4) down the 3b line, moving Yelovich to 3b. Texas then intentionally walked (sigh) Tenbrink...who went on to steal 2b on the 5th pitch (to take the count full) to Bloxom. Bloxom hit a ground ball to 3b. Preston Clark fielded and threw home to get the lead runner out. Mysteriously, the runner from 2b did not advance. King walked (full count) to load the bases. Enter the first part of the Texas three-step: Brandon Belt goes to the mound, Preston Clark moves to 1b, Pat McCrory goes in at 3b (taking the dh out of the game). Wiley singled to cf, scoring Tenbrink (remember that intentional walk?) and Bloxom. The throw went to 3b, allowing Wiley to reach 2b. (Can someone explain this to me, please? The Horns keep trying to throw runners out at 3b, not getting the out, and letting batters reach 2b on singles. I'm so confused by this behavior.) Enter part two of the Texas three-step: Pat McCrory goes to the mound, Brandon Belt goes back to 1b, and Preston Clark goes back to 3b. Muenster grounded out to 3b. Texas down 1-4. Damn.

In the 8th, it started raining. (By the way, there were some pretty big thunderstorms going through Austin during last night's game and it was kinda disconcerting listening to the thunder and rain outside while the Horns played away on the radio.) Craig and Bill started speculating about how long it would be before the game would go into a rain delay. Jordan Danks grounded out to 2b after working the count full. Kyle Russell flew out to lf at the warning track. Brandon Belt then flew out to the warning track in cf.

In the bottom, Pat struck Vaughn out looking. Craig commented that Kyle Walker was one of the pitchers warming up in the bullpen...which means he's apparently earned his jersey back, eh? Jurica popped out to 2b. Yelovich (who stayed in the game in cf after his stint as a pinch runner) grounded out to 3b.

In the top of the 9th (with Craig and Bill commenting that the rain continued but was too light to stop play), Russell Moldenhauer lined a single into lf. Finally chasing the starter (Hutt) out of the game. He pitched a really good game, going 8+ innings, facing 32, while allowing 1 earned run (to this point) on 7 hits (1 double) with 3 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 1 hit batter. Edwards replaced him on the mound. And, Runey Davis (also earning his jersey back) went in as a pinch runner for Russell. Preston Clark reached on a 6-unassisted fielder's choice. Cameron Rupp hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. Texas loses 1-4. Sigh...

Augie's post-game comments (very para-phrased): the KSU pitcher really did a great job, had good command of his fast-ball, kept it down, and had a good change-up to keep the left-handed batters off-balance. He does not have a bad feeling about the attitude of the team. The will to win is there...they just have to get out there an do it.

And, with that, I'm outta here...

Posted by Joanna at Saturday, 4:54 PM | Permalink

Game 42: Texas at Kansas State

The Horns fell behind quickly in the first game of the KSU series. Then caught up and passed the Wildcats. Then, added a couple of insurance runs. Good thing as KSU staged a rally in the bottom of the ninth and nearly ruined everything!

I was very tired last night after a long and stressful week at work so didn't try to keep score as I listened to the game. I actually didn't get home 'til the bottom of the 1st. I listened but did not keep detailed notes. I caught most of the important stuff, though.

The Horns played with the line-up a bit: (1) dh Michael Torres, (2) cf Jordan Danks, (3) rf Kyle Russell, (4) 1b Brandon Belt, (5) lf Russell Moldenhauer, (6) 3b Preston Clark, (7) c Cameron Rupp, (8) ss David Hernandez, and (9) 2b Travis Tucker.

Chance Ruffin got the start...and win. But he had a very shaky start. It went like this: fly out, hit batter, walk, hit batter (!!), strikeout, hit batter (!!!), walk (!!), fly out. Two earned runs without a single hit. Wow. Skip Johnson went out to talk to Chance at some point. Craig Way (working with Bill Little instead of Keith Moreland) commented at some point that he was rather impressed that Chance kept trying to get that breaking pitch over and kept hitting batters rather than just give up on it. Or something like that.

Texas tried to answer in the 2nd (after going in order in the 1st). Russell Moldenhauer reached on a 1-out single and moved to 2b when Preston Clark was hit by a pitch. Hmmm. 2 to go? Cameron Rupp hit into the 24th or 25th double play of the year turned by KSU. Bad luck.

King hit a solo homerun for the Wildcats in the 3rd. And, the Horns got a rally going in the 4th. Kyle Russell led things off with a solo homerun. Brandon Belt singled up the middle and moved to 2b when Russell Moldenhauer drew a walk. Preston Clark advanced the runners with a sac bunt down the 3b line. Cameron Rupp doubled the runners home. David Hernandez singled to cf. Cameron had to hold up to see if the center fielder would catch the ball so only advanced to 3b. Travis Tucker reached on a fielder's choice (Cameron scored). Michael Torres singled and Jordan Danks then hit into a fielder's choice to end the scoring. Texas ahead 4-3.

Chance hit another batter in the 4th and a fifth batter in the 7th. After hitting that batter and giving up a single in the 7th, Keith Shinaberry went to the mound for the Horns. Keith did his usual: got a double play. It was an unusual double play, though: Tenbrink lined to the ss who tossed to 2b to catch the runner from 2b off the bag.

Travis Tucker manufactured a run in the 8th. He reached on a 2-out single. He then stole 2b. A bad throw from the catcher let him reach 3b on the play. And, then he then scored on a wild pitch. Heh!

The Wildcats threatened in the bottom of the 8th. Brandon Workman went to the mound for Texas. Bloxom singled and moved to 2b when King walked. Both advanced on a sac bunt by Biery. Texas then did the shift we've gotten used to. Pat McCrory went in at 3b, Preston Clark moved to 1b, and Brandon Belt went to the mound. Brandon got the first batter he faced to pop out to 2b and the next struck out looking. Whew.

Texas scored another in the 9th on a solo shot by Jordan Danks. Kyle Russell followed with a single. Brandon Belt struck out and Kyle Lusson (in lf for Russell Moldenhauer in the 8th) singled, moving Kyle to 2b. And, Preston Clark hit into another double play. Texas up 6-3.

In the bottom of the 9th (Brandon Belt still on the mound), Jurica walked and moved to 2b on a groundout to 1b. Scott reached on an infield single to ss; Jurica unable to advance to 3b on the play. Tenbrink flew out to rf; Jurica did tag up and advance to 3b this time. Bloxom then popped up to shallow cf. Sadly, Travis Tucker dropped the ball. On the error, Jurica scored and Scott moved to 3b. King singled to cf, scoring Scott and moving Bloxom to 3b. Yikes! Texas did the big switch-a-roo, moving Pat McCrory to the mound, Preston Clark back to 3b, and Brandon Belt back to 1b. Pat struck Biery out to end the game! Texas wins 6-5. Whew.

Posted by Joanna at Saturday, 1:38 PM | Permalink