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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 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 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 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 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 1:38 PM | Permalink

Wednesday - April 23, 2008

Game 41: UT-San Antonio at Texas

I did end up working late (still at work, as a matter of fact) and got to hear almost none of the game. I was in my office with the radio on for about 1/2 of the game, I think. But, I could only "tune in" in snippets. And, the LiveStats page froze in the 4th inning so I couldn't even catch up when I could think about the game. I was surprised to notice, at about 8:20, that Craig was talking about winning and losing pitchers. What? Didn't he just say that the Horns had 6 outs left? My...how 6 outs fly. Texas lost 1-7.

The losing pitcher was starter Riley Boening. The lone score for the Horns happened in the 3rd. Kevin Keyes (lf) hit a single, moved to 2b on a sac bunt by David Hernandez, and to 3b on a ground out by Michael Torres. Travis Tucker then hit a double to drive him home. Since there's no LiveStats to check, I don't even have a line score for you. I think the Road Runners hit 3 homers. I did hear that Texas had 8 hits. I don't think they committed any fielding errors.

'Wish I had better news but...alas...

UPDATE. I talked to my mom (who was at the game) briefly and she said the Horns did commit an error. Just trying to keep things accurate.

Posted by Joanna at 8:33 PM | Permalink

Tuesday - April 22, 2008

Game 40: Texas at Baylor

I was working away and forgot all about the game. Horrors! I remembered at about 7:40 or so and tuned it to find the game in the top of the 2nd with Texas ahead 2-1. So, I opened up GameTracker and found that the Horns scored 2 runs in the 1st as follows: Jordan Danks hit a 2-out solo homerun; Russell Moldenhauer and Kyle Russell followed with consecutive doubles to score the 2nd run. In the bottom of the inning, with Kenn Kasparek on the mound, things looked a bit dicey: strikeout, 4-pitch walk, 5-pitch walk, rbi single, hit batter, strike out, fly out foul to 3b. Yikes!

Kenn settled down, though. He ended up pitching through the 5th. He gave up a 2-out 4-pitch walk in the 2nd but stranded the runner at 1b. The 3rd and 4th were 1-2-3 innings! He hit another batter to start off the 5th; threw 2 strikeouts; allowed a single (moving the runner to 3b); and then got a line out to cf. Stayton Thomas went to the mound in the 6th and gave up the 2nd Baylor run: double (Craig and Keith said Moldenhauer lost the ball in the lights), strikeout, ground out to 1b, rbi single, strikeout. The 7th went 3-up/3-down (with two strikeouts). The 8th also went 3-up/3-down (this time with 3 ground outs). Stayton gave up a lead-off walk to Weems in the 9th but Weems was stranded (strikeout, pop out to 1b, ground out to ss) to end the game. And, the 4-game losing streak. I did not realize, before the game started, that the Bears also went into today's game with a 4-game losing streak. So, theirs is now 5 games. And, the Horns have a 1-game winning streak! Heh.

Kenn got the win (improving his record to 2-3) and Stayton earned his 3rd save of the year.

So, how'd the Horns score the rest of their runs? In the 3rd: Jordan Danks walked (full count) and moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Russell Moldenhauer (who started in lf today); Kyle Russell singled to score Jordan. In the 7th: David Hernandez walked (full count); Michael Torres singled to 2b and moved to 2b on a throwing error by 2b (David moved to 3b on the play); Travis Tucker hit a sac fly to cf scoring David; Baylor changed pitchers; Jordan struck out; Kyle Lusson (pinch hitting for Moldenhauer) singled, scoring Michael. And, in the 9th: Michael reached on a 1-out walk (full count) and stole 2b; Travis lined out to ss; Jordan reached on a 4-pitch walk; and Tant Shepherd (pinch-hitting for Kyle Lusson) hit a 2-out 3-run homer over the lf fence. Woo hoo! His 2nd homerun of the year.

All-in-all, it was a very good game. Solid pitching, good defense, and very nice 2-out hitting. Go Horns!

Texas wins 8-2.

One more thing to note: tonight's game does not count in the conference standings. But, it does count in both teams' overall standings. OU and OSU have been doing this sort of thing for years. And now, with the compressed schedule, the Horns and Bears decided it was a good way to get in another game without having to travel very far.

Posted by Joanna at 10:34 PM | Permalink

Monday - April 21, 2008

Game 39: Oklahoma State at Texas

Another short report for the final game of the Oklahoma State series. First, the line:

																			R	H	E
OSU			1	0	0			0	1	3			0	5	3		-		13	13	1
Texas			3	1	1			0	3	0			0	0	2		-		10	10	4

The Horns started the game off very nicely, scoring in 4 of the first 5 innings. Kyle Russell hit two 2-run homeruns...the second one being a Monster shot (the second of his career) in the 5th. Jordan Danks went 4-for-4 with 3 doubles, a triple, a walk, a stolen base, and 4 runs scored. He had a very good day at the plate. Kyle and Jordan accounted for 6 of the 10 Texas hits. And, 6 of the 10 Texas runs.

Austin Wood got the start for the Horns and gave up 2 earned runs in the first 5 innings on 2 hits with a walk. The first two batters of the 6th, however, hit hard singles through the left side. The next batter (Rebel Ridling) hit a Monster shot. Can you believe it? Kyle Russell hits one in the bottom of the 5th and Rebel Ridling hits one in the 6th? Wow. That's the first time in Disch-Falk history that two Monster shots were hit in one game. The (rest of the) wheels fell off in the 8th. Brandon Workman (who coaxed a double-play out of the only batter he faced in the 7th) gave up a 1-out solo shot (to Rebel Ridling!) and a ground-rule double before being lifted for Chance Ruffin. Yep...the guy who pitched 10 innings on Friday night went to the mound in relief on Sunday. All three batters he faced reached (on an error by Chance that I would've probably ruled an infield hit but I wasn't the official scorer so I guess it doesn't really matter, a triple, and a single) and went on to score. Keith Shinaberry (who, it seemed, hadn't appeared in a game in weeks but I did not go back and check that info) faced 2 (sac bunt and single). Pat McCrory then went in and struck out the 9th batter of the inning for the 3rd out. Five runs scored. In the 9th, Pat stayed on the mound and gave up a single and a double. Then Brandon Belt went in. He gave up a sac fly and a solo homerun before getting a fly out to lf and a pop out to the catcher (behind the plate). Those last two innings were extremely painful. Sigh...

So, 5 homeruns on the day...2 of them Monster shots. When I got to the park, the air was thick and rather oppressive. No breeze at all. It was terribly humid and I commented that we surely would not see any homeruns. Ha! Just a few minutes before the game started, a steady wind picked up from the south. The humidity cleared out and balls were flying everywhere. Weird.

Prevailing conditions at the start of the game:

Austin Wood on the mound:

Jordan Danks standing on 2b after his first double of the game:

Kyle Russell gets props as he returns to the dugout after his Monster shot in the 5th:

And, some of the kids running the bases after the game:

At least somebody had some fun.

Posted by Joanna at 11:15 PM | Permalink

Game 38: Oklahoma State at Texas

I'm not going to have time to post a full game report. Things are just way too busy at work this week. They're so busy that I may well be unable to listen to the Baylor game or attend the UT-San Antonio game. So, I'm giving in and doing a quick game report for the "missing" OSU games.

Here's the line for Saturday's game:

																			R	H	E
OSU			4	0	0			0	0	0			0	1	3		-		8	14	1
Texas			0	4	0			2	1	0			0	0	0		-		7	10	0

OSU jumped out to an early lead, sending 10 to the plate in the first inning and scoring 4. The Cowboys threatened in the 2nd and again in the 3rd but were thwarted. Brandon Workman got the start and gave up those 1st four runs without getting out of the 1st inning. Stayton Thomas threw the next 1.2 innings and also struggled. Cole Green (who faced the first two OSU batters in the 11th in the previous game and gave up a walk, a wild pitch, and a sac bunt to put the winning run at 3b, and ending up with the loss) went in with runners at 1b and 2b and 1 out in the 3rd. He promptly struck out the first two batters he faced. He went on to pitch 5.1 innings, giving up 1 earned run on 5 hits (1 double) with a walk and 5 strikeouts. Night and day from his previous outing. Brandon Belt got the last out of the 8th and then gave up a 4-pitch walk to start off the 9th. He then gave up a single and a sac bunt to put the tying runs in scoring position with one out. Pat McCrory (who'd gone in at 3b at the start of the 9th) went to the mound moving Brandon to 1b and Preston Clark to 3b (from dh). Pat gave up a 2-run single. So, Pat went back to 3b, Brandon went back to p, and Preston went to 1b. Brandon then gave up a sac bunt and a single to put the go-ahead (and eventually game-winning) run across. Pat ended up with the loss.

On the offensive side of things, the Horns started off slowly, going 3-up/3-down in the 1st inning. Preston Clark and Cameron Rupp hit back-to-back singles to start off the 2nd. Kyle Russell (having a very "off" day) struck out for the first of 4 times on the day. Brandon Belt reached on an error by the shortstop (Preston scored). Kyle Lusson (lf) and David Hernandez hit two more singles (scoring Cameron and loading the bases). Travis Tucker then hit into a fielder's choice (scoring Brandon) and Kyle ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Score tied at 4. Whew. Brandon Belt led off the 4th with a solo homerun. David Hernandez reached on a 1-out single and moved up on a hit batter and a walk. He went on to score on a wild pitch. Kyle Lusson scored the final Texas run by reaching on a 2-out double in the 5th which was followed by a run-scoring single by David Hernandez. Sadly, the Horns only managed to get one more runner on base (a 2-out single by Michael Torres in the 8th) for the rest of the game.

That single by Michael Torres in the 8th extended his consecutive game hitting streak to 25 games. A new school record.

A few photos...

Preston Clark hitting a single in the 2nd:

Michael Torres dodging the wild pitch that scored Kyle Lusson in the 2nd:

Brandon Belt, rounding 3b after his homerun in the 4th:

Michael Torres on the tail end of the record-breaking swing:

And then smiling with Clay Van Hook (and Rebel Ridling) as he stood safely with the record in hand:

Posted by Joanna at 10:37 PM | Permalink

Sunday - April 20, 2008

Quick post

The OSU Cowboys completed a sweep of the Longhorns this afternoon. Here in Austin. As I noted three weeks ago, the Horns hadn't been swept in a 3-game series at home since 1996. The first two losses of the series were particularly hard to take. Strike that. They were all tough.

I do hope this team can get things turned around by the time the Big 12 tournament rolls around. As it stands now, I think the only chance the Horns have of hosting a Regional is to win out and go deep in the conference tournament. The team has 13 games (one against an opponent yet to be determined on May 14th...so, maybe only 12 games) left in the regular season. They currently have 23 wins. In general, the NCAA does not like to award Regionals to teams with fewer than 40 wins. But, if the Horns won out, that would certainly make a statement that the NCAA might have to take a look at. Just an observation.

Michael Torres now holds the consecutive-game hitting record. He got a hit in yesterday's game...giving him 25 games in a row with a hit. He passed the previous mark of 24 set by Rick Bradley in 1974. Alas, he did not get a hit in today's game so the record stops at 25.

There were two Monster shots today. The first one by Kyle Russell in the 5th (the 2nd of his career) and the second by Rebel Ridling in the 6th. That's the first time two Monster shots were hit in the same game.

Sorry I didn't get yesterday's game report up in a timely fashion. I just forgot to do it (my subconscious mind not wanting to do it?) until after midnight. And, by then, I was too tired. And, this morning I just didn't feel like doing it. I took my camera to the park yesterday and today and have lots of photos so maybe I'll just post some photos. We'll see.

Posted by Joanna at 8:39 PM | Permalink

Friday - April 18, 2008

Game 37: Oklahoma State at Texas

Very tough loss tonight. The Horns fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys 1-2 in 11 innings. Chance Ruffin pitched the best game of the year for a Texas starter.

Very. Tough. Loss.

The line:

																							R	H	E
OSU			0	0	0			0	0	0			1	0	0			0	1		-		2	6	0
Texas			0	0	0			0	0	0			1	0	0			0	0		-		1	6	2

Chance went 10 innings and gave up 1 earned run on 6 hits (all singles) with no walks (!) and 7 strikeouts. All on 105 pitches by my count. It was really a spectacular show. It's a terrible shame he didn't get a win out of it.

The OSU starter (Andrew Oliver) also pitched a very nice game. He went 8 innings and gave up 1 earned run on 3 hits (including 1 homerun) with 4 walks, 1 hit batter, and 7 strikeouts. He threw 117 pitches by my count.

There was one extra-base hit on the evening: Preston Clark hit a "no doubt about it, the ball is gone gone gone!!!!" homerun over the visitor bullpen with 2 outs in the 7th to match the run scored by the Cowboys in the top of the inning. It was a thing of beauty.

Here's how things played out:

• 1st inning
• OSU: (Chance Ruffin on the mound.) Webb grounded out to 2b. Mercer struck out. Hague struck out looking.
• Texas: (Andrew Oliver on the mound.) Tucker walked. Torres moved Tucker to 2b on a sac bunt to the pitcher. Danks walked. Clark hit into a 5-4-3 double play.
• 2nd inning
• OSU: Green grounded out to 3b. Flores flew out to lf. Medchill singled up the middle. Ridling struck out.
• Texas: Rupp struck out. Russell was hit by the first pitch he saw. Lusson struck out looking. Russell was caught stealing (2-6) with Belt at the plate.
• 3rd inning
• OSU: Hambly reached on a bunt single, moved to 2b when Belza grounded out to the pitcher, and moved to 3b on a passed ball with Webb at the plate. Webb grounded out to 1b unassisted. On the play, Belt fielded the ball, looked Hambly back to 3b, then raced to 1b and just barely beat Webb to the bag for the out. Nice play. Mercer grounded out to 3b.
• Texas: Belt and Hernandez struck out. Tucker flew out to cf.
• 4th inning
• OSU: Hague flew out to rf. Green grounded out to 2b. Flores popped out to 1b (foul).
• Texas: Torres flew out to lf. Danks flew out to rf. Clark flew out to cf.
• 5th inning
• OSU: Medchill grounded out to 1b unassisted. Ridling lined out to lf. Lusson dove for the ball and it looked like it popped out of his glove and then he sort of rolled over with the ball. The ump on the left side of the field ruled it a catch. He was closer than we were so maybe he saw that the ball did not hit the ground. I don't know. But, I think Texas may have gotten a break on the play. Lusson did jump up with the ball as though he'd made a catch. 'Course, it's his job to do that. I would not have been surprised if it had been ruled a hit. At any rate, Hambly grounded out to 3b for the 3rd out.
• Texas: Rupp flew out to cf. Russell struck out looking on three pitches and then had a word or two for the home plate ump (Six-Shooter Bob Homolka). I was a bit surprised that he was not ejected. Lusson struck out.
• 6th inning
• OSU: Belza singled to rf and moved to 2b on a sac bunt (1-3) by Webb. Mercer flew out to cf. Hague grounded out to 3b.
• Texas: Belt singled through the right side. Hernandez struck out. Tucker grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
• 7th inning
• OSU (Cowboys score first run of the game): Green singled up the middle. Flores singled past the short stop into cf, moving Green to 3b. If Green hadn't been running on the play, forcing the shortstop (Hernandez) to move toward 2b to cover the sb attempt, the ball would've been hit right at him. Alas, he was nearly to 2b when the ball went past him on his right. He tried to get back to it but there was no way. The throw in from cf went to 3b and Flores moved up to 2b on the throw. OSU sent Thomas to 3b to pinch run for Green. Skip Johnson made a trip to the mound. Medchill struck out looking. Then, one of the more bizarre plays I've ever seen took place. Ridling hit a ground ball to ss. Hernandez fielded the ball and threw to 3b to get Flores running from 2b. Thomas scored as Flores reversed course and headed back to 2b. He fell (when he re-reversed course) and was tagged out by the second baseman. Ridling (who'd reached 1b safely on the fielder's choice) thought he'd catch Texas sleeping and tried to sneak up on 2b during the run-down. Alas, Texas was awake and he was tagged out easily before reaching 2b. The run-down went 6-5-4. And then the 2nd out of the double play went 4-5. Tucker had run toward 2b after throwing to Torres for the first out. Torres turned and tossed back to Tucker for the easy tag on Ridling. Cool.
• Texas (Horns tie things up): Torres grounded out to 2b. Danks flew out to lf. Clark hit that homerun I mentioned earlier over the lf fence. Rupp walked. Russell lined out to cf.
• 8th inning
• OSU: Hambly popped out to 2b. Belza singled up the middle. Webb flew out to rf. Mercer hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice.
• Texas: Lusson lined out to cf. Belt singled off the pitcher. The ball hit the pitcher and ricocheted toward 3b. Belt beat the off-line throw to 1b. Hernandez walked, moving Belt to 2b. Sadly, Tucker lined a ball right at the ss (full count). Belt was about even with the shortstop when he caught the ball, so the shortstop had an easy toss to 2b to complete the double play.
• 9th inning
• OSU: Hague flew out to rf. Davis (pinch-hitting in the DH spot) struck out. Rupp couldn't handle the pitch so had to throw down to 1b to complete the out. Flores struck out swinging.
• Texas: Hague went from rf to the mound. Webb moved from cf to rf. Harvard went in at cf (and into the line-up in the spot previously occupied by the dh). Torres singled to lf. Danks popped out to the pitcher in foul territory. He was trying to bunt Torres over. Moldenhauer (pinch-hitting for Clark) singled up the middle, moving Torres to 3b. Texas sent Rowe to pinch run for Moldenhauer. Emsley-Pai (pinch-hitting for Rupp) struck out. The Cowboys intentionally walked Russell, loading the bases. Lusson grounded out to 2b. Damn. Best chance of the evening. Squelched.
• 10th inning
• OSU: Emsley-Pai stayed in the game at c. Medchill struck out. Ridling flew out to cf. Hambly reached on the first error of the game. He popped up toward ss and David Hernandez was not able to catch the ball. Hambly reached 2b on the error. Belza flew out to cf.
• Texas: Belt grounded out to the pitcher. Hernandez grounded out to ss. Tucker reached on an infield single to 3b. Torres hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice.
• 11th inning
• OSU (re-takes the lead): Texas sent Cole Green to the mound. Webb walked on 4 pitches and moved to 2b on a wild pitch. Mercer hit a very nice sac bunt down the 3b line, advancing Webb to 3b. Texas sent Pat McCrory to the mound. With the infield pulled in, Hague hit a hard ground ball right at Torres at 2b. Torres booted the ball toward the lf/cf gap. Webb scored on the play and Hague reached 2b on the error. Harvard was intentionally walked. Flores popped out to 1b. Medchill grounded out to 3b.
• Texas: Danks grounded out to 2b (nice play by the second baseman). Shepherd (pinch-hitting in the dh spot) flew out to cf. Emsley-Pai struck out looking to end the game. Texas lost 1-2.

Random observations:

• It was a quick game. It started at 6 and ended shortly after 9. I could not get over how fast it went...what with the two extra innings and all.
• Travis Tucker made several very nice plays at 3b.
• Michael Torres extended his consecutive-game hitting streak to 24 games with that single in the 9th. He's now tied Rick Bradley's record from 1974. Another hit tomorrow and the hitting streak record is his alone.
• Chance threw four 3-up/3-down innings.
• The Cowboys turned 3 double plays.

Posted by Joanna at 11:32 PM | Permalink

Wednesday - April 16, 2008

Game 36: UT-Arlington at Texas

Sigh. Texas fell to UT-Arlington this evening 3-4. I had to work and made it out to the park just as the Horns turned a double play in the 6th. Which means I missed Kyle Russell's first homerun of the evening. Yep, he hit two. Sadly, they were solo shots. He hit his first homerun in the 5th. The second came when he led off with a towering shot over the lf fence. I'm told the first went over the rf fence. It does seem that Kyle is back. So, there's definitely something to be happy about.

The Horns started with yet another take on their line-up this evening: (1) 2b Michael Torres, (2) cf Jordan Danks, (3) dh Preston Clark, (4) 1b Tant Shepherd, (5) c Cameron Rupp, (6) rf Kyle Russell, (7) lf Kyle Lusson, (8) ss David Hernandez, and (9) 3b Travis Tucker.

A couple of things the Horns did that stood out from the usual this evening:

• They used three different third basemen in the game: Travis Tucker for the first 7 innings, Preston Clark for the 8th, and Pat McCrory for the 9th.
• Brandon Belt did not play any 1b but did pitch the 9th (quite nicely, I might add) and then went in to bat...grounding out to end the game.

Kenn Kasparek started and took the loss. He went 4 innings and gave up 3 earned runs on 4 hits with 2 strikeouts. Austin Wood threw the next two innings and held the Mavericks scoreless on 2 hits with a walk and 2 strikeouts. Pat McCrory threw the 7th and 8th, giving up an earned run on 2 hits with a strikeout. Brandon Belt pitched the final inning, giving up no runs on no hits with a strikeout.

Kyle Russell was the only batter with multiple hits (2 homeruns as I noted earlier). Michael Torres kept his hitting streak alive by hitting a single in his first at-bat of the game.

I wasn't really able to listen to much of the 1st half of the game and got to the park late so didn't try to keep score. I did take my camera, though, and sat with Geoff on the concourse and took some photos. It was late so the light was not great. Which meant I had to use a slower shutter speed. Which meant there's some motion blur going on in a pretty entertaining way with some of the photos. And, so...

Michael Torres swinging at (and missing) a pitch:

Pat McCrory demonstrating his high kick:

Cameron Rupp, right before he doubled in the 7th:

Tommy Harmon coaches Cameron Rupp at 2b:

Kyle Lusson reached on a walk in the 7th and then got a pointer or two from Clay Van Hook:

Tant Shepherd playing 1b:

Preston Clark playing 3b:

Jordan Danks hit a double in the 8th (and went on to score):

Brandon Belt on the mound:

Kyle Russell gets props after his 9th-inning homerun:

Kawika Emsley-Pai pinch-hit for Kyle Lusson in the 9th:

Alas, he grounded out. As did David Hernandez and Brandon Belt. And, thus ended the game with Texas losing 3-4.

Posted by Joanna at 11:19 PM | Permalink

Monday - April 14, 2008

Off-topic: broken bat

I mentioned that I was gonna take in the Express game on Sunday, right? One of the Express batters broke 2 bats on back-to-back pitches. I'm sure I'd never seen that happen at a game.

The first broken bat was a bit scary! The head of the bat was whirling through the air with quite a bit of speed...and headed right at the pitcher. It stopped very suddenly when it pierced the ground...much like a javelin...about 10 feet or so in front of the mound. Sadly, I didn't whip my camera up in time to get a clear shot of the bat in the ground. But, I think you can get a feel from these photos on just how far it went into the ground. Yikes!

That's the pitcher, by the way, retrieving the bat. The ball went foul. So, the batter got a new bat and a new chance. He broke that second bat as well but grounded out on the play. The bat head went about two-thirds of the way down the 3b line before settling flat on the dirt.

Posted by Joanna at 11:26 PM | Permalink

Game 35: Texas at Missouri

Texas beat Missouri 9-2 yesterday and avoided the sweep. I was only able to listen to the first 15 minutes or so...long enough to hear Kyle Russell's first homerun of the day. He hit a 3-run homer in the 1st and a solo shot in the 5th. Michael Torres kept his hitting streak alive at 22 games, going 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, 2 runs batted in, and 2 runs scored.

Chance Ruffin got the start and win, giving up 2 earned runs on 4 hits with 5 walks, 4 strikeouts, and a wild pitch. Cole Green pitched the final 3.2 innings, got a save, and blanked the Tigers. He retired all 11 batters he faced (3 on strikeouts). Excellent job, eh?

Since I didn't hear much of the game, a couple of links:

• No. 12 Baseball avoids sweep with impressive win over No. 8 Missouri from TexasSports.com
• Horns, Ruffin move past a rough patch from the Statesman

The Horns now host UT-Arlington on Wednesday and then Oklahoma State this weekend. The Mavericks swept their series at McNeese State this weekend and are 15-20 on the year (8-7 in the Southland Conference). The Cowboys, meanwhile, took 2-of-3 at home against Nebraska this weekend and are 23-10 on the year (8-7 in Big 12 play).

Posted by Joanna at 12:12 PM | Permalink

Saturday - April 12, 2008

Game 34: Texas at Missouri

It was cold (Craig said they'd seen a few snowflakes) and windy again as Game 2 of the series started up. The wind was blowing more from the south than it was last night. As usual for out-of-town games, this report is based on the radio broadcast.

Texas line-up: 2b Michael Torres, cf Jordan Danks, 1b Brandon Belt, dh Russell Moldenhauer, rf Kyle Russell, c Cameron Rupp, lf Kevin Keyes, ss David Hernandez, and 3b Travis Tucker. Brandon Workman got the nod on the mound.

Missouri line-up: 2b Greg Folgia, rf Ryan Lollis, lf Aaron Senne, dh Jacob Priday, c Trevor Coleman, 1b Steve Gray, cf Kurt Calvert, ss Andrew Thigpen, and 3b Kyle Mach. Starting pitcher: Kyle Gibson.

• 1st inning - Texas
• Gibson on the mound for Missouri.
• Michael Torres struck out swinging.
• Jordan Danks grounded out to 1b (3-1).
• Brandon Belt struck out looking.
• 3-up/3-down. 11 pitches. Game tied 0-0.
• 1st inning - Missouri
• Brandon Workman on the mound for Texas.
• Folgia drew a full-count walk.
• Lollis struck out swinging.
• Senne popped out to 3b in foul territory.
• Priday walked, moving Folgia to 2b.
• Coleman flew out to rf.
• 21 pitches. Game tied 0-0.
• 2nd inning - Texas
• Russell Moldenhauer popped out to 3b (foul).
• Kyle Russell struck out swinging; the catcher dropped the ball so threw down to 1b to complete the out.
• Cameron Rupp flew out to rf.
• 3-up/3-down. 8 pitches. Game tied 0-0.
• 2nd inning - Missouri
• Gray struck out.
• Calvert struck out.
• Thigpen singled to cf. Jordan Danks (cf) slipped and fell as he fielded the ball. If Thigpen had kept running, he would've been safe at 2b.
• Mach flew out to lf.
• 17 pitches. Game tied 0-0.
• 3rd inning - Texas
• Kevin Keyes struck out.
• David Hernandez fell behind 0-2, worked the count full, and then struck out.
• Travis Tucker grounded out to 3b.
• 3-up/3-down. 12 pitches. Game tied 0-0.
• 3rd inning - Missouri
• Folgia was hit by a pitch (1-2 count).
• Lollis doubled to rf, moving Folgia to 3b.
• Skip Johnson made a quick trip to the mound after the 2nd ball was thrown to Senne.
• Senne popped out to 1b. A bit of a scary play as the ball popped up near the mound and it wasn't clear who was going to make the play. Brandon Belt (1b) took charge. Whew.
• Priday popped out to shallow lf...no chance for the runner from 3b to advance. Whew. Again.
• Coleman singled through the right side, driving in 2 runs.
• Gray singled up the middle, moving Coleman to 2b. The ball bounced off the mound and then off the edge of David Hernandez's glove. Keith was rather incredulous that it was not ruled an error.
• Calvert popped out to 3b (foul).
• 18 pitches. Texas down 0-2.
• 4th inning - Texas
• Craig Way tried to jinx the starter by pointing out that he had a perfect game going into the 4th.
• Michael Torres grounded out to 3b.
• Jordan Danks walked (8 pitches). The jinx worked.
• Brandon Belt singled through the lf, moving Jordan to 2b.
• Russell Moldenhauer watched the 3-0 and 3-1 pitches go by and be called strikes. Craig and Keith thought both pitches were balls. He then singled through the right side, scoring Jordan and moving Brandon to 2b.
• Kyle Russell grounded out to 1b (unassisted), moving the runners to 2b and 3b.
• Cameron Rupp flew out to cf.
• 29 pitches. Texas down 1-2.
• 4th inning - Missouri
• Thigpen singled to rf.
• Mach singled up the middle. Thigpen was off with the pitch (hit-and-run) and was easily making his way to 3b. Jordan Danks made his first error of the season as the ball got away from him. Thigpen scored but Mach had to hold up at 1b.
• Folgia lined into rf, moving Mach to 2b. The single turned the earlier run scored by Thigpen into an earned run.
• Lollis was hit by an 0-1 pitch to load the bases. No outs.
• Craig commented that snow was starting to fall pretty regularly.
• Pitching change: Riley Boening to the mound.
• Senne hit a sac fly to cf. Mach scored. The other runners remained at 1b and 2b.
• Priday doubled to the lf/cf gap. Folgia scored and Lollis was waved around 3b. The relay throw (from Torres) hit Lollis and went into the Texas dugout. Priday was already running to 3b on the throw so was awarded home on the ball that went into the dugout. Wow.
• 14 pitches by Workman. 10 pitches by Boening. Texas down 1-7.
• 5th inning - Texas
• Kevin Keyes struck out swinging (2-2 pitch).
• David Hernandez walked (full count).
• Travis Tucker fouled off a 1-2 pitch and then was called out on strikes.
• Michael Torres singled through the left side, moving David to 2b.
• Jordan Danks struck out looking (2-2 pitch).
• 8th strikeout of the game for Gibson. Struck out the side. Damn.
• 24 pitches. Texas down 1-7.
• 5th inning - Missouri
• Calvert singled up the middle.
• Thigpen got his 3rd single in as many plate appearances, moving Calvert to 2b.
• Mach hit a sac bunt down the 3b line. Nice play by pitcher Riley Boening to get the batter out. Runners in scoring position with 1 out.
• Folgia hit a sac fly to lf, scoring Calvert. Thigpen stayed at 2b.
• Lollis walked on 4 pitches.
• Skip Johnson made a visit to the mound after the 1st pitch to Senne; no pitching change.
• Senne singled past the ss, scoring Thigpen and moving Lollis to 2b.
• Priday was hit by an 0-1 pitch to load the bases.
• Coleman grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.
• 17 pitches. Texas down 1-9.
• 6th inning - Texas
• Keith commented that the snow was getting heavier but still not sticking or accumulating.
• Brandon Belt grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• Russell Moldenhauer struck out swinging.
• Kyle Russell grounded out to 1b (3-1).
• 3-up/3-down. 13 pitches. Texas down 1-9.
• 6th inning - Missouri
• Gray struck out swinging (3rd time in the game for him).
• Calvert doubled down the 1b line (1st pitch).
• Texas sent Stayton Thomas to the mound.
• Thigpen singled (4th hit in as many chances for him) up the middle, moving Calvert to 3b.
• Mach hit a sac fly to rf, scoring Calvert.
• Folgia grounded out to the pitcher.
• 4 pitches by Boening. 10 pitches by Thomas. Texas down 1-10.
• 7th inning - Texas
• Cameron Rupp grounded out to ss.
• Kevin Keyes reached on an error by ss. Keith and Craig thought it should've been ruled an infield single.
• David Hernandez reached on a 5-4 fielder's choice (Kevin out on the play).
• Travis Tucker singled through the left side, moving David to 2b.
• Michael Torres singled to lf. David rounded 3b and beat the throw to the plate. Travis moved to 2b. Missouri appealed at 3b, saying David did not step on the bag. The ump ruled in Missouri's favor. Run does not count. So, David ended up making the 3rd out of the top half of the inning.
• 12 pitches. Gibson now up to 105 pitches...by my radio count. Texas down 1-10.
• 7th inning - Missouri
• Lollis walked on 4 pitches.
• Cameron Rupp was hit by the bat on Senne's backswing on the 0-1 pitch (going to 0-2) and went down. After taking a couple of test pitches, Cameron stayed in the game. At this point, the radio guys mentioned that Preston Clark is still suffering from a sore arm but has a bit of a pulled hamstring as well...thus explaining why he hasn't been in the line-up at all.
• Senne singled through the right side, moving Lollis to 2b.
• Priday singled to cf, loading the bases. No outs.
• Coleman flew out to shallow lf. Bases still loaded.
• The first pitch to Gray was wild, scoring Lollis and moving the other runners to 2b and 3b.
• Gray struck out looking (4th strikeout of the game for him).
• Calvert singled to shallow cf. Jordan Danks ran hard and dove for the ball but could not make the catch. 2 runs scored.
• Thigpen struck out.
• 24 pitches. Texas down 1-13.
• 8th inning - Texas
• Missouri sent Scooter Hicks to the mound.
• Jordan Danks flew out (1st pitch) to cf (right at the wall).
• Brandon Belt struck out looking (full count).
• Tant Shepherd (pinch-hitting for Russell Moldenhauer) popped out to 1b (foul).
• 3-up/3-down. 8 pitches. Texas down 1-13.
• 8th inning - Missouri
• Texas sent Kyle Walker to the mound and Kawika Emsley-Pai in for Cameron Rupp behind the plate.
• Mach flew out to lf.
• Folgia popped out to shallow cf.
• Lollis lined a ball off Kyle Walker's glove into cf.
• Lollis moved to 2b on a passed ball with Meyr at the plate.
• Meyr (pinch-hitting for Senne) drew an 8-pitch walk.
• Priday struck out looking. Finally!
• 24 pitches. Texas down 1-13.
• 9th inning - Texas
• Kyle Russell walked.
• Kawika Emsley-Pai was hit by a pitch, moving Kyle to 2b.
• Kevin Keyes struck out swinging (3rd strikeout on the day for Kevin).
• David Hernandez struck out looking.
• Travis Tucker singled to (Craig didn't say...I'm guessing lf), scoring Kyle and moving Kawika to 2b.
• Michael Torres worked the count full and fouled off a couple of pitches before flying out to lf to end the game.
• 28 pitches. Texas loses 2-13

Yes, folks. Another ugly one. It wasn't as ugly as yesterday but...what could be? Missouri has now scored 44 runs on 43 hits in two games against Texas. That's just not right. Gibson ended up going 7 innings, faced 28 batters, and gave up one earned run on 4 hits (all singles) while walking 2 and striking out 9. Wow.

Post-game interview: Coach Garrido gave full credit to the Missouri starter and talked about the fact that Gibson dominated the game and controlled the tempo. He said the batters got better as the game went on but they were not recognizing the pitches early on and ended up swinging at pitches they couldn't hit. When Craig asked about tomorrow's pitching, Coach Garrido said Chance Ruffin is talented and tough and he hopes Chance comes out aggressively tomorrow.

I guess we'll see. I'm going to the Express game tomorrow so will miss most (if not all) of the Texas game and will be posting late. I really do hope the Horns win tomorrow. Go Horns! Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Friday - April 11, 2008

A note for the record books

As best I can tell from looking through the Media Guide, tonight's 31 runs was the most ever given up by a Texas team. The previous record was 26 in a 17-26 loss to the Red Raiders in Lubbock. Note that the run total (43) is identical to the run total for this evening's loss.

I found two more games with 40+ run totals:

1. Feb. 24, 1996: loss to UT-Arlington, 19-25 (44 runs). Texas won the next two games 18-6 (UT-Arlington) and 16-1 (Tarleton State) for a total of 53 runs scored by Texas in back-to-back-to-back games for an average of almost 18 runs a game. Wow.
2. March 20, 1925: win over Southwestern 44-4 (48 runs). Insane, eh? 44 runs?

Of note, the 1896 records are incomplete, unverified, and unofficial so they're not included in Texas' all-time records. Entertainingly, there are two games listed that go to this discussion: Texas beat Manchaca 46-19 (65 runs, just shy of 9 runs an inning) and lost to Dime Box 32-35 (67 runs, just over 9 runs an inning). Also, entertainingly, Texas lost to Blind Institute 3-5. It's apparent that the team was not restricted to playing other colleges and universities at the time. But, the Blind Institute? One must imagine that the team was playing the staff at the school, eh? And, not actual blind students. Right?

Also for the record books (but not listed as far as I can tell): I'm guessing those 4 homeruns given up to Priday are a single-game record for Texas pitching. According to the Media Guide, five Texas players (David Chalk in 1969, Wendell Hibbett in 1976, David Denny in 1984, Brett Loeffler in 1997, and J.D. Reininger in 2002) have hit 3 homeruns in a game but none have hit 4.

Posted by Joanna at 11:50 PM | Permalink

Game 33: Texas at Missouri

This, my friends, was the ugliest game I can remember hearing on the radio. Or, watching on TV. Or seeing in person. I don't think I've ever even really heard about a game this ugly. I ended up listening to most of it on the radio.

It had such a promising start.

Texas got to Aaron Crow right away. Going into tonight's game, Crow had a record of 7-0 with an ERA of 0.69 and he'd only given up 4 runs (all earned) on the season. He'd also pitched 3 complete games. So, going into the game, you had to think the Horns were gonna struggle. But, not so much. To start. Texas quickly broke Crow's 42+ innings of scoreless pitching when Russell Moldenhauer hit a 1-out single to score Michael Torres from 3b. The Horns went on to score 4 more runs in the inning. The Tigers went down in order in the bottom of the inning. Sweet. Then, Kyle Russell hit a 2-out, 3-run homerun to triple Crow's earned run output on the year. In just two innings.

The Tigers then got to the Texas starter, Austin Wood. He gave up 3 solo homeruns in the bottom of the 2nd. No worries, though. Right? The Horns still had a 5-run lead. They even padded it with another run in the 3rd. And, then the wheels really fell off. The Tigers scored 10 in the bottom of the 3rd. Yep, 10. Sadly, they were not done there. They scored 6 more in the 4th. And, 6 again in the 6th (in response to a single run scored by the Horns in the top of the inning) and then 2 more in the 7th. Texas scraped a couple together in the 8th. 'Course, the Tigers answered with 4 more in the bottom of the inning. For a grand total of 31.

The wind was a factor in the game. No doubt. It was blowing out and hard. Mizzou did a much better job of taking advantage as the game wore on.

Craig Way and Keith Moreland made much of the fact, when the Horns first fell behind, that there probably wasn't much to worry about because the Missouri bullpen was nothing to write home about. And, there was that wind to help the batters out. Aaron Crow, though, after giving up those 9 runs, tossed a couple of 3- and 4-batter innings to make himself eligible for the win. Rick Zagone went in for the Tigers at the start of the 6th and finished the game. He only gave up 3 runs, including a solo homerun to Kyle Russell (Kyle's 2nd of the game). Hardly the pushover you'd expect from a weak bullpen, eh? The Horns, in contrast, went like so:

• Austin Wood: 2 innings pitched, 6 earned runs, 1 strikeout, 7 hits (including 4 homeruns)
• Cole Green: 0.2 innings, 6 runs (2 unearned), 2 strikeouts, 6 hits
• Stayton Thomas: 0.1 innings, 3 runs (1 unearned), 1 walk, 2 hits (1 homerun)
• Kyle Walker: 0 innings (3 batters faced), 3 earned runs, 3 walks
• Pat McCrory (best performance of the night): 2 innings, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts, 2 hits (1 homerun)
• Juston Street (3rd appearance of the year): 0.2 innings, 6 earned runs, 7 hits
• Drew Bishop (1st appearance of the year): 2.1 innings, 6 earned runs, 7 walks, 2 hits (1 homerun)

Jacob Priday hit 4 homeruns to drive in 9 runs for the Tigers. Priday was due up in the 8th with the bases loaded but the Tigers finally took mercy on the situation and pinch-hit for him. The pinch-hitter (Meyr) doubled in 2 runs...the 29th and 30th for the Tigers. Stunning.

The line:

																			R	H	E
Texas			5	3	1			0	0	1			0	2	0		-		12	12	2
Missouri			0	3	12			6	0	6			2	4	x		-		31	26	1

When's the last time you saw a team jump out to an 8-run lead (and go on to score 4 more runs) and then end up losing that game...by 19 runs???? Yeah, I'm sure I've never seen it either.

Bah. I sure do hope the team wins the next two. There is a chance, by the way, that they'll get some snow before tomorrow's scheduled start time. Sigh.

Ugh. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.

Posted by Joanna at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Wednesday - April 9, 2008

Game 32: Texas State at Texas

Coach Augie Garrido notched his 500th win as head coach of the Texas Longhorns this evening as the Horns beat the Texas State Bobcats 5-3 in a game played at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. I managed to get to the park early and took my camera. I hope that's good news for the readers of this blog!

A mini-huddle before taking the field:

Chance Ruffin started for the Horns:

And, no...you're not imagining things. That's Preston Clark behind him playing 1b.

In the top of the 1st, Field walked and was then erased when Witek hit into a fielder's choice (5-4). Randell then hit into a double play (6-4-3).

In the bottom of the 1st, Michael Torres (2b) reached on a lead-off walk but was stranded at 1b when Travis Tucker (3b) popped out to 2b, Jordan Danks (cf) flew out to rf, and Russell Moldenhauer (dh) flew out to cf. Here's Michael diving back to 1b during the 1st inning (Jordan Danks was at the plate):

Notice the ball, which appears to be hovering over the woman's head. Heh.

In the 2nd, Goldschmidt flew out to cf, Theriot grounded out to 1b (3-1), and Loftin flew out to cf. Here's Chance Ruffin covering 1b on the Theriot ground out:

Yikes!

In the bottom of the 2nd, Kyle Russell (rf) flew out to rf, Preston Clark (1b) flew out to rf, and Cameron Rupp (c) flew out to cf. Sigh.

In the 3rd, Farrow reached on an error by 2b (Travis Tucker booted the ball back toward the infield). Babcock popped out to 2b. Dennis flew out to cf. And, Field grounded out to the pitcher (another nice defensive play by Chance Ruffin).

In the bottom of the 3rd, Kevin Keyes (lf) grounded out to 3b. David Hernandez (ss) singled up the middle and then advanced to 2b on a wild pitch. Michael Torres then hit a homerun off the top of the fence in lf. Woo hoo! Texas up 2-0. Travis Tucker and Jordan Danks then struck out to end the inning. Here's David at 2b waiting for Michael to hit his homerun:

Here's Michael demonstrating a very nice homerun trot:

Texas sent Stayton Thomas to the mound to start the 4th:

The Bobcats went 3-up/3-down in the 4th: Witek grounded out to 2b, Randell flew out to lf, and Goldschmidt struck out swinging (Cameron could not hold onto the ball so had to throw down to 1b to complete the out).

In the bottom of the 4th, Russell Moldenhauer grounded out to 2b. Kyle Russell flew out to cf. Brandon Belt, pinch-hitting for Preston Clark, singled up the middle, and then moved to 2b when Cameron Rupp singled through the left side. Alas, they were stranded when Kevin Keyes popped out to 2b.

In the 5th, the Bobcats went down in order again: Theriot flew out to lf, Loftin grounded out to ss, and Farrow popped out to 3b (in foul territory).

In the bottom of the 5th, David Hernandez struck out. Michael Torres then singled through the right side. Travis Tucker singled up the middle. Michael dug hard and slid safely into 3b on the play:

Jordan Danks then singled through the right side, scoring Michael and moving Travis to 3b. Jordan stole 2b with Russell Moldenhauer at the plate. Russell hit a sac fly to lf, scoring Travis. Kyle Russell flew out to rf to end the inning. Texas up 4-0.

In the 6th, Field reached on a 2-out error by Michael Torres at 2b. Witek reached on an infield single to 3b (that, frankly, could also have been ruled an error), moving Field to 2b. Skip Johnson made a visit to the mound and Randell flew out to rf (1st pitch).

In the bottom of the 6th, Brandon Belt singled through the left side and moved to 2b when Cameron Rupp singled through the right side. Here's Brandon at 2b:

And, Cameron at 1b watching Tommy Harmon coaching 3b:

Kevin Keyes then struck out for the first out of the inning. David Hernandez singled up the middle, scoring Brandon and moving Cameron to 2b. Texas up 5-0. Michael Torres reached on a 4-6 fielder's choice, moving Cameron to 3b. Travis Tucker ended the inning when he lined out to 3b.

Texas sent Pat McCrory to the mound at the start of the 7th:

Goldschmidt reached on an error by Travis Tucker at 3b. Theriot struck out looking. Loftin singled to lf, moving Goldschmidt to 2b. And, Farrow grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Yes!

In the bottom of the inning, Jordan Danks grounded out to 1b. Russell Moldenhauer struck out but reached 1b on a wild pitch that bounced all the way to the backstop. Kyle Russell struck out (looking). Brandon Belt drew a walk. Cameron Rupp then struck out (also looking) to end the inning.

The Horns sent Cole Green to the mound at the start of the 8th:

Babcock started things off by hitting a double off the 1b bag and down the rf line. Dennis then hit a come-backer to Cole on the mound. Cole made a nice play, looked the runner at 2b back to 2b, and then threw the batter out at 1b. Field then doubled down the rf line, scoring Babcock. Witek grounded out to ss, moving Field to 3b. Randell doubled to lf. He hit a ground ball right at Travis Tucker at 3b. He crouched down to field the ball and it took a late high hop over his head. Field scored on the play and Randell ended up at 2b. Texas up 5-2. Goldschmidt flew out to rf.

As things seemed to be getting a little dicey after the first couple of hits in the top of the inning, I looked over at the Texas bullpen to see who might be up and found this:

Okey-dokey. And, by the way, as soon as the Horns went into the dugout for their half of the inning, Brandon Belt trotted out to the bullpen to warm up. So, that explains the lack of action in the bullpen earlier. I guess.

In the bottom of the 8th, Kevin Keyes started things off with a single to lf. He was erased when David Hernandez reached on a 1-6 fielder's choice. David stole 2b on the first pitch to Michael Torres. Michael lined out to 1b. Very nice play by the Texas State first baseman. Travis Tucker grounded out (1-6-3, the ball ricocheted off the pitcher's glove toward ss) to end the inning.

Texas sent Brandon Belt to the mound at the start of the 9th:

Marcus Tackett went into the field at 1b (taking Russell Moldenhauer's spot in the line-up, I think). Here's Marcus being defensive at 1b:

Theriot grounded out to the pitcher. Loftin hit a double to the cf/rf gap. Cervantes, pinch-hitting for Farrow, struck out looking. Loftin moved to 3b on a passed ball with Babcock at the plate. And, then scored on a wild pitch. Babcock grounded out to ss to end the game. Texas wins 5-3.

Here's a shot of Mr. 500 Wins at Texas:

Congrats, Coach. Good job...to you and all the players and assistant coaches that helped you get to 500 wins at Texas.

Posted by Joanna at 1:16 AM | Permalink

Sunday - April 6, 2008

Game 31: Texas at Oklahoma

Two days in a row: no errors for the Horns! They did get lots of hits and took advantage of Sooner errors to win the rubber game of the series 13-7. The line:

																			R	H	E
Texas			2	2	0			0	3	3			0	1	2		-		13	14	0
Oklahoma			0	5	0			0	0	1			0	0	1		-		7	8	3

I went out to my folks' house and we watched the CSTV Internet stream. Which worked pretty well until the top of the 9th. Then, the audio and video kept dropping out. The OU errors all happened in the 1st and 2nd innings, allowing Texas to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Riley Boening started for the Horns and got the first 4 batters he faced to ground out. He hit the 5th batter (ever so slightly) and then the wheels fell off. Riley followed the hit batter by giving up a single, a walk, and then 3 more singles. At that point, Brandon Workman went to the mound. He coaxed ground outs out of the next two batters to end the inning. OU scored 5. Ouch.

Neither team managed to score in the 3rd or 4th but Texas put three on the board in the 5th and another three in the 6th. In the 5th, Travis Tucker singled, Jordan Danks doubled, Russell Moldenhauer singled (2 rbi), Brandon Belt walked, Kyle Russell singled (bases loaded), and Preston Clark walked (rbi). OU changed pitchers (sent Mottern to the mound) and he struck out the side. Wow. In the 6th, Travis Tucker was hit by a pitch. OU changed pitchers again (sent Duke to the mound) and Travis stole 2b with Jordan Danks at the mound. Jordan flew out to lf. Russell Moldenhauer grounded out, moving Travis to 3b. Brandon Belt walked. And, Kyle Russell homered over the rf wall!!! Preston Clark struck out for the 3rd out. Horns up 10-5.

The Sooners put one on the board in the bottom of the 6th when Selby led off with a solo homerun. The next three Sooner batters went down in order. Neither team scored in the 7th. The Horns scored another in the 8th. Jordan Danks walked to start things off and moved to 3b on a single by Russell Moldenhauer. He scored as Brandon Belt grounded into a double play. Kyle Russell flew out to lf for the 3rd out.

Up 11-6, the Horns scored another couple in the 9th when Preston Clark led off with a walk and Cameron Rupp hit his 4th homerun of the season! The Horns gave up another run in the bottom of the 9th (1-out triple followed by a single before the final two batters flew out to cf and grounded out to 2b). Horns won 13-7!

As I mentioned, Riley Boening started for the Horns and got into a bit of trouble. It was very nice to see the Horns respond at the plate after falling behind. Brandon Workman pitched 6.1 innings and got the win. Brandon Belt threw the final 1.3 innings. OU went through 7 pitchers. Rocha got the start, pitched into the 5th inning, and took the loss.

A couple of unusual things happened. Sunny Golloway (OU head coach) was thrown out of the game (in the 7th, I think). He got into an argument with the 3b umpire when the ump ruled that an OU batter went around as he tried to hold off swinging at a pitch outside the zone. Was it an attempt to fire his team up? Dunno. Later, when Brandon Workman hit Casey Johnson in the 8th, everyone seemed to take it for granted that he plunked the batter on purpose. Johnson had homered off Brandon in his previous at-bat. The home and 1b umps discussed the situation and apparently warned everyone that the next hit batter would result in an ejection of the pitcher. Johnson ended up being the last hit batter of the game.

The Horns come home to face the Texas State Bobcats in Round Rock (at the Dell Diamond) on Tuesday. Then they travel to Missouri to face the Tigers who went 1-2 at Oklahoma State this weekend and are 22-8 on the season (5-4 in Big 12 play).

Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 11:33 PM | Permalink

Saturday - April 5, 2008

Game 30: Texas at Oklahoma

I missed the first couple of innings today. I tuned in at about the beginning of the 3rd inning. Both sides went down in order. Texas jumped early again today, scoring 2 in the 1st inning. According to GameTracker, Michael Torres and Travis Tucker singled to start things off and put runners at the corners. After Jordan Danks struck out, Brandon Belt hit a singled up the middle to score Michael and Travis. Russell Moldenhauer ended things by grounding into a 6-4-3 double play. The Sooners scored a single run in the bottom of the inning: Jamie Johnson led off with a triple and scored on a single by Davis. OU stranded runners at 1b and 2b. In the 2nd, Cameron Rupp drew a 2-out walk but was stranded at 1b. And, the Sooners went down in order in the bottom of the inning. And, like I said at the beginning, both teams went down in order in the 3rd.

Kenn Kasparek started on the mound for Texas. Craig and Keith mentioned that Preston Clark's arm was a bit sore so he was not catching today. The line-up: Michael Torres (2b), Travis Tucker (3b), Jordan Danks (cf), Brandon Belt (1b), Russell Moldenhauer (lf), Preston Clark (dh), Kyle Russell (rf), Cameron Rupp (c), and David Hernandez (ss). The Sooners started with Andrew Doyle on the mound.

And, here's how things progressed in the final 6 innings of the game (once I got home and was able to listen in on the radio):

• 4th inning
• Texas - Brandon Belt grounded out to 1b (unassisted). Russell Moldenhauer doubled off the wall in rf. Preston Clark grounded out to 3b. Kyle Russell drew a full-count walk. Cameron Rupp popped out to shallow rf.
• OU - Wise lined out to 3b. Casey Johnson homered over the rf wall to tie the game up. Harughty popped out to shallow cf. Baker flew out to cf.
• Game tied at 2-2
• 5th inning
• Texas - David Hernandez popped out to 1b. Michael Torres grounded out to 2b. Travis Tucker tried to lay down a bunt for a base bit but Wise (c) made a nice play to throw Travis out at 1b.
• OU - Sperring struck out swinging. Seng did the same. Jamie Johnson reached on an infield single (over the 2b bag). Davis bunted safely down the 3b line. Runners at 1b and 2b, two out. Gosse singled to rf, scoring Johnson and putting runners at the corners. Skip Johnson visited Kenn on the mound but left him in the game. Wise singled to cf, scoring Davis. Runners still at the corners. All with two outs. Hard to believe the inning started with back-to-back strikeouts, eh? Casey Johnson hit into a fielder's choice (6U) to end the inning.
• Texas down 2-4
• 6th inning
• Texas - Jordan Danks worked the count full and drew a lead-off walk. Brandon Belt hit into a 4-3 double play. The second baseman fielded the ball, tagged Jordan, and threw to 1b to catch Brandon. Russell Moldenhauer flew out to rf.
• OU - Harughty drew a 4-pitch walk to chase Kenn and send Chance Ruffin to the mound for the Horns. Baker struck out looking. Sperring flew out to lf. Seng singled to no-man's land between 2b, cf, and rf. As soon as the ball left the bat, Keith said it was going to be a very tough play for Jordan Danks in cf to make. It ended up being too shallow for cf or rf to get to it. Michael Torres actually fell down before making the throw home. Harughty scored on the play and Seng ran to 2b on the throw home. Jamie Johnson flew out to lf.
• Texas down 2-5
• 7th inning
• Texas - Preston Clark singled to lf. With Kyle Russell at the plate, Preston stole 2b on a delayed steal. It's so much fun when Preston does that. 'Wish I could've seen it. Heh. As Keith said, Preston acts like he's gonna do that after every pitch and when he sees that the catcher isn't paying attention any longer, he goes for it. It looks so improbable 'cause he starts so late. But, it works. The catcher is already making a slow toss to the pitcher and there isn't anything the defense can do to catch Preston at 2b. Kyle grounded out to 1b (unassisted), moving Preston to 3b. Cameron Rupp grounded out to 2b, driving Preston home. David Hernandez flew out to rf.
• OU - Davis grounded out to 3b (1st pitch). Gosse flew out to cf (also 1st pitch). Wise worked the count full (!) and then popped out to shallow rf.
• Texas down 3-5
• 8th inning
• Texas - Michael Torres worked the count full, fouled off a few pitches, and then singled to rf. Travis Tucker squared to bunt and then pulled back and hit a pop-up single over 3b to put runners at 1b and 2b. Ryan Mottern went to the mound for OU. Jordan Danks squared to bunt, took a called strike, and then fouled a bunt off to fall behind 0-2. Jordan worked the count full. On the 3rd ball called, the ball (wp) got away from the catcher and Michael moved to 3b. Travis stayed at 1b. Jordan ended up being called out on strikes. Travis stole 2b on the 1st pitch (ball) to Brandon Belt. Brandon fouled off a couple of pitches and the OU dugout made noises against the home plate ump when he called a 2nd ball. The ump gave a warning to head coach Sunny Golloway. Brandon was called out on strikes on the next pitch. Russell Moldenhauer fell behind, worked the count full, and then grounded out to 1b (unassisted). Sigh.
• OU - Casey Johnson struck out swinging. Harughty struck out swinging. Baker struck out looking!
• Texas down 3-5
• 9th inning
• Texas - Jake McCarter went to the mound for OU and Elliott Blair went into rf. Preston Clark popped out to ss (over the shoulder catch). Kyle Russell flew out to cf. Cameron Rupp grounded out to ss.
• Texas loses 3-5

Damn. It sure looked like the Horns were gonna pull it off in the 8th. Alas...it didn't happen. The series evens up at 1-1. Game 3 to take place tomorrow at 1.

Aside: no errors.

Posted by Joanna at 4:39 PM | Permalink

Friday - April 4, 2008

Game 29: Texas at Oklahoma

Note: This is a partial game report through 6 innings...

UPDATE: Scroll down for the final report...

I'm gonna listen to the game and update here for as long as I can. I have plans this evening. But, they're tentative and I have no idea how long I'll be able to listen to the game. I actually may be able to listen to the whole thing since I'm waiting on people who are driving into town and they may not get in 'til very late. But, probably not.

Texas lineup: Michael Torres (dh), Travis Tucker (2b), Jordan Danks (cf), Brandon Belt (1b), Russell Moldenhauer (lf), Preston Clark (c), Kyle Russell (rf), David Hernandez (ss), and Pat McCrory (3b). Austin Wood started on the mound.

OU lineup: Mike Gosse (dh), Aljay Davis (cf), J.T. Wise (c), Spencer Selby (lf), Matt Harughty (ss), Aaron Baker (1b), Jamie Johnson (rf), Trey Sperring (3b), and Tyson Seng (2b). Jeremy Erben started on the mound.

• 1st inning
• Texas - (Jeremy Erben on the mound.) Michael Torres reached on a full-count walk and then moved to 2b on wild pitch as Travis Tucker struck out. Jordan Danks singled through the right side to score Michael. Brandon Belt singled through the right side, moving Jordan to 3b. Russell Moldenhauer reached on an infield single to ss, scoring Jordan and moving Brandon to 2b. Preston Clark walked to load the bases. Kyle Russell hit a GRAND SLAM homerun over the rf fence!!!!! David Hernandez reached on a full-count walk. Pat McCrory flew out to lf. Michael singled to rf. On the play, David stumbled as he rounded 2b. He was (according to Craig) headed back to 2b after rounding the bag but stumbled and fell. He was tagged out for the 3rd out.
• OU - (Austin Wood on the mound.) Gosse flew out to lf (1st pitch). Davis grounded out to 2b. Wise grounded out to ss.
• Texas up 6-0
• 2nd inning
• Texas - Travis Tucker flew out to rf. Jordan Danks flew out to lf. Brandon Belt grounded out to 2b.
• OU - Selby singled through the right side. Harughty walked on 4 pitches, moving Selby to 2b. Baker bunted down the 3b line. Pat McCrory had a tough play and, after fielding the ball, made an off-line throw to 1b. Selby scored and Harughty moved to 3b. Scored as a hit and an error. Johnson reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Austin fielded the bunt toward the mound, looked to 2b to see if he had a play, and then threw too late to 1b to get Johnson out. Sperring singled to cf, scoring Harughty and Baker. Runners at the corners. No outs. Lead cut to 3. Sigh. Seng bunted down the 1b line. Brandon Belt tried to get the runner at 2b but the throw was too late. Scored as a fielder's choice and sac bunt. The runner from 3b scored. Runners at 1b and 2b. No outs. Lead cut to 2. Gosse grounded into a 3-6-4 double play. Austin did not run to cover 1b but somehow Travis Tucker did (!) to complete the double play. Sparring moved to 3b. Davis flew out to rf to end the inning.
• Texas up 6-4
• 3rd inning
• Texas - Russell Moldenhauer walked (full count). Keith noted that all three Texas batters who'd worked the count full to this point managed to draw walks. Preston Clark popped out to ss in shallow lf. Kyle Russell struck out swinging. David Hernandez flew out to lf.
• OU - Wise struck out looking (full count). Selby grounded out to ss. Harughty tripled to the cf/rf gap. Baker grounded out to 1b. Whew.
• Texas up 6-4
• 4th inning
• Texas - Pat McCrory grounded out to 3b. Michael Torres grounded out to the pitcher. "Look what I found!" was how Craig described the pitcher's fielding of the ball. Travis Tucker hit another come-backer to the pitcher for the 3rd out of the Texas half of the inning.
• OU - Johnson grounded out to 1b (unassisted). Travis Tucker bare-handed a ground ball behind 2b and threw Sperring out at 1b! Seng walked. Gosse grounded out to 2b.
• Texas up 6-4
• 5th inning
• Texas - Jordan Danks struck out swinging at a ball outside the strike zone. This was the first 3-2 count that was not converted to a walk. Brandon Belt reached on a bloop single to cf. Russell Moldenhauer, sadly, hit into a 4-6-3 double play.
• OU - Davis flew out to lf. Wise struck out looking. Selby struck out swinging!
• Texas up 6-4
• 6th inning
• Texas - Preston Clark homered over the lf fence! Woo hoo! OU sent Chase Anderson to the mound. Kyle Russell grounded out to 2b. David Hernandez struck out swinging. Pat McCrory struck out looking.
• OU - Harughty flew out to rf. Baker reached on an infield single to 1b. Skip Johnson made a trip to the mound to talk to Austin Wood with a 2-0 count to Jamie Johnson who went on to hit a single into rf. Runners at the corners with 1 out. Cole Green went to the mound for the Horns. Which prompted the Sooners to send Jarod Freeman to the plate (pinch-hitting for Sperring). Johnson moved to 2b on a passed ball. Freeman grounded out to 2b, scoring Baker and moving Johnson to 3b. Seng walked to put runners at the corners. Gosse hit a chopper past Travis Tucker, scoring Johnson and moving Seng to 3b. Ruled an error (E4). Keith said Travis did everything he could've and he would've scored it as a single. Davis flared a bloop double into rf, scoring Seng. Game tied with 2 runners in scoring position. Damn. Wise flew out to cf. Nice play by Jordan Danks to save two more runs.
• Game tied 7-7

And...that's where I had to leave. Final three innings to come...

UPDATE. I continued listening to the game on the radio and got to hear Texas score two more runs in the 7th. Michael Torres singled and moved to 2b on a ground out to 2b. As I recall (I was not taking notes since I was driving), the second baseman had trouble and barely made the out. Jordan Danks doubled down the rf line, scoring Michael, and then moved to 3b on a wild pitch. Brandon Belt hit a sac fly to cf, scoring Jordan. Russell Moldenhauer struck out. And, that's the last I heard of the game.

The Sooners went down in order in the bottom of the 7th and the Horns scored an unearned run in the 8th. With 2 out, David Hernandez reached on an error by the shortstop. He moved to 3b on a couple of singles and then scored on a wild pitch. In the OU half of the 8th, Seng reached on a 2-out walk but was stranded at 1b. In the top of the 9th, the Horns got a couple aboard via walks but those walks were sandwiched around a sac bunt and a couple of strikeouts. No score. The Sooners led off the 9th with a single but the mini-rally was squashed by a double play and a ground out to end the game.

Horns win 10-7! Excellent.

Posted by Joanna at 8:48 PM | Permalink

Wednesday - April 2, 2008

Game 28: Texas Southern at Texas

The Horns beat the Texas Southern Tigers 7-4 this evening. Today's game wasn't part of the original 2008 schedule. When Texas had to cancel a game last month against Dallas Baptist (due to rain), they quickly added this evening's Texas Southern game to make up the difference. The two teams had only met once before; they played a game in 1995 here in Austin which Texas won 25-1.

Kenn Kasparek started but only pitched the first inning. I thought that meant we'd be seeing 6 or 7 pitchers. But, Casey Whitmer went in for the 2nd and stayed on the mound through the 5th. Kyle Walker threw the next 1.2 and Stayton Thomas closed out the game for his second win of the year. Kenn put the three batters he faced down in order. Casey struggled a bit. He faced 21 batters and gave up 3 earned runs on 5 hits (3 singles, a double, a homerun) while striking out 4 and walking 3. He also hit a couple of batters. Kyle faced 9 and gave up an unearned run on 2 hits and 3 strikeouts. He committed an error and hit a batter. Stayton faced 7 batters and put 'em all down in order while striking out 3.

The offensive highlights: Michael Torres went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a walk. Travis Tucker went 1-for-3 with a run scored, a sac bunt, a stolen base, and a walk. Jordan Danks went 1-for-3 with 2 runs scored, one batted in, a stolen base, and 2 walks. Brandon Belt went 1-for-4 with a double, a run batted in, a walk, a stolen base, and a strikeout. Russell Moldenhauer went 1-for-2 with a double, a run scored, 2 batted in, and 2 walks. Kyle Russell went 1-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, a run batted in, and 2 strikeouts. Cameron Rupp went 2-for-2 with a run scored, a run batted in, a walk, and a sac fly.

Defensively, the Horns started with Russell Moldenhauer, Jordan Danks, and Kyle Russell around the outfield, Pat McCrory, David Hernandez, Travis Tucker, and Brandon Belt around the infield, Cameron Rupp behind the plate, and Michael Torres at dh. Preston Clark went in at 3b in the top of the 8th. Coach Garrido said after yesterday's game (and again before today's, I'm told) that the best athlete available to play 3b at the moment is Preston Clark. He's a little leery of moving Preston out from behind the plate, but he knows something has to change in order to get the team on track. Preston ended up seeing two ground balls to 3b (the last two batters of the game it turns out) and he converted both ground balls into outs.

The line:

																			R	H	E
Texas Southern			0	2	0			0	1	0			1	0	0		-		4	7	1
Texas			1	0	1			0	0	2			2	1	x		-		7	8	1

The Horns travel to Oklahoma this weekend. The Sooners stand at 21-8-1 on the season with a 2-3-1 conference record. They went 0-2-1 in Lincoln two weeks ago and 2-1 at home against Baylor last weekend.

Go, Horns!!

Posted by Joanna at 11:48 PM | Permalink

Game 27: Rice at Texas

[Note: I wrote and published this last night. Apparently, there was a problem of some sort and I just had to re-publish. Sorry it's late. ]

I'm sorry to report that tonight's game was another ugly one. Texas lost 3-7. Five of the runs given up went unearned. The line:

																			R	H	E
Rice			1	0	1			0	0	1			1	0	3		-		7	7	0
Texas			0	3	0			0	0	0			0	0	0		-		3	7	5

The pitching squads combined for 28 strikeouts, 16 thrown by Texas pitchers at 12 thrown by Rice pitchers. Hard to believe those numbers go with the final results, eh? It was very windy (pretty stiff wind from the north) and fairly cold. It was 68 deg. F at the start of the game and got down to 62 by the end.

Here's how things played out:

• 1st inning
• Rice - (Brandon Workman on the mound for Texas.) Luna reached on an error by lf. He hit a high fly ball to lf. Michael Torres seemed to have difficulty running it down...as though the wind was really tossing it around. And, there was a strong wind blowing in from lf. The ball fell against the heel of his glove and fell to the ground. Luna safe at 2b. Gayhart hit a line drive to lf, over Michael's head. Michael tried to run it down and got his glove on it but he was either playing too shallow or took a bad path to the ball. He dropped this one as well. Luna moved to 3b while Gayhart reached 2b safely. 'Twas a terrible start for Michael and I felt bad for him. Zornes hit a sac fly to cf. Luna scored (unearned) and Gayhart stayed at 2b. Seastrunk flew out to rf. Gayhart tagged up and moved to 3b on the play. Hague struck out looking.
• Texas - (Ojala on the mound for Rice.) Michael Torres grounded out to 2b. Travis Tucker doubled to the lf corner. Jordan Danks popped out to the catcher behind the plate. Brandon Belt lined out to ss.
• Texas down 0-1
• 2nd inning
• Rice - Padron struck out looking. Mozingo grounded out to 2b. Comerota singled (just past a ducking Brandon Workman's head) into cf and stole 2b during DeBiasse's at-bat. DeBiasse struck out.
• Russell Moldenhauer popped up near the mound. The third baseman lost the ball in the wind and it dropped harmlessly to the ground. Which gave Russell a single. Preston Clark was hit by a pitch, moving Russell to 2b. Kyle Russell hit a fly ball to the warning track in lf. The wind killed a homerun-bound ball. The runners tagged up and advanced to 2b and 3b. Tant Shepherd singled to cf, scoring 2. David Hernandez grounded out to the pitcher (bunting for a hit), moving Tant to 2b. Michael Torres singled to rf, scoring Tant. Travis Tucker flew out to lf.
• Texas up 3-1
• 3rd inning
• Rice - Luna singled to cf (another hit that Brandon had to duck in order to save his noggin). Gayhart walked (full count). Zornes struck out. Seastrunk flew out to lf. The crowd rather cruelly gave him a Bronx cheer when Michael caught the ball. Hague doubled to the cf/rf gap, scoring Luna and moving Gayhart to 3b. Texas sent Chance Ruffin to the mound. Padron walked (full count). Mozingo struck out.
• Texas - Jordan Danks struck out looking. Brandon Belt lined out to rf. Russell Moldenhauer singled to rf. Preston Clark grounded out to the pitcher.
• Texas up 3-2
• 4th inning
• Rice - 3-up/3-down: Comerota grounded out to 3b, DeBiasse popped out to 2b, and Luna grounded out to ss.
• Texas - Kyle Russell walked on 10 pitches and moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Tant Shepherd. David Hernandez popped out to 1b (foul). Rice sent Evers to the mound. Kyle stole 3b with Michael Torres at the plate. Michael walked. Travis Tucker grounded into a fielder's choice (6-4).
• Texas up 3-2
• 5th inning
• Rice - 3-up/3-down: Gayhart struck out looking, Zornes struck out looking, and Seastrunk lined out to lf (very nice play by Michael Torres on a long run and last second snag of the ball).
• Texas - Jordan Danks led off with a double to the lf/cf gap. Brandon Belt struck out. Cameron Rupp (pinch-hitting for Russell Moldenhauer against the lefty) struck out. Preston Clark took a couple of balls and was then intentionally walked. Kyle Russell struck out. (3 Ks)
• Texas up 3-2
• 6th inning
• Rice - Hague struck out looking. Padron doubled to the cf/rf gap. Mozingo grounded out to 1b, moving Padron to 3b. Comerota singled to cf (rbi) and was then caught stealing (2-4) with Dodson (pinch-hitting) at the plate.
• Texas - Tant Shepherd struck out looking. David Hernandez struck out. Michael Torres walked and stole 2b with Travis Tucker at the plate. Travis struck out looking. (3 Ks)
• Game tied 3-3
• 7th inning
• Rice - Dodson struck out looking. Luna reached on an error by 3b (Tant booted the ball) and stole 2b with Gayhart at the plate. Gayhart struck out looking. Zornes reached on another error by 3b (Tant fielded and threw very wide of 1b). Luna scored and Zornes made it to 2b. It looked like Tant could've probably tagged Luna out fairly easily but that's not what players are taught to do. You rarely see it either. 99% of the time, you see them field and throw for the force out, rather than risk not making the tag. Seastrunk was intentionally walked. Texas sent Pat McCrory to the mound. The runners advanced to 2b and 3b on a wild pitch (3rd pitch) to Hague. Hague struck out swinging. Preston dropped the pitch so had to throw down to 1b to complete the out. (3 Ks)
• Texas - Jordan Danks, Brandon Belt, and Cameron Rupp all struck out. (3 Ks)
• Texas down 3-4
• 8th inning
• Rice - Padron and Mozingo struck out. Comerota flew out to cf.
• Texas - Preston Clark struck out. Kyle Russell was hit by a pitch. Rice sent Price to the mound. Tant Shepherd lined out to lf. Kyle moved to 2b on a wild pitch with David Hernandez at the plate. David grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.
• Texas down 3-4
• 9th inning
• Rice - Dodson walked. Texas sent Brandon Belt to the mound. This caused Cameron Rupp to go in (from dh) at catcher and moved Preston Clark to 1b. Luna struck out. Gayhart struck out. Zornes reached on an error by 3b. I would've probably scored it a hit and an error. It was a very tough play to make the initial stop and keep the ball in the infield but...whatever. A bad throw put runners at the corners. Seastrunk struck out for the 3rd out. Only not according to the home plate umpire. Everybody else in the park (the Texas players, the Rice players, the coaches, the Rice fans, the Texas fans...everyone) thought the 5th pitch went right down the middle. Cameron stood up to toss the ball to the mound. The Texas players made a move to go to the dugout. The Rice players and Coach Graham did likewise. And, then everyone realized that the home plate umpire did not agree. He gave Seastrunk another pitch. And, Seastrunk hit an astroturf single over Preston Clark's head at 1b. Dodson scored and Zornes moved to 3b. Hague then hit a double down the lf line, scoring both runners. Hague on the night: 3 strikeouts and 2 doubles (3 runs batted in). Padron struck out looking. (3 Ks)
• Texas - Michael Torres flew out to lf. Travis Tucker singled to lf. Jordan Danks walked, moving Travis to 2b. Brandon Belt grounded out to 2b, moving the runners to 2b and 3b. Cameron Rupp struck out (3rd K of the night for him). Game over.
• Texas loses 3-7

See? Ugly.

Posted by Joanna at 7:00 AM | Permalink

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