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Thursday - May 15, 2008

Game 49: Alabama A&M at Texas

The Horns won the first game of the Alabama A&M double header 18-0:

Brandon Workman was the designated starter (meaning he did not have to go 5 innings to get the win...he just had to be effective for the innings he was in) and he did just fine. He went 3 innings, faced 10 batters, gave up 2 hits (singles to the lead-off batters in the 1st and 2nd!), and struck out 1. Kyle Walker took over for the 3rd through 6th innings. He faced 12 batters, gave up 2 hits (singles to the lead-off batters in the 4th and 6th!), struck out 5, walked 1, and threw a wild pitch. Juston Street pitched the 7th. He hit the first batter he faced with the first pitch he threw (!), struck out the 2nd, and got the next two to fly out. All-in-all, nice work...particularly in view of the fact that they'd been off for 10 days.

Offensively, the Horns could do no wrong. Going down the starting line-up, things went like so:

• Michael Torres (dh) went 2-for-4 with a single, a 3-run in-the-park (!) homerun, 2 runs scored, 3 batted in (on that homer), and a walk.
• Travis Tucker (2b) went 0-for-4 (hmmmm...maybe they could do a little wrong) with a walk and a run scored (after reaching on an error).
• Jordan Danks (cf) went 0-for-2 with 3 runs scored and 2 walks.
• Preston Clark (3b) went 0-for-1 with a walk and 2 runs scored. He was hit by a pitch twice. The second time, the ball hit him very hard on the helmet...near the back on his left side. It appeared to daze him. He walked to 1b and after talking to the trainer at 1b for a few minutes, he exited the game.
• Kyle Russell (rf) was a homerun short of hitting for the cycle. He went 3-for-4 (single, double, triple!) with 2 runs scored, 3 batted in, and a sac fly.
• Brandon Belt (1b) went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, 4 batted in, a sac fly, and a strikeout.
• Russell Moldenhauer (lf) went 1-for-2 with 2 runs scored, a run batted in, a walk, and he was hit by a pitch.
• Cameron Rupp (c) went 2-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored, and 2 batted in.
• David Hernandez (ss) went 3-for-4 with a double, a homerun, 2 runs scored, and 4 batted in.

Also of note:

• Pat McCrory went in for Preston Clark after he was hit in the bottom of the 5th, scored a run, and stayed in the game at 3b.
• Runey Davis went into cf for Jordan Danks in the top of the 6th. He had one at-bat and struck out. He also caught a fly ball to cf for (I think) his first out as a Longhorn. I think he'd only pinch-run in games to this point. I admit that I might've missed him appearing on the defensive side of things during an away game at some point.
• Tant Shepherd replaced Brandon Belt at 1b in the top of the 6th. He did not get a chance to bat.
• Keven Keyes went in for Russell Moldenhauer at lf in the top of the 6th. He also did not get a chance to bat.
• Tom Jenkins started as the home plate umpire but had to leave he game as the bottom of the 6th started. He was apparently overcome by the heat. It was 82 deg. F at the start of the game and very muggy. The highest temperature I noticed flash across the temperature indicator on the scoreboard was 91. I can't remember if we saw that late in the 1st game or early in the 2nd. However, it felt the hottest during that first 30 minutes or so. There was no wind and the humidity from the morning rains was pretty stifling. But, as the afternoon went on and the temperature rose, the wind started kicking up and it actually became rather pleasant...despite the heat. Weird.

Some photos...

Wide-angle shot of the conditions at the start of the game:

And, yes...they played that annoying a cappella "boy band" version of the National Anthem. Once again forgetting that we're playing at The University of Texas at Austin, home of the The Showband of the Southwest. I can't tell you how offensive I find this practice. It's outrageous and appalling. Ugh.

Anyway.

Jordan Danks and Maverick (don't you love that name?) Scott at 1b in the 1st inning:

David Hernandez hit a double and moved to 3b on a wild pitch in the 1st:

Brandon Workman on the mound:

Brandon Belt, hitting a single in the 2nd:

Kyle Walker on the mound:

David Hernandez hit the first pitch he saw in the 5th over the lf fence. Here he is getting props from Coach Harmon:

When he got back to the dugout, his teammates ignored him:

Then, they started laughing and swarmed him. Heh heh.

Here's Michael Torres rounding 3b on that in-the-park (!) homerun he hit in the 5th:

Tant Shepherd keeping Manny Siaca honest in the 6th:

First at-bat for Runey Davis:

Alas, he struck out.

Juston Street on the mound:

I have to admit that when I saw that tongue sticking out, I got a big grin on my face. Heh heh.

I hope to have Game 2 online this evening. 'Gotta go to work now, though, and won't be able to work on it during the day. By the way, I hear there's lots of wind and hail damage near campus. I hope my office (with it's west-facing window) is okay.

Posted by Joanna at 8:26 AM