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Wednesday - April 7, 2010
Game 30: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Texas
The Horns beat the Islanders 6-2 tonight. The game was just skipping along 'til the 7th inning stretch. It slowed down a bit after that but it still finished up in about 2 hours, 30 minutes. It was a beautiful evening. The wind was blowing in from the north but didn't seem to be quite a swirly as yesterday, when the wind was blowing out to the north.
Austin Dicharry started for Texas and pitched 4 innings. By my count, he threw 55 pitches (22 strikes), faced 15 batters, walked 1, struck out 3, and gave up 3 hits (1 double, 2 singles). Kendal Carrillo pitched the 5th and 6th for his 2nd win in as many days. By my count, he threw 24 pitches, faced 7 batters, struck out two, and gave up a single. Hoby Milner pitched the 7th. He gave up a lead-off single, then gave up a 1-6 fielder's choice, and then got out of the inning on a 6-4-3 double play. By my count, he threw 8 pitches (6 strikes), faced 3 batters, and gave up 1 hit. Stayton Thomas threw the 8th and 9th. By my count, he allowed 2 runs (both earned), threw 47 pitches (30 strikes), faced 11 batters, walked 1, struck out 3, and gave up 4 hits (1 double and 3 singles). He gave up a 2-out double in the 8th but then struck out the final batter of the inning. The 9th was kind of odd...
- Trey Hernandez struck out looking (full count).
- Matt Holland reached on a 10-pitch single to lf. I wasn't sure he was ever gonna stop hitting foul balls.
- Caleb Marx popped out to shallow rf.
- Holland stole 2b on the 2nd pitch to Bobby Buckner (who red-shirted with the Horns a couple of years ago as a freshman). Rupp didn't seem to even think of throwing down to 2b so it was very nearly defensive indifference.
- Buckner eventually drew a 7-pitch full-count walk.
- Jeremie Marek singled off the mound into cf, scoring Holland and moving Buckner to 2b.
- Weston Montgomery then hit a bloop single into no-man's land behind 2b. Kyle Lusson (who'd moved into rf after pinch-running for Kevin Keyes in the bottom of the 8th) dove for the ball and nearly made the catch but, alas, no such luck. Buckner scored and Marek moved up to 3b.
- Omar Garcia struck out swinging to end the game.
The line:
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| Texas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | 6 | 10 | 0 |
Offensively, this was the kind of game I keep hoping the Horns will have every time they get out on the field. The bright shining stat of the evening? No strike outs. None. A thing of beauty. For the most part, they did everything just right. Here's how things played out for Texas...
- 1st inning
- Cohl Walla (lf) popped out to shallow lf.
- Brandon Loy (ss) singled up the middle.
- Tant Shepherd (1b) reached on a 5-4 fielder's choice.
- Cameron Rupp (c) then grounded into another fielder's choice (6-4 this time).
- 2nd inning
- Kevin Keyes reached on an error (E6). The shortstop stopped a fairly sharply hit ground ball but just couldn't get a handle on the ball.
- Jonathan Walsh (dh) advanced Keyes to 2b on a sac bunt (3-4). It was a nicely hit ball. I thought for a second that Walsh was gonna beat it out with nobody covering 1b but the second baseman managed to kick it into high gear and just got to the bag in time to take the toss from the first baseman to make the out.
- With Kevin Lusson (3b) at the plate, Keyes stole 3b.
- Lusson then grounded out to ss, scoring Keyes.
- Connor Rowe (cf) grounded out to 1b.
- Jordan Etier (2b) flew out to rf.
- Walla watched a ball then tried to bunt his way aboard, but bunted the ball foul. Next pitch? Line drive homerun into the Islander bullpen...into the teeth of the wind. Good thing it was a line drive.
- Loy worked the count full then flew out to cf.
- Shepherd flew out to cf on the first pitch...just to be different, I suppose.
- 4th inning
- Rupp grounded out to 3b. The third baseman made a really nice stop and then made a shaky throw to 1b...but it was in time.
- Keyes tried to bunt his way aboard but ran into the ball out of the box so was called out.
- Walsh popped out to 2b.
- 5th inning
- Lusson singled through the right side.
- Rowe moved Lusson to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt.
- Lusson moved up to 3b on a wild pitch (first pitch) to Etier.
- And, the squeeze was on! Etier bunted one ball foul down the 1b line. Next pitch another bunt down the 1b line, this time in fair territory. The first baseman thought for a second about trying to throw home but realized he probably couldn't make the play and just barely managed to tag Etier out running past him down the line. Lusson scored.
- Walla flew out to lf.
- 6th inning
- Loy grounded out to 2b.
- Shepherd grounded out to the pitcher. It was a hard-hit ball that hit the pitcher pretty soundly (more-or-less in his belly). The pitcher managed to raise his glove up in time to deflect the ball. He then raced after it, picked it up, and threw to 1b in time to make the out. That could've been really bad. Instead? Smiles all around.
- Rupp singled through the right side and was then forced out on a 6-4 fielder's choice hit by Keyes.
- 7th inning
- Walsh flew out to lf.
- Lusson singled up the middle and was then, sadly, caught stealing (by about a mile...or so) with Rowe at the plate.
- 2-out rally time.
- Rowe reached on a 3-base error by the right fielder who misjudged a ball and let it drop off his glove.
- Etier doubled off the base of the wall in rf...near the Texas bullpen, scoring Rowe.
- The Islanders sent their 4th pitcher to the mound.
- Walla singled up the middle, scoring Etier.
- Loy reached on a ground-rule double down the rf line. On the play, the right fielder nearly caught the ball but lost it as he ran into the fence that runs down the rf line near the corner. The ball fell into the out-of-play area there in the corner. Walla had to stop at 3b, sadly.
- Shepherd drew a 4-pitch walk to load the bases.
- Rupp hit a hard ground ball right to the third baseman about 4 or 5 feet behind the 3b bag. He stepped on the bag for the force, ending the inning.
- 8th inning
- Keyes drew a 5-pitch walk. The Horns sent Kyle Lusson in to pinch-run for Keyes.
- Lusson stole 2b with Walsh at the plate.
- Walsh went on to ground out to 1b, moving Lusson to 3b.
- Kevin Lusson hit a sac fly to rf, scoring big brother Kyle.
- Rowe singled through the right side.
- Etier reached on an infield single to 3b, moving Rowe to 2b. The third baseman cut off the slow ground ball but had no play at either base.
- Walla flew out to rf.
Really, very nicely done on the offensive side of things. Go, Horns!
Kansas comes to town this weekend. First pitch on Friday at 6:05. The Jayhawks are currently in 4th place in the Big 12 race with a conference record of 3-2-1. The Horns are in 1st place with their 7-2 conference record.
Hook 'em, Horns!
Posted by Joanna at 11:19 PM