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Tuesday - April 27, 2010

Game 42: UT-San Antonio at Texas

Texas held off a late surge by the UT-San Antonio Road Runners to win tonight's game 6-4.

The line...

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
UT-San Antonio	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	4	10	3
Texas	0	3	0	2	0	0	0	1	-	6	8	2

The Horns seemed a little flat this evening. I don't think it was just me. As you can see from the box, there were a few errors committed in the game...by both teams. Not pretty.

Jonathan Walsh started at catcher today while Cameron Rupp started at dh. Late in the game, Chance Ruffin went to the mound and Texas sent Rupp in to catch. Which meant they lost the dh. Which meant, Ruffin was due up to bat as the 4th batter in the bottom of the 8th. I wondered if he'd get a shot at batting and he did. With Kevin Lusson at 2b, Ruffin watched a ball and then hit a deeeeeep fly ball to cf. Lusson tagged up and moved to 3b. Ruffin danced off the field into the dugout. Hysterical. Then, the wild bunch started chanting his name. Ruffin happily exited the dugout and tipped his batting helmet to the crowd. One of the funniest moments I can remember at a Texas baseball game.

UPDATED later to include a photo...taken with my iPhone so not really the best quality but, still...a photo of Chance Ruffin at the plate before he hit that deep fly ball to cf...

UPDATE #2 (Apr. 28). My mom just sent me the photo she took. She used a point and shoot and got the swing...

You can see the ball shooting off the bat. It's that streak below the first baseman's right foot. Cool!

Anyway...

Sam Stafford started and struck out the side in the first. He also gave up a walk and a single to make things a bit more interesting than they needed to be. He started the 2nd with a walk and a hit batter so was replaced by Kiefer Nuncio who ended up with the win, improving his record to 2-0. That first batter in the 2nd did score (earned run charged to Stafford). Nuncio also walked the first batter he faced but then got an out (sac fly) and a double play to end the 2nd. He gave up a single in the 3rd. Kendal Carrillo threw the middle three innings and had a great outing. He got 8 batters out in-a-row before giving up a double. He then struck out the last batter he faced. Hoby Milner threw a 1-2-3 7th.

The 8th did not go very well, defensively, for the Horns. Stayton Thomas went to the mound and got a quick ground out. He then gave up a single and another ground out. The Road Runners also managed to steal 2b. Then? RBI-double. With 2 out, 1 across, and a runner at 2b, the Road Runners bunted down the 3b line. Thomas fielded and tried to throw the batter out. The ball got to Shepherd about the same time the batter did. The batter ran through the bag, jarring Shepherd's glove hand and making it impossible to catch the ball. The ball careened down the line to the retaining wall down the rf line. The runner from 2b who was safe at 3b on the bunt, scored on the throwing error by the pitcher. Geesh. Lots of confusion. Shepherd seemed to have hurt his wrist but he shook it off and stayed in the game. At that point, Texas sent Ruffin to the mound and Rupp in behind the plate. Ruffin gave up a single before striking out the final batter of the inning. His first warm-up pitch in the 9th after his offensive heroics in the 8th, sailed over Rupp all the way to the backstop. Yikes! I do believe his adrenaline was pumping! But, he buckled down and got two quick outs before getting into another bit of trouble. He gave up a double (0-2 pitch, tsk tsk) and then a bunt single. With runners at the corners he gave up a single up the middle, scoring the runner from 3b. Connor Rowe made a very uncharacteristic bobble as he went down to scoop the ball up which allowed the runner from 1b time to get to 3b. On the throw to 3b, the batter moved up to 2b. Tying run in scoring position. Yikes! The next batter, thankfully, went down swinging to end the game.

Offensive highlights...

• 2nd inning
• Kevin Lusson doubled to the cf/rf gap.
• Jonathan Walsh hit a really nice 5-4 sac bunt down the 3b line, moving Lusson to 3b.
• With Connor Rowe at the plate, Lusson scored on a balk. Rowe went on to draw a full-count walk.
• With Jordan Etier at the plate, Rowe stole 2b on a bad pick-off attempt.
• Etier then grounded out to 1b, moving Rowe to 3b.
• Cohl Walla then hit a homerun into the UTSA bullpen.
• Brandon Loy grounded out to the pitcher to end the game. He was trying to bunt his way aboard.
• 4th inning
• Same group of batters. Hmmm...
• Lusson drew a full-count walk.
• Walsh moved him to 2b on a 1-3 sac bunt.
• With Rowe at the plate, Lusson stole 3b.
• Squeeze! Rowe bunted down the 1b side...about half-way between 1b and the mound. The first baseman and pitcher both went after the ball. The first baseman tried to get back to 1b but couldn't and the 2nd baseman was also too late. RBI single!
• With Etier at the plate, the Road Runners had Rowe picked off but the shortstop could not handle the throw from 1b and the ball went off into shallow rf. Rowe made it to 3b on the error. E6 oddly enough. I really thought the error should be charged to 1b. Ah well.
• Squeeze #2! Etier bunted down the 1b line, scoring Rowe. The first baseman fielded and had no play at the plate so tagged Etier out.
• Walla doubled to the lf/cf gap.
• Loy reached on a throwing error by ss. The shortstop's throw pulled the first baseman off the bag. Runners at the corners.
• Alas, Loy was then caught stealing to end the inning.
• 8th inning
• Rupp popped out to shallow rf.
• Keyes reached on a 4-pitch walk.
• Texas sent Kyle Lusson in to pinch run for Keyes.
• With Kevin Lusson at the plate, Kyle Lusson stole 2b.
• Kevin Lusson singled into cf, scoring his brother. On the throw home, Kevin moved up to 2b.
• Enter Chance Ruffin and his deep fly ball to cf, moving Kevin Lusson to 3b.
• Rowe, sadly, struck out swinging for the 3rd out.

The Horns now travel to Waco for an evening game against Baylor on Friday. Then, it's back to Austin to complete the Baylor series...with an evening game on Saturday and an afternoon game on Sunday.

Hook 'em!

Posted by Joanna at 11:40 PM