See what I mean? Whew. The Texas State starter went 7 innings. In the first 6 innings, he struck out 7 batters and only 4 batters even reached base (one each in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th). Yowza.

Austin Dicharry got the start for the Horns and went 7+ innings. By my count, he faced 26 batters and threw 87 pitches (58 strikes), had 1 wild pitch, 4 strikeouts, gave up 5 hits, and all 3 runs (1 unearned). Stayton Thomas relieved Dicharry in the 8th after he gave up a lead-off double to the cf/rf gap. Thomas went .2 innings. He faced 2 batters and threw 9 pitches (6 strikes). Both batters grounded out. Andrew McKirahan faced the final batter of the 8th (a lefty) and got him to ground out back to the mound. McKirahan threw 6 pitches (only 1 ball)...but that was enough to earn his first victory of the year. Sweet. Chance Ruffin threw the 9th for his 4th save of the year. He faced 4 batters and threw 19 pitches (10 strikes), walked 1 batter, and threw 1 strikeout. The first two batters he faced managed to work the count full. Nice job of getting out of the inning.

Offensively, the Horns did struggle early in the game. Kevin Keyes reached on an 1-out infield-single to 3b in the 2nd. He really did a great job to beat the throw from 3b. Alas, he was stranded at 2b. In the 3rd, Tant Shepherd reached on a 2-out single through the right side but, again, stranded. In the 4th, Russell Moldenhauer worked his way aboard on a 1-out full-count walk. Alas, the next two batters went down swinging. In the 5th, Jordan Etier reached on a 2-out error by the ss. I would've ruled it an infield single since I really do think he beat the throw to the bag but the throw was high and the official scorer ruled it an error...even though Etier did not advance to 2b. Ah well. He stole 2b on the first pitch to Shepherd and then moved to 3b on a wild pitch. Alas, he was stranded there when Shepherd struck out swinging.

They finally scored a run in the 7th:

• Kevin Keyes reached on another infield single to 3b. Another great job of hustling down the line as the 3rd baseman charged a weakly hit ground ball. Nice.
• Keyes moved to 2b on a sac bunt down the 1b line (3-unassisted) by Kyle Lusson.
• Kevin Lusson doubled to the lf/cf gap, scoring Keyes.
• Paul Montalbano, pinch-hitting for Connor Rowe, hit a high bouncer off the plate on the 3rd base side of the mound for a single, moving Lusson to 3b.
• Texas then put the squeeze on. Jordan Etier watched three balls go by...squaring to bunt each time. The forth pitch (again, squared to bunt) was called a strike. He got the 5th pitch down...and down the 1b line. The first baseman fielded, almost tagged Etier, and threw home. Lusson slid hard into the plate and knocked down the home plate ump (flat on his face...ouch). The ump lay flat on the ground for a couple of seconds and then pulled himself up enough to call Lusson out. I don't really think the catcher got the tag down but whatcha gonna do? The first baseman nearly got a double play out of the thing. Anyway, runners at 1b and 2b, 2 out.
• Tant Shepherd swung at a couple of pitches and then went down looking. So sad.

Montalbano stayed in the game in lf and Kyle Lusson moved to cf for the top of the 8th. Texas State scored in the 8th: lead-off double, ground out to 3b (runner stayed at 2b), ground out to 2b (runner moved to 3b), passed ball scored run. Ouch.

The bottom of the 8th was quite the exciting inning:

• The Bobcats finally replaced their starting pitcher. They sent Mitchell Pitts in for Carson Smith.
• Brandon Loy led things off with a single up the middle. And, now I insert a note about Loy hurting himself in the 3rd. He fouled the third pitch he saw in the 3rd off his left foot and immediately fell to the ground in a lot of pain. He got up and walked around very tenderly for 2 or 3 minutes, visited with a trainer and Coach Garrido, and eventually stayed at the plate. He grounded out to the ss a couple of pitches later. He limped quite a bit going down the line on the play. But, he stayed in the game. He was not 100%, though, clearly. When he got the lead-off hit in the 8th, I was sure Texas would send in a pinch runner. But, nope. They left Loy at 1b.
• Cameron Rupp worked the count full and then hit another hard ground ball up the middle. Loy, on his hurt let, did not even think about reaching for 3b.
• With runners at 1b and 2b and nobody, out, the Horns left Loy in the game. What?
• First pitch to Moldenhauer...who squared to bunt????...was a ball. And, Texas sent Tim Maitland in to pinch-run for Loy. Finally!
• Moldenhauer again squared to bunt and, sadly, got the bunt down. The ball did not stay close enough to the line and the pitcher was able to field and throw to 3b to get the lead runner out. The healthy wheels ended up making no difference! You just never know. Runners at 1b and 2b, one out.
• The Bobcats sent Garret Carruth to the mound and Texas sent Jonathan Walsh in to pinch run for Moldenhauer. Walsh's first action in a Texas uniform.
• Keyes drew a 5-pitch walk to load the bases. The Horns sent Cohl Walla in to pinch-run for Keyes.
• Kyle Lusson reached on a 6-4 fielder's choice, scoring Rupp and moving Walsh to 3b.
• Kevin Lusson then drew a full-count walk to re-load the bases.
• Paul Montalbano hit a soft line drive into cf, scoring Walsh and Kyle Lusson! Kevin Lusson moved to 2b.
• Jordan Etier was hit by a full-count pitch to load the bases yet again.
• Which prompted Texas State to change pitchers again. They sent Jeff McVaney to the mound.
• Shepherd then hit into a 6-unassisted fielder's choice to end the inning.

Oh. My. Such stress! But, Horns win! Horns win! And, that's what matters most. Yes!

By the way, defensively in the 9th, Texas moved Jordan Etier over to ss and sent Jordan Weymouth in at 2b. Weymouth seemed very excited to be out there...another Longhorn player seeing his first action of the year. Kyle Lusson moved over to rf, and Cohl Walla stayed in the game in cf.

The Horns play host to Iowa this weekend in a 4-game series, including a double-header on Saturday. I suspect the double header will be a scheduled 7-inning game followed by a 9-inning game but I'm not sure about that.

Hook 'em!

The details, from that point on...

• Mizzou, top of the 3rd
• Cole Green on the mound for Texas.
• Michael Liberto (ss) struck out swinging.
• Russell LaFleur (cf) struck out swinging.
• Eric Garcia (2b) singled through the left side.
• Garcia took off on a hit and run as Aaron Senne (1b) hit a ball right at the spot Loy had vacated as he went to cover 2b. Sigh. Garcia moved up to 3b, Senne safe at 1b.
• Brett Nicholas (3b) singled through the right side, scoring Garcia and moving Senne to 3b.
• Skip Johnson made a visit to the mound. 2 out, runners at the corners, a run in.
• Dane Opel (rf) grounded into a 4-unassisted fielder's choice. Jordan Etier fielded a ground ball and stepped on 2b in stride for the force out.
• Texas down 0-3.
• Texas, bottom of the 3rd
• Aaron Blunt on the mound for Mizzou.
• Jordan Etier (2b) reached on a full-count walk.
• Tant Shepherd (1b) singled through the left side, moving Etier to 2b. Yes.
• Mizzou made a pitching change, calling Ryan Clubb in to replace Blunt on the mound.
• Brandon Loy (ss) squared to bunt. The first bunt went off his foot and the second went foul quickly...both to the left side. He then flew out to rf shallow in the cf/rf gap. No chance for Etier to advance.
• Cameron Rupp (c) popped up to 1b on the foul line about 40 or 50 feet past 1b. Nice play by the first baseman.
• Kevin Keyes (dh, interesting) lined into cf for a single. Etier was on the move with the pitch and scored easily. Yes! Shepherd moved to 2b.
• Cohl Walla (lf, getting his first start of the year) grounded into a 4-6 fielder's choice.
• Texas down 1-3.
• Mizzou, top of the 4th
• Jonah Schmidt (dh), who hit the homer earlier in the game, struck out swinging. Rupp dropped the ball so had to throw down to 1b to complete the out.
• Kale Gaden (lf) singled past 1b into rf.
• Ryan Ampleman (c) grounded into a 1-3 fielder's choice. It was a hit & run but he did not get much on the ball.
• Liberto flew out to right-cf. Rowe, who was shaded to left had to make a long run to get to the ball. Very nicely done.
• Texas down 1-3.
• Texas, bottom of the 4th
• Connor Rowe (cf) flew out to cf...just short of the warning track.
• Kyle Lusson (rf) grounded out to 3b.
• Kevin Lusson (3b) singled through the right side.
• Etier was hit by a 2-2 pitch. Lusson moved up to 2b.
• Shepherd popped up to rf near the line. Sigh...
• Texas down 1-3.
• Mizzou, top of the 5th
• LaFleur struck out swinging.
• Garcia grounded out to 2b.
• Senne reached on an error by 1b. Shepherd misplayed the ground ball as he appeared to look up to see if he should throw or run to 1b.
• Nicholas flew out to lf.
• Texas down 1-3.
• Texas, bottom of the 5th
• Mizzou sent Zack Hardoin to the mound, replacing Clubb.
• Loy walked his way aboard (on 4 pitches, I think).
• Rupp singled past 3b into lf, moving Loy to 2b.
• Keyes lined off the pitcher's thigh to load the bases. Ouch. The ball hit his left thigh and then dribbled all the way to the foul line between 3b and the plate. Ouch. That's gonna leave a nasty bruise.
• Pitching change. Brad Buehler sent to the mound, replacing Hardoin.
• Paul Montalbano (pinch-hitting for Walla) reached on a 5-pitch walk, scoring Loy!
• Rowe struck out swinging.
• Kyle Lusson flew out to rf. Sac fly scored Rupp. Keyes did not advance. Runners at 1b and 2b with 2 out.
• Kevin Lusson walked to re-load the bases.
• Etier singled to lf, scoring Keyes and Montalbano! Lusson moved up to 2b.
• Mizzou sent Jeff Scardino to the mound, replacing Buehler.
• Shepherd doubled off the wall in lf, scoring Lusson.
• Loy grounded out to 3b.
• Best inning of the year for the Horns!
• Texas up 7-3.
• Mizzou, top of the 6th
• Montalbano stayed in the game in lf for the Horns.
• Opel flew out to lf.
• Schmidt grounded out to 2b.
• Gaden also grounded out to 2b...almost the same spot.
• Texas up 7-3.
• Texas, bottom of the 6th
• Rupp flew out to rf in foul territory. Nice long run by the right fielder.
• Keyes flew out to rf at the wall.
• Montalbano grounded out (hard-hit ball) to the pitcher.
• Texas up 7-3.
• Mizzou, top of the 7th
• Ampleman flew out to lf in foul territory. Nice play by Montalbano.
• Liberto grounded out to 3b.
• LaFleur singled through the left side.
• Garcia grounded out to 2b.
• Texas up 7-3.
• Texas, bottom of the 7th
• Rowe flew out to straightaway cf about 10 feet shy of the warning track.
• Kyle Lusson grounded out to ss.
• Kevin Lusson flew out to lf.
• Texas up 7-3.
• Mizzou, top of the 8th
• Senne grounded out to 2b. Etier struggled to gather the ball up and just barely nipped the batter out at 1b. Whew.
• Nicholas doubled down the lf line.
• Opel drew a full-count walk.
• Texas sent Chance Ruffin to the mound, replacing Green.
• Schmidt drew a 5-pitch walk to load the bases. Texas trying to be very careful with Schmidt (who homered in the 2nd) but...yikes.
• Gaden singled up the middle, scoring Nicholas. Bases still loaded.
• Ampleman reached on a 6-4 fielder's choice. Opel scored. Schmidt moved up to 3b. Loy had to dive and knock the ball (headed into cf) down. He just managed to get the ball to Etier covering 2b. No chance at a double play. Good job by Loy to keep the ball in the infield.
• Liberto struck out swinging. Whew.
• Texas up 7-5.
• Texas, bottom of the 8th
• Etier hit his first homerun of the year to lf! Full-count pitch. Nice.
• Shepherd singled over 2b into rf.
• Pitching change. Mizzou sent Jeff Emens to the mound, replacing Scardino.
• Loy moved Shepherd to 2b with a 1-3 sac bunt.
• Rupp grounded out to ss deep in the hole. Shepherd had to hold at 2b.
• Keyes flew out to lf.
• Texas up 8-5.
• Mizzou, top of the 9th
• LaFleur struck out swinging on 3 pitches. Nice.
• Garcia grounded out to 3b.
• Senne singled into lf and then moved up to 2b on defensive indifference with Nicholas at the plate. Texas made no attempt to hold Senne at 1b and made no throw to 2b as he took off on the first pitch.
• Nicholas struck out swinging. Whew.
• Texas wins 8-3.

The line:

Very nicely done. It was great to see the Horns hitting the ball today. Texas shuffled their line-up a bit, expecting left-handed pitching from Missouri. Walla got his first start of the year in lf. Kyle Lusson moved to rf. And, Keyes went to work at dh...taking Russell Moldenhauer's customary spot. It seemed to work out rather well. I'm curious to see how things continue to develop as the season progresses.

Green earned his 3rd win of the year to improve his record to 3-0. And, I think Ruffin earned his 3rd save of the year.

The Horns come back to town and play Texas State on Tuesday evening. Hook 'em!

The Astros were, once again, streaming the game so I did get to watch 'til I had to leave my folks' house for the airport. It turned out to be a heck of a pitching duel with Houston getting the better end of the deal as Texas lost 0-1.

The details, through the top of the third...

• Texas, Top of the 1st
• Michael Goodnight pitching for Houston.
• Tant Shepherd (1b) struck out swinging.
• Brandon Loy (ss) struck out looking.
• Cameron Rupp (c) drew a 5-pitch walk.
• Russell Moldenhauer (dh) singled up the middle, moving Rupp to 2b.
• Kevin Keyes (rf) struck out swinging. Too bad.
• Houston, Bottom of the 1st
• Brandon Workman pitching for Texas.
• Blake Kelso (ss) tripled to the cf/rf gap (1st pitch). Ouch.
• Then he scored on a wild pitch...first pitch to the next batter. The ball was down in the dirt and careened away from Rupp on the 1b side. He got to it and threw back to Workman covering the plate but just a little bit too late. Double ouch.
• Joel Ansley (cf) grounded out to ss.
• Matt Creel (rf) struck out looking.
• Caleb Ramsey (lf) grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• Texas down 0-1.
• Texas, Top of the 2nd
• Connor Rowe (cf) flew out to lf (at the wall, toward the cf gap).
• Kevin Lusson (3b) drew a walk (full count, I think). And, was then picked off (1-3) with Kyle Lusson at the plate. Sigh. How many pick-offs is that on Texas baserunners this year?
• Kyle Lusson (lf) drew a walk. Full count, I think. He then moved to 2b on a balk with Etier at the plate.
• Jordan Etier (2b) struck out swinging.
• Texas down 0-1.
• Houston, Bottom of the 2nd
• M.P. Cokinos (dh) grounded out to 3b. Nice play by Lusson at 3b to dive and stop the ball before jumping up to throw to 1b.
• Chris Wallace (c) grounded out to ss (1-6-3) off Workman's glove.
• Matt Murphy (1b) grounded out to 2b.
• Very nice and quick 1-2-3 for the Horns.
• Texas down 0-1.
• Texas, Top of the 3rd
• Shepherd flew out to lf.
• Loy singled up the middle and advanced to 2b on a balk with Rupp at the plate.
• Rupp struck out looking.
• Moldenhauer drew a full-count walk.
• Keyes flew out to straightaway cf at the warning track.
• Texas down 0-1.
• And, then I left for the airport.

I was actually able to listen to most of the rest of the game on the radio. And, not a whole lot happened. Here's the line:

Look at that. The teams combined for 7 hits. Amazing. Brandon Workman pitched a complete game, taking the loss for Texas. According to the Texas boxscore, he faced 27 batters, threw 93 pitches, gave up the 4 hits and 1 run (earned), walked 1, and struck out 7. There's no way Workman should be saddled with that loss. What he accomplished today really should be a lot more than a team needs out of their pitcher to win a game, doncha think? I hope the hitting comes around soon for the Horns. As a team, they're only batting .237. Opponents are batting .220, though, which is why they've got a 7-3 record. Scary stuff.

Ah well. The Horns play Missouri tomorrow at 11. The game will not count toward Big 12 totals. Hook 'em!

Nothing much had happened to that point. Connor Rowe apparently made a nice catch at the wall in the lf/cf gap to keep one of the Rice batters from hitting a double (or possibly a triple) in the 2nd. He made another nice catch to deep cf in the 3rd. Each team had a hit under its belt at this point. Scoreless game going into the bottom of the 3rd...

• Texas, Bottom of the 3rd
• Taylor Wall on the mound for Rice.
• Kyle Lusson (lf) lined out to rf.
• Jordan Etier (2b) struck out swinging.
• Tant Shepherd (1b) struck out swinging.
• Rice, Top of the 4th
• Taylor Jungmann on the mound for the Horns.
• Anthony Rendon (3b) grounded out to 3b.
• Chase McDowell (dh) struck out swinging (full count).
• Rick Hague (ss) struck out looking. Nice. Sixth strikeout for Jungmann.
• Texas, Bottom of the 4th
• Brandon Loy (ss) lined out to cf.
• Cameron Rupp (c) flew out to cf.
• Kevin Keyes (rf) singled up the middle (ball ripped hard off the mound).
• Russell Moldenhauer (dh) struck out looking. Shucks. Fifth strikeout for Wall.
• Rice, Top of the 5th
• Craig Manuel (c) out at 2b. On a weird play. He hit a line drive to lf that Kyle Lusson charged hard in an attempt to catch. He misjudged it a bit and it ricocheted off his shoulder. Loy, ran out to get the ball and threw quickly to Etier at 2b to get Manuel out at 2b! Wow. Single plus 6-4 on the out. Amazing.
• Jeremy Rathjen (cf) struck out swinging.
• Jimmy Comerota (1b) flew out to rf.
• Texas, Bottom of the 5th
• Connor Rowe (cf) flew out to cf.
• Kevin Lusson (3b) struck out swinging (I think).
• Kyle Lusson flew out to cf. The center fielder charged hard after a shallow flare out to cf and made a nice diving catch to rob Kyle of a single.
• Rice, Top of the 6th
• Michael Ratterree (2b) grounded out to ss.
• Chad Mozingo (rf) grounded out to ss. Loy made a great play as he juggled the ball a little bit before he managed to get his throwing hand on it and gun the ball to 1b in time for the out. Wow.
• Michael Fuda (lf) struck out looking!
• Texas, Bottom of the 6th
• Etier singled into shallow rf near the line.
• Shepherd reached on a fielder's choice (1-6). He bunted down the right side but too hard and too close to the mound. The pitcher fielded and just managed to nip Etier at 2b.
• Shepherd stole 2b with Loy at the plate. The pitcher had thrown to 1b several times during the at-bat. Nice steal.
• Loy grounded out to 3b. Sadly, Shepherd was unable to advance on the play.
• Rupp singled up the middle, scoring Shepherd!!
• Rupp advanced to 2b on a wild pitch with Keyes at the plate.
• The Owls went on to intentionally walk Keyes. Hmmm...Moldenhauer on deck. Rice going for the lefty-lefty match-up. Moldenhauer's hr last weekend was against a lefty.
• Moldenhauer, sadly, struck out swinging.
• Texas up 1-0.
• Rice, Top of the 7th
• Rendon flew out to Loy (ss) in shallow cf behind 2b.
• McDowell grounded out to 1b (unassisted).
• Hague flew out to cf.
• Texas up 1-0.
• Texas, Bottom of the 7th
• Rowe walked but was then picked off (after several throws to 1b) with Kevin Lusson at the plate.
• Kevin Lusson went on to strike out.
• Kyle Lusson flew out to rf at the wall. So sad.
• Rice, Top of the 8th
• Jungmann, with 102 pitches, still on the mound. Wow.
• Manuel lined into lf for a single.
• Rice sent Daniel Gonzales-Luna in to pinch run for Manuel.
• Rathjen moved Gonzales-Luna to 2b on a 5-3 sac bunt.
• Abel Gonzales was sent in to pinch-hit for Comerota.
• Skip Johnson made a visit to the mound. No pitching change, however.
• Gonzales singled down the lf line, scoring Gonzales-Luna. He tried to stretch it into a double but was tagged out (7-4?) at 2b.
• Texas sent Chance Ruffin to the mound, replacing Jungmann on the mound.
• Ratterree doubled off the wall in lf. It was just a couple of feet short of clearing the wall. Whew. Good thing Gonzales was tagged out at 2b earlier, eh?
• It looked like Texas was going to intentionally walk Mozingo. The first pitch to him was an intentional ball...with Rupp standing, catching arm extended. But, then they buckled down and pitched to him. And, he flew out to deep cf. Rowe made a great running catch on that goofy hill in Minute Maid park to make the 3rd out. Wow.
• Game tied 1-1.
• Texas, Bottom of the 8th
• Taylor Wall, with 101 pitches, still on the mound for Rice.
• Etier struck out swinging.
• Shepherd drew a 4-pitch walk.
• Wayne Graham made a visit to the mound. Like Texas...no pitching change. 'Hope Texas gets a hit the way Rice did after the mound visit in the top half of the inning!
• Loy doubled off the wall in the lf/cf gap, scoring Shepherd! Yes!
• Rice sent Tyler Duffey to the mound, replacing Wall.
• Rupp flew out to the warning track in cf. Loy tagged and moved up to 3b.
• Keyes grounded out to 2b.
• Texas back on top, 2-1.
• Rice, Top of the 9th
• Texas made their now customary changes in the outfield in the top of the 9th. They moved Kyle Lusson over to rf and sent Cohl Walla into lf (taking Keyes' spot in the lineup).
• Fuda struck out looking. Purty.
• Rendon struck out swinging!
• McDowell stuck out swinging! Yes!
• Texas wins 2-1!

Chance Ruffin gets the win and Taylor Wall gets the tough-luck loss.

Beautiful. That's pretty much all. Thanks so much to the Astros for streaming the game. 'Much prefer watching the game to just listening. Texas faces Houston tomorrow afternoon at about 3:30.

Texas scored single runs in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th...which proved just enough to win the game. After going 1-2-3 in the 1st, the 2nd went like so:

• Russell Moldenhauer struck out looking.
• Kevin Keyes grounded out to 2b.
• Connor Rowe reached on a throwing error by 3b and then stole 2b with Kevin Lusson at the plate.
• Kevin Lusson drew a full-count walk.
• Kyle Lusson drew a 5-pitch walk to load the bases.
• Kotchie balked on his first pitch to Jordan Etier to put the first run of the game across.
• Etier went on to strike out swinging.

The Horns went down in order again in the 3rd. And, then they finally got a hit in the 4th:

• Moldenhauer singled on a hard ground ball off the second baseman. The ball careened off his glove toward the ss behind 2b. The shortstop almost managed to get Moldenhauer out at 1b. Whew.
• Keyes and Rowe then struck out.
• The Lusson brothers repeated their walk performances of the 2nd inning to load the bases.
• Kotchie balked again (2-2 count to Etier) to push another run across. Wow.
• Etier struck out (looking this time) on the next pitch.

And, the 5th:

• Tant Shepherd flew out to lf.
• Brandon Loy popped out to shallow lf.
• Cameron Rupp hit his first homerun of the year to the cf/rf gap. Nice. That was only the 2nd hit on the day for the Horns, by the way.
• Moldenhauer was hit by a pitch.
• Keyes struck out swinging.

Note how all three runs were scored with 2 outs. Those Longhorns were making me nervous today!

They got two more hits on the day. Kyle Lusson reached on on a 2-out single in the 6th and stole 2b but was stranded there. Kevin Keyes hit a 1-out ground-rule double in the 8th. I think that was the first ground-rule double hit on the new turf at Disch-Falk. It was a hiiiiiiiiiigh flying ball that went all the way to the warning track by the Texas bullpen. I could not believe it when it dropped in a couple of feet shy of the wall and then bounced over...and into the corner of the bullpen. We used to see ground-rule doubles hit on the old turf all the time. But, the new field turf just isn't as bouncy. Anyway, Cohl Walla went in to pinch-run for Keyes...but turned into the 3rd out on a fielder's choice a few batters later.

Hoby Milner saw his first action as a Longhorn today, getting the start. He went 4.1 innings, threw 74 pitches (45 strikes), faced 21 batters, gave up 2 walks, threw 2 strikeouts, gave up 6 hits, and one run (by my reckoning...more on that in a moment). Stayton Thomas relieved Milner with 1 on (via walk) and one out in the 5th. The first batter Thomas faced (Mejia) reached on a 5-4 fielder's choice, advanced to 2b on a wild pitch, and scored on a single. Weirdly, both iScore and the official boxscore charged the run scored by Mejia to Milner. I'm completely puzzled by this. Anyone with some insight on this? Regardless...by my count, Thomas pitched 1 inning, threw 16 pitches (6 strikes), faced 6 batters, threw 1 wild pitch, hit one batter, walked one, gave up 1 hit, and one run (or so I think). He also managed to get his first win of the year. Andrew McKirahan replaced Thomas in the 6th. He went into the game with 1 out and runners at 1b and 2b. He gave up a 7-pitch full-count single up the middle. The runner from 2b tried to score but a perfect throw from Connor Rowe in cf caught him easily at the plate. Excellent play! The next batter grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning. McKirahan threw a 1-2-3 seventh. His totals: 1.2 innings, 24 pitches (15 strikes), 5 batters, 2 strikeouts, and 1 hit. Chance Ruffin threw the final 2 innings and faced the minimum to earn his 2nd save of the year. His totals: 2 innings, 25 pitches (18 strikes), 6 batters, and 2 strikeouts. Purty.

Here's the line:

Kind of a weird game. I'm not complaining, though, 'cause the Horns came away with a win! They head off to Houston this weekend. 'Hope the winning ways continue. Hook 'em!

Another quick post from the field. Full report to come this evening. Watch for an update here.

UPDATE. I have to say...that was awfully sweet. After watching the Horns struggle last weekend, it was really nice to see them play so well this weekend. It was another fairly chilly day at Disch-Falk. I think the temperature was in the low 60s but the wind was blowing the whole game...from rf to lf, in stark contrast to the wind on Friday. It was only a few degrees colder than yesterday but felt more like 15 degrees colder. It never ceases to amaze me how much colder it can be in the stands at Disch-Falk Field than anywhere else in the city of Austin. Ah well...the win made the weather much easier to tolerate. Heh.

Here's the line:

Austin Dicharry got the start and pitched the first four innings. He gave up the two Stanford runs (both earned) as he faced 17 batters. By my count, he threw 58 pitches (34 strikes). He hit one batter, walked one, and gave up 5 hits. Cole Green threw the final 5 innings to get the win. His five innings were perfect, by the way. 1-2-3 all the way. He faced 15 batters, threw 52 pitches (38 strikes) and struck out 6. 'Twas a thing of beauty. And, he was sporting the high-sock look. Love it!

Once again, the Horns jumped to an early lead, scoring 3 in the first:

• Tant Shepherd, who started the day hitting well over .500, led things off with his first of four strikeouts. Ouch. He's still leading the team with a batting average of .435, by the way.
• Brandon Loy singled and then moved to 2b on an error by 1b. The Stanford pitcher had him picked off (that seems to be something the team really needs to work on, by the way) but the first baseman mishandled the pick-off throw from the pitcher so Loy was safe at 2b. Whew.
• Cameron Rupp hit a single that dribbled off the third baseman's glove into shallow lf, scoring Loy.
• Russell Moldenhauer then hit a homerun over the 375 sign in lf.
• Kevin Keyes struck out swinging.
• Connor Rowe reached on a throwing error by 3b. The third baseman fielded and looked like he had plenty of time to catch Rowe at 1b but his throw was low and off-line.
• Kevin Lusson popped out to 2b.

The Horns went down in order in the 2nd and 3rd...two strikeouts in both innings. Ouch.

They scored three more in the 4th, though:

• Keyes led things off with a single to shallow cf that he tried to stretch into a double. Bad idea. Thrown out at 2b.
• Rowe singled up the middle.
• Kevin Lusson drew a 5-pitch walk, putting runners at 1b and 2b.
• Kyle Lusson then tripled down the rf line, scoring Rowe and the younger Lusson.
• Jordan Etier drew an 8-pitch walk. Purty.
• With Shepherd at the plate, Lusson scored and Etier moved to 2b on a balk by the pitcher, who had Etier picked off (again!) but double-pumped before throwing to 1b. Balk.
• Shepherd, sadly, as I noted earlier, struck out.
• Loy grounded out to 2b to end the inning.

Rupp led the 5th off with a walk and moved to 3b (hit batter, double play ball) but was stranded there. The Horns went 1-2-3 again in the 6th and 7th before putting another couple of runs up in the 8th:

• Moldenhauer reached on a full-count walk.
• Keyes flew out to lf...just shy of the lf fence in front of the scoreboard. So close.
• Rowe singled through the left side, moving Moldenhauer to 2b.
• Kevin Lusson doubled off the top of the wall in lf (near the 375 sign) to score Moldenhauer and Rowe.
• Kyle Lusson grounded out to 2b, moving Kevin Lusson to 3b.
• Etier struck out to end the inning.

The Horns now play UT-Pan American on Tuesday (6:05 first pitch) and then are off to Houston for the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park over the weekend. Texas, Missouri, and Texas Tech are the three Big 12 teams participating this year. The other three teams are Houston, Rice, and TCU. Oddly, Texas is scheduled to play Rice, Houston, and Mizzou. Weird. Usually, the Big 12 teams do not play each other...they each play the other three teams. Dunno why things are different this year. But, I do know the Mizzou game will not count in the Big 12 standings. I won't be headed to Houston, as usual, but will try to listen to (and report on) all the games.

Go, Horns!

Another quick post from the field. Full report to come this evening. Watch for an update here.

UPDATE. Texas took the lead early and kept it. Timely hitting was the key to today's win. Afterall: 6 hits, 6 runs. Yikes. The weather was much better today. There was a slight breeze in from lf for a little while but, for the most part, the flags were quiet this afternoon. The temperature stayed in the mid-60s for most of the day.

Brandon Workman started and got his first win of the year. He threw 5 innings. By my count, he threw 97 pitches (58 strikes), faced 23 batters (hitting one of them), gave up 2 walks, and struck out 6, while giving up 2 runs (both earned) on 6 hits. Andrew McKirahan started the 6th. McKirahan did not have as good a day today as he did yesterday. He faced three batters, giving up a full-count walk (7 pitches) to the first and a single to rf to the second. The runner from 1b was off with the pitch and dug for 3b. Kevin Keyes tried to throw the lead runner out at 3b but his throw was high. The batter scooted up to 2b on the throw, putting batters at 2b and 3b with no outs. The next batter grounded out to ss, scoring one. Texas sent Chance Ruffin to the mound. He struck out the first batter he faced on 3 pitches. Then, got the next one to ground out to the pitcher. Whew. Ruffin threw the final 3.2 innings to earn his first save of the year. By my count, he threw 44 pitches (34 strikes), faced 12 batters, struck out 4, and gave up a single. He looked really good today.

Offensively, the Horns scored early when Tant Shepherd hit a solo homerun into the Texas bullpen to start the game. Yeah! Brandon Loy then walked his way aboard but was picked off 1-3-6. So sad. Russell Moldenhauer drew another full-count walk a couple of batters later but was stranded at 1b. Moldenhauer is only batting .118 on the year but paces the team with 9 walks. Cameron Rupp and Kevin Lusson are in 2nd place with 5 walks apiece.

In the second, Connor Rowe started things with a single and was moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Kevin Lusson. Kyle Lusson then reached on an error by the 1st baseman who stopped a ground ball but could not get a handle on it and was unable to get a throw off to the pitcher covering 1b. Rowe moved to 3b on the play. Jordan Etier then executed a really lovely squeeze bunt to score Rowe and move Lusson to 2b. Shepherd then singled in his second rbi of the day. Alas, he was picked off much like Loy was, 1-3-6. The pitcher must've had a really good move, eh?

The Horns went down in order in the 3rd but scored another run in the 4th. The last three runs scored by the Horns came on 2-out/nobody-on rallies. 'Love that kind of playing! In the 4th, with 2 out, Kevin Lusson singled his way aboard. Kyle Lusson singled behind him, moving him to 2b. Etier then worked an 8-pitch full-count walk to load the bases. The pitcher (Scott Snodgress) made a move to throw to 1b after his 2nd pitch to Shepherd. Alas, nobody was covering the base and he did not throw the ball. Balk. Kevin Lusson scored. Stanford lifted the starter at that point. The reliever went on to complete the walk and then got Loy to ground out to 2b to end the inning. Texas up 4-1 at that point.

After giving up single runs in the 5th and 6th, the Horns started off the bottom of the 6th with back-to-back ground outs by the Lusson brothers. Etier drew another full-count walk, though. Shepherd then drew a 4-pitch walk to chase a second Stanford pitcher from the game. Loy followed with a full-count/8-pitch double to lf (he did a great job fighting off some nice pitches), scoring Etier and Shepherd! Rupp flew out to cf to end the inning.

The line:

So, the Horns get their first series win of the year. Hopefully, they get their first series sweep tomorrow. Austin Dicharry is slated to get the start for the Horns. Hook 'em!

First, Taylor Jungmann on the mound...

Connor Rowe at 1b as Kevin Lusson squares to bunt in the 2nd...

Cameron Rupp hitting a double to bring Etier home for the first run of he game in the 3rd (see the blur of the ball leaping off the bat?)...

Bases loaded with Keyes at the plate in the 5th...

Celebrating the grand slam...

Jordan Etier at 3b in the 6th, right before he scored the final run of the game...

Quick post from the field. Full report to come this evening. Watch for an update here.

UPDATE: Sorry it took me so long to get to this. I got kinda caught up in the whole Apolo Ohno thing. Those short-track guys are crazy! Anyway...

Much better game today. Of course, if that grand slam hadn't slipped over the fence, things probably wouldn't have seemed nearly so rosy. It was cold out there today. At the start of the game, it was 51 °F and it only fell one degree over the course of the game. Which shouldn't have been too terribly unbearable but there was a very stiff wind blowing across from the lf corner to the rf corner...making conditions miserable. And, I ignored my hard-earned knowledge about how the weather at Disch-Falk is always worse than it is in the rest of Austin and ran off without a blanket. Boy was I sorry! But, I survived. Whew.

Taylor Jungmann got the start for the Horns and moved his record to 2-0. Yay. He went 7 innings, faced 29 batters, threw 113 pitches by my count (63 strikes), walked 4, struck out 10, and gave up 4 hits...and, most importantly, no runs! Very nice. The defense looked good behind him. In particular, I thought Jordan Etier looked really good at 2b today. He made a couple of really nice stops on hard-hit ground balls that looked like they were destined to slip through the infield and into rf. But, he got to 'em, almost effortlessly it seemed, and tossed batters out easily at 1b. Stayton Thomas went in at the beginning of the 8th, and faced 3 batters. He threw 16 pitches (11 strikes), had one strikeout, and gave up one hit. Andrew McKirahan threw the final 1.1 innings. He faced 4 batters and sat them all down. He threw only 11 pitches (9 of them were strikes!) and had one strikeout. Very nicely done by all three pitchers.

It looked, for quite some time, like neither team would score much at all. Stanford did threaten, getting men in scoring position with 1 out in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th, but that was about it.

Texas also threatened in the 1st:

• Tant Shepherd, leading off for the first time this year, grounded out to 3b.
• Brandon Loy then reached on a throwing error by 3b. The third baseman bobbled a ground ball and then sailed his throw way over the first baseman. But, the ball bounced right back to the second baseman who was backing up the throw so Loy stayed at 1b.
• Cameron Rupp flew out to deep in the cf/rf gap, giving Loy time to tag and move up to 2b.
• Russell Moldenhauer then drew a full-count walk.
• Alas, Keven Keyes grounded out to the pitcher to end the threat.

Connor Rowe drew a 5-pitch walk to start the Texas half of the 2nd and moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Kevin Lusson. He made a running blunder when he hesitated on a ball hit deep in the hole to ss by Kyle Lusson. He started for 3b, hesitated, and then took off. The shortstop threw to 3b, easily getting Rowe out. Lusson was then picked off (very nice move by the pitcher) with Etier at the plate. Tsk tsk.

The Horns scored their first run of the game in the 3rd. Etier singled up the middle and moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Shepherd. Loy flew out to lf. Rupp then doubled to cf, scoring Etier. Moldenhauer drew his second of 3 walks on the day (seems the Cardinal was a bit hesitant to give the Texas dh anything to swing at). But, Keyes hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice to end the inning.

In the 4th, Kyle Lusson reached on a 2-out single but was stranded at 1b when Etier lined out to ss.

The 5th though. That was the inning. Yeah. It went like so:

• Shepherd lined a single into cf and moved to 2b on a sac bunt by Loy.
• Rupp was hit by a 1-1 pitch (on the forearm, I think) to put runners at 1b and 2b.
• Moldenhauer drew a full-count walk to load the bases.
• And, Keyes hit a 1-0 pitch just over the 375 sign in rf for a grand slam. I think it might've been slightly aided by the wind. It sure was pretty, nevertheless.
• Sadly, that meant the end of Kyle Lusson's reign as the homerun leader for the Horns.
• Rowe and Kevin Lusson grounded out to end the 5th.

The Horns scored another run in the 6th. Etier reached on a 1-out single and moved to 3b on a single to cf by Shepherd. He then scored on a 6-4 fielder's choice hit by Loy. It probably should've been an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play but the second baseman couldn't get a handle on the ball to make the relay throw. Loy was then caught stealing with Rupp at the plate.

And that was about it.

The line:

I kept score with iScore again and was fairly happy with how it went. Of course, nothing really unusual happened in today's game so things went more smoothly. I've decided, though, that I'm not going to post the scoresheets. It's too much work...adding the notes. I might go to the effort to post the scoresheets from time to time but don't think it's worth the effort to post them after every game...especially since nobody really seems to be clamoring for them.

Up tomorrow? Game 2 of the Stanford series. I believe Brandon Workman will get the start for the Horns.

UPDATE #2: I posted some photos from the game in a second post.

Stayton Thomas went in at the top of the 6th to pitch for the Horns. And he got a flyout to cf, a ground out to ss, and a pop-out to himself just short of the mound. Nicely done.

Left my office and came back to find 2 Longhorns (Rupp and Moldenhauer) aboard in the bottom of the 6th...both via walks, it seems. Keyes and Rowe popped out to shallow rf and then Kevin Lusson grounded out to 3b. Too bad.

Thomas still in for the 7th: strikeout, ground out to 2b, and another ground out to 2b. Very nice.

It looked cold at Disch-Falk, by the way. I tuned into the free audio/video feed to watch the action. Very nice. The link, when there's a free feed, is the little video camera that you can see on the schedule on the TexasSports.com baseball page.

In the bottom of the 7th, Kyle Lusson tried to bunt his way aboard but popped the ball up...caught by the catcher. Etier struck out swinging. It would seem that the DBU reliever who walked the first two batters he faced had found a bit of a groove. Loy grounded out to 3b.

Thomas still in for the 8th. First DBU batter chopped a ball to 2b. Loy made a great play to field and nip the batter out at 1b. Texas sent Andrew McKirahan in to relieve Thomas and face a left-handed DBU batter. Sadly, he walked the batter on 5 pitches. A nice double play (6-4-3) ended the DBU half of the inning.

And, I missed the rest of the game. I managed to "tune" back in to see Chance Ruffin on the mound with 2 on and 2 out. A pop-up to 2b ended the game. Texas won 7-2.

The line (according to GameTracker):

Cole Green got the win in his first outing of the year.

Next up...Stanford comes to town. I'm gonna try to make all three games of the series. Go, Horns!

The line:

At least it was an error-free game. Austin Dicharry took the loss, by the way. I'll be back with more when I can get back.

The line:

Texas looked great in the bottom of the 1st...answering and then topping the runs scored by the Lobos in the top of the inning. And, then..for the most part, they just struggled. Sadly, they left 6 runners in scoring position in the final 8 innings of play...4 of them at 3rd base. The Horns combined for 10 hits, including 2 doubles. But, 7 of those hits, including the two doubles came in the 1st and 2nd innings. What? Yep...that's the way things went.

Hopefully, things will turn around tomorrow. Austin Dicharry is expected to get the start.

By the way, I used iScore to score the game again. I'm ambivalent about the program. There are lots of things I really like about it. But, there are lots of little things that I can't quite get used to. And, I spent way too much time this evening trying to reconcile what happened with what was on the scoresheet. 'Not sure it's worth all the effort. Regardless, here's the scoresheet if you're interested: New Mexico at Texas scoresheet - Feb. 20, 2010 (PDF format).

Offensively, Kyle Lusson was the hero of the day. He hit the 2nd pitch he saw over the lf fence for his first career homerun. He also reached on a bunt single and scored in the 4th, advanced a runner with a sac bunt in the 6th and then, disappointed us all by flying out in the 8th. Heh. Brandon Loy also scored 2 runs; he went 1-for-5 in the lead-off spot, scoring runs in the 1st and 4th. Jordan Etier went 1-for-5 with a run scored in the 1st. Connor Rowe and Cameron Rupp were both responsible for a couple of runs batted in. All-in-all, a pretty good day at the plate.

I tried something new today. And, I mostly liked it. I scored the game on my iPhone with an app called iScore (available from Faster Than Monkeys). It was a bit hit-or-miss to start. And, of course, Texas did something unusual in the 1st that immediately caused a problem. The bottom of the 1st went like so for Texas:

• Loy singled up the middle
• Etier, trying to bunt, popped a ball up along the 1b side. The catcher dove for the ball and had it but then dropped it. Whew. Etier then bunted a ball past the pitcher toward 1b. Both 1b and 2b went to cover the 1b bag and the ball was hit too deep for the pitcher to field. By the time, the 2b changed course to field the ball, Etier was safe. Bunt single.
• Ruppo struck out swinging.
• Moldenhauer walked, loading the bases.
• Keyes grounded out to ss. Loy scored. Etier moved to 3b; Moldenhauer moved to 2b.
• Rowe doubled to lf, scoring Etier and Moldenhauer.
• Lusson walked, moving Rowe to 2b.
• Shepherd flew out to cf.

At some point, the official scorer decided to assign an error to the catcher for the missed bunted pop-up by Etier. iScore would not allow me to score both the error and the bunt single. Annoying. I'll be dropping them a line to see if that can be fixed. But, for now, my unofficial scorecard just has a note about the situation but does not reflect reality. Or, at least, the official scorer's reality.

In the top of the 2nd, the lead-off batter hit a shallow pop-up to rf. Keyes dove for the ball but couldn't make the catch. He booted the ball toward the rf line, allowing the batter to advance to 2b. I scored this as a singled plus an error by rf. The official scorer, however, scored it as a double. I don't see how that reasoning went. If Keyes had not left his feet and allowed the ball to bounce, he likely would've fielded cleanly, keeping the batter at 1b. I was unable to go back and change the single+e9 to a double in iScore. Again, a bit frustrating.

Adding notes in iScore is a bit cumbersome as well. I'll probably get better at that, though. We'll see.

I've decided to post the iScore scoresheet for you: New Mexico at Texas scoresheet - Feb. 19, 2010 (PDF format). If I continue to use the program, I'll post the scoresheets for all iScored games.

And, the line:

Note that this line reflects the official boxscore...not my scoresheet (since I couldn't get some of the stuff to work, as noted above).

Brandon Workman is slated to make the start tomorrow for the Horns. I'll be back with a report tomorrow night.

Hook 'em!

Hook 'em, Horns!