Big 12 Tournament Texas vs OSU

[NBHorn7]

As expected Texas meets OSU again needing a win to win their division.

Right hander Nathan Thornhill will get the start for Texas and faces Thomas Hatch also a right hander

Big 12 player of the year is out of the line-up for OSU with an ankle injury suffered against OU.

The winner of this division gets TCU who beat Baylor 4-1 in the first game today

 

[NBHorn7]

Marlow steps from the left side to start the game against the Cowboy right hander Thomas Hatch.

The first pitch is grounded to first for a 3U first out.

Johnson bats righty with one down.
A fly ball to right toward the foul line is two away.

Payton bats with two away.
He now attempts to break Big 12 on base record by reaching today.
There it is as he draws a four pitch walk and 94 games is the new Big 12 record.

Barrera bats with two down and one on.
A ground ball to short is a 6-4 force to retire the side.

Payton gets the record, but Texas doesn't score.
OSU up for the first time in the first now.

 

[NBHorn7]

Nathan Thornhill, the senior right hander gets his first action in the Tourney.

He faces Saulyer Saxton of "stache" fame batting left handed and playing centerfield.
A fly ball to center is one down.

Donnie Walton, the shortstop bats from the left side with one away.
A line drive with little zip on it is flagge down to the left of second base for two down.

Tanner Krietemeier plays first base and bats left handed.
He sends a soft fly ball to left to retire the side in order.

One played in this battle for the division and it's 0-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hatch back out in the second in this must win for the Cowboys to force a second game.

He faces Carter to lead off.
He bats right handed and singles up the middle for the first hit of the game.

Hinojosa from the right side lays down the bunt and it moves Carter to second with one down.

Shaw bats lefty with one down and Carter in scoring position.
A fly ball to fairly deep right is out two as Carter tags and goes to third.

Clemens bats from the left side with two down and Carter at third.
A clutch hit is needed for Texas to get an early lead.
He K's swinging of a held foul tip to retire the side.

Texas with the first threat, but no tally is made.
Bottom of two and still nada on the scoreboard.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill toes the rubber in the second and faces Gage Green, the left fielder today batting left handed.

A fly ball to the track in right is run down by Shaw for one away on a loud out for one down.

Tim Arakawa, the second baseman bats also from the left side with one away.
The first full count for Thornhill is reached before a pitch just low is a walk and a baserunner.

Connor Costello playes right field with one on and one down.
Arakawa is a threat to steal.
A very wild pitch moves him to second and it goes into the first base dugout or he might have went to third.

OSU now with a man in scoring position with one down.
Costello back in from the right side with one down.
He grounds to third and Gurwitz holds the runner and then gets his man for two away.

Dustin Williams, the DH bats left handed with two down and a runner at second.
Another full count as Thornhill is throwing a lot of pitches at 39 so far.
A high pop is caught by Gurwitz to retire the side.

OSU with their first threat, but to no avail.
Two gone in Brick Town or whatever they call it now.
It's still 0-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hatch back out faces Gurwitz leading off and batting righty.

He walks on four pitches to lead off.

Marlow at the top of the order bunts him over as the pitcher fields and one hops an underhanded throw to first, but held for one down as Gurwitz advances.

Johnson up with one down and a runner at second.
He lines to third as the runner holds for two away.

Payton bats with a chance to put Texas ahead.
As often happens with Mark, the count goes full and a borderline pitch is called strike three to retire the side.

Bottom of three coming and still 0-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill comes back for the third. Texas has a big edge on the mound today and really need to take advantage of it.

The lead hitter for OSU is Craig McConaughy, the third baseman batting righty.
He grounds to short and it's a 6-3 first out.

Bryan Case, the catcher bats right handed with one down.
A fly ball to right is two away.

The top of the order is Saxton with two down.
He walks to reach and Thornhill continues to throw a lot of pitches as he approaches 60 pitches.

One on and two down for Walton.
A ground ball up the middle is fielded by Hinojosa shading him that way to retire the side.

Three inning played and nothing on the scorboard.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hatch pitching well so far in a spot start for OSU.

He faces Barrera and he grounds sharply behind third, but it's backhanded and the long throw is one away.

Carter bats with one away and his bat back in the line-up has helped to give the offense a spark as he overcame injury earlier in the season.
A high pop behind first is caught by the second baseman for two down.

Hinojosa up with two away and the bases clear.
A fly ball directly to the right fielder retires the side in order.

Bottom of four now and tied at 0-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill out for the fourth and faces Krietemeier leading off for OSU.

He steps in left handed a chopper to first goes 3-1 as Thornhill covers for one away.

Green bats with one down.
A ground ball to the hole on the right side and a diving Clemens smothers it and recovers and tosses to Thornhill and it nips Green for a sparkling second out.

Arakawa bats with two away and nobody on.
A fly to shallow center retires the side in order as Thornhill needed a quick inning and got one.

Four played now and still 0-0.

 

[LonghornCatholic]

Let's go Horns

 

[NBHorn7]

The freshman Hatch pitches on as the fifth starts.

He faces Shaw and he lays a bunt down down the third base line and the third baseman can just pick it up and eat it as it's an infield hit for Shaw.

Clemens up to bunt now and he does and it moves Shaw to scoring position with one down.

You still need a hit to score him or and that falls now to Gurwitz with one down.

A ground ball off the pitcher's glove deflects to second base, but Gurwitz beats the throw for another infield hit.

Runners on the corners for Marlow with one down.
Some contact needed now to hopefully plate a run.
The count runs full and I think Gurwitz is off on this pitch.
It could keep you out of the ground ball double play.
He goes, but it's ball four to load the bases.

The pitching coach is out and the OSU freshman is in a big jam now and Texas needs to break out on top.

Johnson bats with the bases loaded and one down.
A ground ball up the middle and the shortstop dives and comes up with it, but the flip from his glove hand was wide and drops to the ground as one run scores.
A game of inches as if the flip was accurate it was at least an out and a possible double play as Johnson slipped leaving the batter's box.

Texas leads 1-0.

The coach is out agains and a change is made.

 

[salonghorn-70]

 

[NBHorn7]

Alex Hackerott is the new OSU pitcher as they get a left hander out there to face Payton.

The bases still loaded for Mark and one down.
He grounds sharply to second into a 4-6-3 double play to retire the side.

At least it came a batter late and thus Texas leads 1-0 halfway through this first division championship game.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill pitches the fifth and with the lead looks to become eligible for a possible win.

Costell leads off and singles to left center for a lead runner and the first OSU hit of the game.

Williams up with one on and no outs.
He flies out to medium center for one away.

McConaughy bats with one down and one away.
He sends a ground ball to second and it's another 4-6-3 double play to retire the side.

Five gone now and Texas leads 1-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Blake Battenfield, a big right handed freshman is the new pitcher for OSU.

His first batter of the day is Barrera.
A fly ball to dead center is one quick out.

Carter bats with one down.
A full count is reaches and then he swings at ball four in the dirt for a K and two down.

Hinojosa bats with two down and the bases empty.
He swings at a pitch outside the zone and also K's to retire the side in order.

Bottom of six and Texas with the famiiar 1-0.

 

[johnnyg88]

Appreciate your updates NB. Wave your magic wand, and see if you can help them win this game.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill comes back for the sixth.

He faces Case at the bottom of the order leading off.
He walks for a lead runner.

The top of the OSU order is Saxton and the infield looks for the bunt.
The bunt is down and it looked good enough, but Thornhill fields down the first base line and wheels and gets the out at second. Probably on the direction of Barrera yelling two, two, and two.

One away and one on for Walton.
Thornhill looks to hold the runner close with several throws over to first.
A ground ball goes through the hole into right for a single, but a charging Shaw holds ther runner at second.

Krietemeier bats with two on and one down.
The change is swung on and missed for a big second out.

Here comes Skip as Thornhill reaches 87 pitches.
He leaves him in.

Green bats with two on and two down.
A ground ball retires the side and gets him out of the jam.

Six played now and Texas leads 1-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Battenfield returns in the seventh and faces Shaw leading off.

He K's looking for one away.

Clemens bats with one down.
A ground ball goes up the middle and sneaks through for a hit.

One on and one down for Gurwitz.
A high fly down the right field line is caught right on top of the line for two away.

Marlow, at the top of the order bats with one on and two down.
He hits a soft liner off the fists that lands on the line down the right field line.
The double put runners at second and third.

Johnson bats with two down and and two in scoring position.
A clutch hit here could give Texas that "magical" 3-0 lead that works so well against OSU.
He goes out of the zone and K's swinging to strand the runners.

Stretch time in OKC and once again Texas clings to a 1-0 lead against OSU.

 

[NBHorn7]

Texas has a new pitcher and it's closer John Curtis, the right hander.

He faces Arakawa leading off for OSU from the left side.
A fly ball to shallow left is one away.

Costello bats with one down.
He takes a called strike three for a K and two down.

Williams bats with two down and the bases vacant.
A low liner to center is dove for and grabbed by Payton to retire the side in order.

Seven gone and what did Milo Hamilton used to say when you could actually listen to the Astros. "It's tough and tight at the ballpark today."

Texas leads 1-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Payton leads off against Battanfield in the eighth.

A ground ball to first and the 3-1 play is just in time for one away.

Barrera bats with one down.
A high fly to shallow left is converged on by three Cowboys and finally it't the left field who makes a sliding catch for two down.

Carter bats with two down and no Horns on base.
He walks on a full count pitch to put a runner on.

Hinojosa bats with two down and one on.
Carter could run here and a throw to first says OSU thinks so too and now another.
He goes and is gunned down on a good throw to retire the side.

Bottom of the eighth and Texas holds on 1-0.

 

[Dewbrewer]

Looked safe on the steal but oh well.

 

[Dewbrewer]

Huge play! Great throw by Barrera to Clemens and then to Hinajosa for the out! Apparently it's going to rain in OKC in about 30 minutes.

 

[NBHorn7]

Curtis is back out for the eighth.

He faces McConaughy leading off for OSU.
A line drive drops in left center for a lead single.

Bryan up with one on and no outs.
Aaron Cornell pinch hits for Bryan.
Will he bunt?
He squares and bunts through it and Barrera with a snap throw to first and the runner is caught off.
The throw to second completes a 2-3-6 put out to erase the baserunner.

One down as Cornell still bats with the bases now clear.
The count runs full before he lines a single off the outstretched glove of HInojosa into left center.

The base running error looks big now doesn't it?

One on and one out for Saxton.
Here comes Skip out again for a meeting.
He returns to the dugout.

Saxton steps back in from the left side.
The count runs full and the base runner will probably be on the move.
He walks to put two aboard.

Walton bats with one down and now two on at first and second.
A ground ball single into left scores a run and ties the game.

Krietemeier bats with again one out and two on.
He grounds a hit into right field and Shaw is up throwing and it's just late as another run scores.

OSU now leads 2-1.

This looks like what happened to Curtis in Manhattan.
Out comes Skip and he is gone.

Pitching change.

 

[Dewbrewer]

That is poor a coaching decision. Curtiss did not have it today. His pitches had no movement. Just zero in and hit it. At minimum, he should have been pulled after the game was tied. Still hoping for the best but you can't leave all those runners in scoring position either.

 

[NBHorn7]

Ty Culbreth is the new hurler for Texas.

He faces Green with runners still at first and second and one down.
He K's swinging for two away.

Arakawa bats with two on and two away.
He sends a liner into center for a single and another run scores as the throw from Payton is air mailed over Barrera.

OSU leads 3-1.

Runners at second and third and two outs for Costello.
Rain is falling now.
He is walked intentionally to load the bases.

That brings up Williams for lefty on lefty match up.
A counter by OSU is pinch hitter Andrew Rosa.
The right handed hitter stands in as OSU has batted around in this inning now even with the base running error.

You need this out to stay in the game you would believe as the OSU closer will come in no doubt now.

Rosa takes a called third strike to retire the side.

OSU finally scores against Texas and they did so three times for a 3-1 lead as the Horns have one more at bat to stay in the game.

 

[NBHorn7]

As expected the OSU closer right handed Brendan McCurry enters the game.

HInjosa leads ff and lines a ball right at the centerfield for one down.

Shaw bats with one down.
He flies out to left for two away.

Clemens becomes the final hope for Texas.
He K's swinging to end the game.

OSU wins 3-1.

There will be a second game today sometime if the weather cooperates.

Well I think this puts it all on the line for Texas in the next game.

The Tournament Championship and the Regional hosting bid. I look at it this way. Texas beat Tech just like they did in the regular season. If they lose again to OSU then they lose two out of three also just like the regular season.

They will be 2-2 in the Tournament and so what changed.
Just my two pennies.

See when the next game gets going.

 

[johnnyg88]

Dew is right on target. Curtis not with it, but Skip left him in. Why, when OSU had 3 lefties coming to the plate. Poor pitcher management today, for sure. Lead the whole way, to lose at the end just sucks. Hope they can rebound. Obviously, we have lost our momentum this afternoon. Dig deep boys.

 

[NBHorn7]

Curtis is not a multiple inning closer right now.

He still needs more time to completely heal from the Tommy John surgery and get that natural movement
back on his pitches. The velocity is coming back now, but the movement has not.

This leads to straight and very hittable fast balls and even his sliders don't slide much.

Curtis was put back in the closer's role because he throws strikes.

When Thornhill was given this role he couldn't come in and throw strikes right away and you can't have that in a closer.

They would rather take their chances with Curtis than Thornhill as a closer because of this.

You can't use Duke in this role because they don't have enough left handed pitching without him.

It's one of the few holes in the pitching staff. This team could sure use another effective lefty. If Sawyer could be that guy it would sure help.

 

[Pericles]

NBHorn7,

Thanks, as always, for your running log of Texas baseball games.

As you know, before today's game against Okie State, the NCAA RPI had Texas at #7: Texas at #7

Losing to 19th-ranked Okie State will lower Texas' RPI, but will beating Okie State in the 2nd game keep Texas at #7?

And if they lose, will it drop Texas out of the top 8?

 

[NBHorn7]

Texas is not in a position to be a top eight national seed.
While the rpi is important it's not the only thing considered.

TCU by winning the Big 12 Tournament has the best chance to be a top eight seed and host a Regional and a Super if they win their Regional.

OSU has a very outside chance if they win the Tournament, but doubtful.

The thing Texas is playing for is to host a Regional besides trying to win the Tournament.
That being said while it has of course advantages to host the Regional and of course you want to do that.

The one thing though is this to me. If the NCAA awards a Regional hosting bid, they will probably send a very tough #2 seed to Austin in compensation.

A #2 seed in the Rice Regional would not be the worst thing to happen to this team. They can beat Rice and would have as many fans or more as Rice there.

In fact the #3 seed if it was like Sam Houston State would be a dangerous team there.

Texas could lose the next game and stay in the top ten RPI wise, but there are other factors and finishing fifth in the conference is also big.