KSU vs. Texas Game 3

[NBHorn7]

Pretty much a game you have to win if you realistically plan on playing in the Conference tourney with Tech having the tie breaker.

Tech has a one game lead at present in the standings, but it really a two game lead since we must finish ahead of them.

The only other factor would be rainouts where half games would come into play and percentage points.
One other slim chance would be to stay withing three games of TCU and sweep them in that series. That seems like a long shot at best.


Urban has yet to pitch in this series and I am sure he will be in a closer role today. He has the stuff for this role, but sometimes command is his trouble and he elevates pitches and even Knebel when he does that has gotten hit hard.


I see there is yet another line up and batting order shuffle and sometimes you have to wonder how this affects players.



It's done of course to try to created some kind of offense.
Maybe KSU can generate some offense for us again as they did yersterday with five errors. We need all the help we can get at this point

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill with the start gets the lead off man for KSU on a fly ball to center for out one.

The next man walks to put a man on with one away.

A ground ball to second is a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

No score as Texas comes to bat for the first time.

 

[NBHorn7]

KSU starts a freshman righty on another day they will use multiple pitchers.

B. Marlow pops to shallow center for out one.

Payton bats in the two slot today chops one slowly to second and the second baseman charges and can't make the play. That's going to be a infield single as Payton takes first.

Weis bats third against a righty as he moves up in the batting order again flies one down the line in left and the wind takes it away from the left fielder and it drops for a double and it results in runners at second and third with one away and an opportunity to take an early lead like yesterday.

HInojosa up needing to put the ball in play somewhere with the infield back giving up a run for an out.

With two strikes on C.J. they bring in the infield and he grounds to third and he comes home and Payton in a run down is tagged out for two away.

He stays in long enough to let the runners get to second and third.

Felts needs a big two out hit, but as stated earlier maybe KSU can help us out and they do with a wild pitch to score a run to make it 1-0 Texas as Hinojosa goes to third as Weis scores.

It was needed as Felts grounds out to second to end the inning.

Texas leads 1-0 after one.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill out for his second inning of work gets the first hitter on a fly ball to left for one away.

A liner just fair down the line in left is a double to put the tying run on second as KSU continues to get runners on nearly every inning this series.

A ground ball to second is out two as the runner moves to third.

A K swinging is out three as Thornhill wiggles out of the jam on that big change he features.

Texas leads 1-0 to the bottom of two.

 

[NBHorn7]

Montalbano leads off the second for the Horns and he lines a single to right center to reach.

Shaw probably bunting tries to and misses and a throw down to first picks off Montalbano for the first out. The base running mistakes have really hurt this team this year.

So naturally Shaw now bloops a double to left as he keeps running as the ball bounced away from the left fielder.

Silver grounds out to second as Shaw moves tho third with two away.

Hall up and a ground out to third to retires the side and the base running mistake cost us a run at least.

Texas leads 1-0 after two innings of play.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill in the third gives up a double to right center to lead things off.

A sac bunt moves him to third with one away.

A shallow fly to center is out two as the runner fakes going, but goes back to third.

A ground ball up the middle is fielded by HInojosa who spins and fires a throw to first in time, but the ump rules he came off the bag and the argument is on.

An appeal to the home plate ump Wylie and he rules him out and now the argument is on with the KSU coach.

The replay according to Craig Way says he was out.

So abort the KSU run and Texas still leads 1-0 to the bottom of the third.

 

[NBHorn7]

B. Marlow leads off the Texas third as the top of the order comes up again a fly ball to left is out one.

Payton works a walk after being down 0-2 on the count to put a man with one away.

Weis drives one to center and the wind seemed to hold up the ball long enough for the center fielder to dive and make the catch for out two.

A fly ball to right ends the inning.

Texas leads 1-0 to the fourth now.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill out for the fourth could use a quick inning and a good start as a little chopper back to Thornhill is out one.

A grounder up the middle is a single and KSU keeps putting the runners on.

A slow grounder to second is a close play at first that is ruled safe and out comes Augie again this time to no avail

I think they ruled it an infield hit and it puts two on.

A K swinging on the big change again is a big out two.

A ground ball single through the right side and Payton comes up throwing but high and the run scores and that allows the runners to move up as KSU ties the game at 1.

Another single up the middle scores both runners and KSU takes a 3-1 lead.

KSU can really swing the bats and you have to score on their shaky pitching to counter.

They have ruled an error on Payton's throw to allow the batter to move up to second.

A swinging K ends the inning, but major damage done at least it seems that way with our offensive woes.

Kansas State leads now 3-1 to the bottom of the fourth.

 

[NBHorn7]

Felts leads off the fourth and pops out to second for one away.

Montalbano with a one out walk reaches.

Shaw pops out to third for two away.

Silver grounds out to first to end the inning.

KSU leads 3-1 after four complete.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill in the fifth gets a ground ball to short and the throw is wide, but Silver is able to get the tag for out one.

A walk keeps the base runner in every inning for like it seems over two games now streak alive for KSU.

A double down the line in left is a double and puts runners at second and third.

An intentional walk loads the bases to set up the double play and a force at home.

A liner to right is a single and it scores a run and keeps the bases loaded as KSU leads now 4-1.

A fly ball to left goes at a SF to make it 5-1 and an appeal attempt by Thornhill is thrown away over Weis's head and the runners move up.

That negates the appeal as you only get one throw and if that doesn't sum up the Texas baseball season I don't know what does. I have never seen that in my many years of baseball.

It's an error of course.

A K swinging finally ends the inning, but you can feel the game and now what was probably coming anyway the season slipping away.

KSU leads 5-1 to the bottom of the fifth.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hall leads off the fifth and he flies to center for out one.

It seems Russ the Texas first base coach has been ejected from the game for something as he leaves for the dugout.

B. Marlow doubles down the line in right and that is all for the KSU pitcher.

Payton K's looking for out two.

Weis K's looking and then is thrown out of the game for arguing the call which was indeed bad as the pitch was low.

So what else can go wrong? KSU leads 5-1 after five linnings of play.

 

[NBHorn7]

A pop up to first is one away as Carter comes out to play third now.

A K looking is out two.

By the way Hollingsworth has now come in to pitch in the sixth.

A walk keeps KSU with a the base runner streak.

A fly ball to left ends the inning.

KSU leads 5-1 to the bottom of six.

 

[FWHORN]

O for Sunday in conference why should today be any different.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hinojosa leads off the sixth and grounds out to short for one away.

Felts lines a single to left as Texas continues to put runners on, but the problem is the only one that has crossed the plate did so on a wild pitch in the first.

Montalbano doubles down the line in left to put two on at second and third with one away.

You have to get these runs home to get back in the game.

Shaw after having a 3-0 count K's looking for out two.

KSU coach pops out to put in another warm body on the mound as that's about all they have left.

Mathys who pitched Friday is back in.

Silver grounds out to second to end the inning as two are stranded and again another microcosm of this season.

KSU leads 5-1 after six innings.

 

[NBHorn7]

Duke comes in to pitch as the seventh begins by hitting the lead off man as KSU puts runners on for like he 100th inning in a row.

A high chopper to he mound and Duke can't throw out the batter and it's an infield hit to put two on.

A sac bunt moves the runners up to second and third.

An intentional walk loads the bases to set up the double play and bring up a lefty batter to face Duke.

So Duke with another HBP makes it 6-1 and Duke is done as Skip comes out with the hook and Urban comes in not exactly in the circumstances Texas supporters were hoping he would enter in.

He gets his first batter with a K looking for out two.

A sharp grounder that gets by Marlow at second and he missed it for an error and then Payton charges it and misses it for another error and it clears the bases and makes it 9-1 KSU.

What can you say?

Ther batter goes to second.

A line out to second ends the innng.

To the stretch and KSU leads 9-1 and the season is officially over in my humble opinion.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hall leads off the seventh with a single up the middle.

B. Marlow doubles off the wall in right to put two on at second and third.

Payton singles to right and it scores both runners to make it 9-3 and put a runner at first with no outs.

Carter up as the pitching coach comes out and leaves the pitcher in. He flies out to right for out one.

HInojosa flies out to center for out two.

Felts walks to put two on at second and first.

Montalbano at DH today comes up, but first KSU must bring in yet another pitcher.

A righty named Williams that hasn't pitched this series yet, I don't know how we have missed him.

I guess when you can hit like KSU you can do this kind of thing. That's why after today's game they will be tied for first place in the conference. It seems there is more than one way to win games than small ball and pitching.

Williams balks before he throws a pitch to move the runners up to second and third.

Montalbano K's looking to end the inning and leave them loaded.

KSU leads 9-3 after seven innings.

 

[NBHorn7]

Urban out in the eighth gets a fly ball to right for out one.

A K swinging is out two

A ground ball to first ends the inning.

To the bottom of the eighth KSU leads 9-3.

 

[NBHorn7]

Shaw leads off the eighth with a walk to reach.

Silver K's swinging for out one.

Hall K's swinging for out two. This team strikes out way too much among other things.

B. Marlow havng a good day at the plate with two doubles grounds out to first to end the inning.

We mercifully reach the ninth inning as KSU leads 9-3.

 

[NBHorn7]

Urban trying to finish off the day gets a fly ball to right for out one.

A ground ball to second is out two.

A fly ball to left ends the inning as KSU goes down in order.

Bottom of the ninth coming and it's three out till you can stick a fork in this season realistically.

KSU leads 9-3.

 

[NBHorn7]

KSU brings in their closer Witt who also plays regularly in the outfield is brought in to get some work.

Payton leads off against him and flies to right for one away.

Carter in for Weis after his ejection from the game grounds out to short for the second out.

Hinojosa with a K looking that ends the conference home season appropriately for this team.

KSU wins the game 9-3 and the series 2-1 as Texas makes it 1-2 for a record in every home conference series and all conference series except the Baylor series where they were swept.

Tech and OSU are scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, but that doesn't matter really any more. The best scenario even with a Tech loss is that they would be one game ahead and with the tiebreaker.

OSU has beaten Tech 3-0 so that means because Tech has the head to head tie breaker we have to gain two games on them in the final conference series against TCU there while they host Baylor.

That means that we would have to win the series with TCU
at the very least while Tech was swept or we sweep TCU while Tech wins one.

Sorry not seeing that at all watching this team this season.


So the patient is not dead yet, but I say it is terminal and all you can do is make him comfortable to the end comes whenever it comes.

To offer some ironic perspective to this conference season.
West Virginia beat OU again today to take that series and tie OU for first place along with now KSU in the conference.

West Virginia even by their own admission was not supposed to be even able to compete in this conference in baseball.

If my memory of American history is correct I think that when the British surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown that ended the Revolutionary War that the British played a song called "The World Turned Upside Down" at the surrender ceremony which summed up the situation perfectly.

That tune would be very relevant in regards to Texas Baseball and the Big 12 Conference in this sport.

 

[LonghornCatholic]

Bummer

 

[georgecostanza]

I can't hardly click on this forum anymore. It's just too disappointing. I find it more enjoyable to watch the Astros than to deal with suckage that is UT baseball.

 

[zork]