Stanford vs. Texas Game 2

[NBHorn7]

Dillon Peters with the usual Saturday start against another Freshman right hander Brett Hanewich.

Texas tries to win the series today as Stanford has started against Rice at home losing two of three and now on the road against Texas.

The young pitching staff for Stanford gives Texas a chance to get the bats going. Stanford has been using an all freshman rotation and they will need some time to settle in to college level most likely.

 

[NBHorn7]

The wind is blowing out to left as it usually does on the warmer days of the early season and then later in the year.
Fly balls in that direction will get a boost while the ones to right will be knocked down.

As we get things going Doran is leading off for Stanford in left field as they get a different line-up against a lefty in Peters.

Peters starts things out the right way for Texas with a three pitch K lookng mixing his pitches up brilliantly.

Tommy Edman the second basemans is next up from the right side today as he is a switch hitter. He slices a liner to right and Johns is able to range over and make the play for out two.

First baseman from the left side batter's box bats third for the Cardinal and he lines a foul into the Stanford dugout and somebody in there was hit.

The Texas training staff is racing over too to help as it hit Jackson.

Dekroeger grounds out to short to retire the the side.

Stanford goes down in order as Texas comes to bat for the first time in the bottom of the first.

 

[NBHorn7]

Drew Jackson who was hit by the foul ball is pulled from the game as he was the starting shortstop for Stanford.

B. Marlow leads off for Texas against Brett Hanewich who has only pitched three innings this year for Stanford.

Edman has moved to short for Stanford and Klein has moved into left for Stanford.

Marlow walks on a full count pitch to get things going for the Horns.

That brings up Payton and let's see how Texas plays this with the hot hitter on the team up.

He doesn't bunt and lines a single to left center to put two on at first and second as Marlow held up to make sure the ball went through.

Hinojosa up tries to bunt and pops it up to third as the runners have to hold for one away.

Clemens up now as Texas tries to break through early like last night.

He lines a one hopper that the new shortstop makes a sliding stop then throws the throw to second into right field for an error.

Marlow scores and Payton and Clemens move up to second and third. Texas takes an early 1-0 lead and have the opportunity for another big inninng due to a Stanford miscue.

A ground ball to third plates Payton as the out is made and Clemens holds at second.

Texas leads now 2-0 as Montalbano bats.
A fly ball is carried by the wind but the left field tracks it down as he collides with the wall to retire the side.

Texas once again takes advantage of Stanford errors and takes a 2-0 lead after an inning of play.

 

[NBHorn7]

Peters staked to a lead comes out to pitch in the second facing Austin Slater for Stanford.

He chops one to Marlow and a 4-3 put out is an easy first out.

Alex Blandino up next grounds the first pitch he sees also to Marlow for out two.

Austin Barr also hits the first pitch this time to short and Hinojosa retires him 6-3 to retire the side in order.

Peters looking sharp as usual protects the 2-0 Texas lead and we go to the bottom of the second.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hanewich back to the bump for Stanford as Barrerra leads off in the second.

A ground ball to short is out one.

Johnson grounds out to first for the second out.

Gurwitz up grounds out short to retire the side in order for Texas.

The Horns lead 2-0 after two completed.

 

[NBHorn7]

Klein leads off for Stanford against Peters in the third.
He grounds a weak five hopper to first to Clemens who takes it to bag for the first out.

Wayne Taylor batting now is the catcher today bats and lines a soft shot to center that drops for a single.

The first hit of the day for Stanford puts a man on and brings Hoffpauir who grounds to deep short and HInjosa flags it down, but there is no play for another hit.

Doran, the lead off hitter back up and grounds another ball to first and Clemens takes it to the bag again for the second out.

The runners move up to scoring position as Edman comes up with a chance to tie the game.

A ball is lined to left, but right at Johnson in left and that retires the side.

Peters works out of the jam and Texas still leads 2-0 as we go to the bottom of the third.

 

[NBHorn7]

Hanewich faces the top of the order and B. Marlow to start the third.

He grounds out to second for out one.

Payton up havin already extended his consecutive streak of reaching base to 45 games. He walks on four pitches to put on a one out base runner.

Hinojosa up Payton steals second on a swing and miss to move to second. Hinojosa fell across the plate on the swing and Stanford wants an inteferrence call. He fell across so quickly though that he did not interfere with the catcher's throw and it is not called.

C.J. drives one to right center, but the breeze knocks it down and toward the centerfielder and he runs it down for out two as Payton tags and moves to third.

Payton heads for home, but doesn't really get a good jump as he stopped and then started again on the attempted steal of home. He is out fairly easily and that retires the side.

Texas leads 2-0 a third of the way through the game.

 

[NBHorn7]

Dekroeger leads off against Peters in the fourth and ground out to short for out one.

Slater grounds out to second for the second out.

A ground ball to third retires the side in order.

Texas leads 2-0 to the bottom of the fourth.

 

[NBHorn7]

Clemens leads off for the Horns and flies out for one away.

McGuire also lifts a fly ball for the second out.

Montalbano follows suit by flying out to center to retire the side.

Texas still leads 2-0 after four innings of play.

 

[NBHorn7]

Peters out for the fifth and Barr grounds to McGuire for a 5-3 put out for one away.

Klein now at bat grounds a two hopper to Hinojosa for the second out.

Taylor up now and he K's looking to retire the side in order.

Halfway home in the game and Texas out in front still 2-0.

 

[FWHORN]

 

[NBHorn7]

Hanewich who has pitched well faces Barrera to lead off the Texas fifth.
He grounds out to second for the first out.

Johnson to the box gets one up in the jet stream to left and the left field turns goes to the track, gets it in his glove, then hits the wall and the ball comes out.

It's a stand up triple for Ben with one away.

Gurwitz in right today instead of left because Johnson feels more comfortable in left.
Gurwitz can handle the bat so look for anything and the infield comes in. Maybe a bunt might have been a good idea there as he grounds directly to the pulled in second baseman for out two and the runner Johnson holds.

B. Marlow up trying to score the run instead flies out to left and that retires the side.

After five innings played Texas ahead 2-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Peters, who is now in line for the win if Texas can hold on to the lead is out again in the sixth to face Hoffpauir the Stanford football player during the fall.

He grounds yet another ball to second and it's a 4-3 first out.
That's the 11th ground out of the game.

A fly ball to left makes Johnson retreat, but he makes an over the shoulder grab as he slows down for out two.

Edman up now for the Cardinal and he lines one that gaps right center and that is a double. The pitch was up and he hammered it.

Dekroeger up with a runner in scoring position and two away.
He lines one to center right at Payton and the two out rally is quelled.

Bottom of the sixth rolls around in game two as Texas continues to lead on their unearned runs 2-0.

 

[NBHorn7]

Payton leads off in the sixth for Texas against Hanewich.

He lines a single to left for a lead off runner on first as he continues with the red hot bat.

Hinojosa bats with the Stanford infield looking for a bunt.
A 3-0 count takes the bunt off and C.J. walks on five pitches.

Two on now for Clemens and now the bunt in most likely in order.

He gets it down and moves the runners along to second and third with one away.

McGuire up in a rbi situation.

Stanford decided to bring in a lefty for face the lefty hitting Clemens.

Hanewich is done for the day and had a good outing with both Texas runs scored unearned. He is still responsible for Payton out at second if he should score.

The new pitcher is Logan James who has only pitched three innings this season.

The infield comes in as McGuire bats with a chance to give Texas a better lead and take control of the game.

The count runs full and a ground ball to short is the second out as the runners hold.

Montalbano up looking for a big two out rbi hit. Instead a ground ball to third retires the side without any damage done.

On to the seventh now and the score remains 2-0 with Texas in front.

 

[NBHorn7]

Peters out again in the seventh to face Slater who lines the first pitch to center for a lead single.

Peters seems to be getting into more trouble these last few innings, but has wriggled out of them unscathed so far.

A liner that glances off the glove of Marlow goes into right for another single that was almost a force at second on the Gurwitz throw.

With two on a bunt back to Peters and he goes to third and gets the lead man for out one.

McGuire got spiked on the play and he is being looked at.
He stays in and now Alex Dunlap from the Woodlands, Tx is pinch hitting.

Runners on first and second with one out is the situation facing Peters and a liner hits the Stanford runner going for first to second. That's a big break as that ball was going into right field for a hit.

The runner is out and that puts runners on the corners with two away. That by the way is scored a hit for the batter and a put out for the second baseman.

Skip comes out to chat, but leaves Peters in there.
The other Texan in the line-up Taylor is up as Peters attempts to escape once more from a big jam.

He walks and that loads the bases and Peters is struggling to say the least. Thornhill gets up in the pen, but is far from ready.

Hoffpauir is up in the biggest situation in this game so far.
He rips a single to left and that ties the game at 2-2 as Peters finally ran out of luck.

Doran the top of the order is up and Peters stays in the game.
He pops up to second to finally end the inning.

To the stretch and it's a new game again tied at 2-2.

 

[georgecostanza]

Just got home from work. I'm just glad to know that we've been competitive for these first two games.

 

[NBHorn7]

Not being able to push a run across in the sixth with runners at second and third with one away was costly for the Horns.

They need to regroup now and get the bats going.

Barrera leads off against Logan and lofts a fly ball to center for out one.

Johnson up tries to get something started and he walks to reach first.

Johnson is a threat to steal, but the lefty makes that tougher to do, depends on if Johnson can read his move.

Gurwitz lofts one with the wind to left, but not quite enough as it is caught on the track.

Two away for B. Marlow and Johnson should try the steal, the top of the order up and would be there in the eighth if he is thrown out.

Marlow lines a single to right and that moves Johnson up to second and Marlow on first.

Payton up now against a lefty with a chance to give Texas the lead.

The count runs full and Payton fouls off pitch after pitch and finally lines a single up the middle that scores Johnson and puts runners on the corners with two down.

Texas regains the lead 3-2 as Payton has to be one of the hottest hitters in the game.

Hinojosa up as Stanford will bring in a right hander to face him.

 

[NBHorn7]

Markus Brakeman is the new Stanford hurler to face Hinojosa up looking for more runs in the inning.

Brakeman brings the sidearm heat and K's him swinging.

To the eighth we go and Texas back to the lead 3-2.

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill comes in looking for the two inning save and this is the first time he is fully immersed in his new role. A one run game and the win on his arm.

Edman leads off the inning for Stanford. Shaw has come into to play right for Gurwitz.

Edman walks on five pitches and that's not the start Nathan was looking for.

Dekroeger is up as the middle of the order comes now.
Thornhill can't find the zone and goes 2-0 and out comes Skip to the mound. Can't have wildness in your closer and that is being told to Nathan.

After a called strike Stanford doesn't bunt and a sharp grounder to short goes 6-4-3 for a much needed double play that really changes the inning.

Slater up now with two away and nobody aboard.
He grounds a clean single into right field and the double play really looks big now.

Blandino up again and Thornhill needs to close this down right here. Texas looks for a steal now and many throws go to first to hold the runner close.

A high breaking pitch is smoked to left in the corner and that ties the game at 3-3 as this has been a long inning.

Whiting comes in as a pinch hitter now Stanford has a chance to take the lead.

A ground ball to second ends the inning finally.

Once again we have a new game tied at 3-3.

To the bottom of the eighth we go.

 

[NBHorn7]

Clemens leads off the Texas eighth and grounds one in the hole on the right side. The first baseman dives and gets up and throws out Clemens on a sparkling 3-1 put out.

One away now as McGuire bats and the count runs full and he takes a called strike three for the second out.

Montalbano tries to prevent the quick inning, but grounds out to short to retire the side in order.

The ninth is here and the game is in the balance as we remained tied at 3-3.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Thanks for the updates!

 

[NBHorn7]

Thornhill out for the ninth hopes to shut down the Cardinal and vulture a win by giving up lead and then benefit.

Bottom of the order for Stanford as Dunlap leads off.
The count runs full and brings a big pitch which is roped to center for a single.

Another lead off base runner brings trouble again for Thornhill and let's see how Stanford plays it this time. He does square on the first pitch as he take a ball.

A pinch runner Locher comes in at first base.
Two bunt attempts are fouled off and and ground ball to Clemens right on top of the bag. He fields tags the bag and fires to first for the 1U-6 double play that again gets Thornhill out of trouble.

Two away with nobody aboard now, which was the situation last inning before Stanford scored to tie the game.

Hoffpauir K's on high heat to retire the side.

Texas comes to bat in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to win.

Tied at 3-3 for the time being.

 

[NBHorn7]

Bottom of the order coming for Texas as the game mirrors itself.

Barrera leads things off in the ninth and grounds out to short for the first out.

Johnson up walks on four pitches to put the winning run on first and that should have the running game in order.

Shaw bats for the first time today as he replace Gurwitz in right. Brakeman delivers his sixth straight ball and that brings a conference on the hill.

Shaw grounds to second who tags Johnson, but the relay is late and it's just a 4U for the second out.

Why we don't attempt a steal I don't know with Johnson on.
B. Marlow bats trying to end the game or at least bring Payton to the plate.

Marlow walks on four pitches and here comes Payton.

The game on the line with runners at first and second and two away. This brings out the pitching coach and do they have a lefty to bring in to face Payton.

No, they leave him and in and Payton digs in. Will they pitch around him even in this situation? Two balls on two pitches say maybe, but now a strike says maybe not.

A 3-1 count now will see if they are not going to give in and indeed a pitch way out of the zone loads the bases on the walk.

Bases juiced and two down for Hinojosa as something has to give here.

A 1-2 wild pitch goes to the back stop, Shaw scores and Texas wins 4-3.

Texas wins the game 4-3 and the series by taking the first two games

 

[FWHORN]

Not sure the Horns have won the last two as much as Stanford has lost them, but I'll take it.

 

[NBHorn7]

A much needed win after Texas blew the lead twice in the late innings. The last time with their new closer Thornhill on the mound.

Texas really walked a fine line in this game and got out of many jams and limited Stanford when they could have had some big innings.

The fielding has been outstanding and Payton just continues to be one of the most oustanding hitters and players in college baseball.

Stanford has some good young arms and I wouldnl't want to face them later in the season as they may round into a very good staff just like Texas.

It's another quality win that raises Texas record to 5-2 for the year.

Now it's on to tomorrow and go for the sweep and pay back Stanford for the two sweeps in Palo Alto.

Game time tomorrow is 1 pm. Let's get it done.

 

[sailorhorn]

Thanks for the coverage.

 

[WorsterMan]

Vicktree!!

 

[FourHorner]

Thanks for the updates. I missed the end and just got back.

 

[Brad Austin]

I wouldn't agree (as mentioned above) Stanford so much lost the first game instead of Texas winning it. Remove the 5 runs in the extended 2nd and Texas still wins 4-3. While they counted all 9 runs as earned runs, the 4 that still got the victory were certainly earned. Stanford walked 4, Texas 2. Nothing outrageous there. Yeah, Texas won Game 1 without question, nothing was handed to them that changed the legitimacy earning that win. Game 2 was moreso a tie of us winning and them losing it at worst, but as said I'll take the win. I'm sure we all agree, we'll take any ugly win we can get. Just win, Baby

 

[notanative]

Having the other team "lose" the game as opposed to having your favorite "win" the game is nothing new to Texas or any other team. We're 7 games into the season - I'd not give any weight to whether we win or they lose.