The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas State
No. 1 Baseball outlasts Texas State, 3-2
04.05.2005 | Baseball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Freshman right-hander Kenn Kasparek (Weimar, Texas) retired 18 in a row after surrendering two hits to start the ballgame en route to leading No. 1 Texas (27-5) to a 3-2 victory over Texas State (20-13) in front of 4,446 fans at Disch-Falk Field on Tuesday, April 5.
Two consecutive singles to open the top of the first followed by a sac bunt and an RBI-groundout from first baseman Kyle Jones gave Texas State an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, Drew Stubbs (Atlanta, Texas) singled with one out before scoring on a double to right from Seth Johnston (Boerne, Texas) to tie the score at 1-1. From there, the game settled into a pitcher's duel as Kasparek and TSU starter Steven Siers kept the respective offenses in check over the next 4.1 innings. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, David Maroul (Benbrook, Texas) singled to open the frame, moved to third on a sacrifice followed by a groundout before scoring on a wild pitch to give the Horns a 2-1 advantage.
In the very next inning, Texas added to its lead when Taylor Teagarden (Carrollton, Texas) walked with one out and stole second before scoring on a two-out, RBI-single up-the-middle from Thomas Incaviglia (Monterey, Calif.) to make it a 3-1 game. After a two-on, two-out threat in the seventh by the Bobcats was averted by reliever Clayton Stewart (Angleton, Texas), TSU put together a two-out rally of its own in the eighth when shortstop Dominic Ramos tripled and then scored on a bloop base hit off the bat of Nolan Mast. With Texas State still threatening in the inning, Stewart managed to retire his next batter on a flyout to keep the Longhorns on top by one. After a scoreless bottom of the eighth, J. Brent Cox (Bay City, Texas) came out of the UT bullpen and set the side down in order to close out the victory and earn his seventh save of the year. Picking up the win was Kasparek, who matched his career-high for innings pitched (6.0) and set a career-best for strikeouts (4), while Siers shouldered the loss despite working 5.2 innings.
Headlining the UT offense on the evening were Teagarden, who went 2-for-3 with one run scored, and Stubbs, who extended his current hit streak to five games while also scoring once. Texas State, meanwhile, was led by Mast, who went 2-for-4 with a RBI, and Ramos, who scored both of the Bobcats' runs while also scoring twice.
The Longhorns now travel to Lincoln, Neb., to open a three-game series against the No. 4 Huskers on Friday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. Central.
