The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Villanova
No. 7 Baseball earns series sweep with 9-2 victory over Villanova
02.26.2006 | Baseball
AUSTIN, Texas -- Carson Kainer and Kyle Russell each drove in a career-best four runs to lead No. 7 Texas to a 9-2 win over Villanova in front of a season-best crowd of 5,218 fans at Disch-Falk Field on Sunday, Feb. 26.
Behind their victory over the Wildcats (2-4), the Longhorns (9-6) not only extended their current win streak to four games and improved their home record to 6-0 on the year, but they also earned a three-game sweep of Villanova during their first weekend homestand of 2006.
A two-out double down the right-field line from Russell (Magnolia, Texas) with two runners on gave the Longhorns an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Villanova answered immediately in the top of the second as Jeremy Hunt came up with a one-out double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a two-out wild pitch to make it a 2-1 contest. The Horns would look to increase their advantage in their half of the second by loading the bases on a fielder's choice and two walks with two down, but Wildcats' reliever Ryan Shockley induced his first batter to pop-up on the infield to end the frame. UT then placed runners on the corner with no outs in the third and was again denied as Nate Hall, who became Villanova's fourth pitcher of the game at the start of the inning, retired his next three batters in order on two pop-ups and a flyout.
In the fourth, Hunt connected on a two-out solo home run to knot the game at 2-2 for the Wildcats. Trying to regain the lead in the bottom of the fourth, the Longhorns loaded the bases for the second time in three innings via an error and two bunt singles. Kainer (Tomball, Texas) then delivered a bases-clearing double in front of RBI-singles from Russell and Preston Pehrson (Arnold, Md.) to account for five runs and give Texas a 7-2 lead. One inning later in the fifth, UT added two more scores as Jordan Danks (Round Rock, Texas) drew a one-out walk, Stubbs singled and Kainer and Bradley Suttle (Boerne, Texas) followed a double steal with a groundout and single, respectively, to stake Texas to a 9-2 advantage. The game remained that way until the ninth as three Texas relievers each worked one hitless inning apiece before the Wildcats attempted a rally in their final at bat. With two runners on and only one out in the top of the ninth after an error and a walk, Riley Boening (Yoakum, Texas), who became the fifth Texas hurler used on the afternoon, struck out his final two batters to end the game. Recording his first victory of the year was UT starter Randy Boone (Yoakum, Texas), who allowed only two runs on two hits and struck out five over five innings of work, while Hall, who was one of seven Villanova pitchers used on the day and tossed two innings of relief, incurred the loss.
Pacing the Texas offense, which collected 13 hits, were Kainer, who doubled twice while scoring one run and tying a career-high with four RBI, Russell, who set career-bests for hits and RBI with a 3-for-3 outing that included one run scored and four RBI, and Danks, who scored a career-high three runs and tallied two hits in four at bats. Villanova, meanwhile, was led offensively by Hunt, who registered both of the Wildcats' hits while also accounting for both of their runs scored and their lone RBI. Of additional note for UT, Longhorns pitchers did not yield a hit over the final 5.1 innings of the ballgame, Stubbs upped his current hit streak to nine games with a 2-for-5 day and Suttle turned in a 2-for-4 performance to give him four straight multi-hit efforts.
Up next, the Longhorns travel to Las Vegas, Nev., to open a three-game series against the Rebels of UNLV on Friday, March 3 at 8:30 p.m. Central.
