The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
Baseball beats Kansas State, 10-3, in series opener
03.23.2007 | Baseball
Russell and three home runs to post a 10-3 win over Kansas State in Big 12 baseball action Friday evening at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Russell (5-2) pitched 8.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five Wildcats to earn the victory. Meanwhile, Preston Clark, Bradley Suttle and Kyle Russell hit home runs to lead Texas' 12-hit attack.
Texas (21-7, 4-0 Big 12) broke the scoring seal in the fourth inning. With one out, Jordan Danks singled and Suttle walked setting up a two-out, RBI single up the middle by Russell Moldenhauer, staking the Longhorns to a 1-0 lead.
The Longhorns exploded for five runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Clark blasted a home run over the fence in leftfield. Nick Peoples walked and a fielding error on a ball hit by Travis Tucker put runners on first and second. Chance Wheeless hit a single to plate Peoples and with two outs, Suttle hit a moon shot down the rightfield line to drive in three runs and inflate the Texas cushion to 6-0.
Texas tacked on two more in both the sixth and seventh innings to take a 10-0 lead. In the sixth, Moldenhauer singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Josh Prince and scored on a triple to the left centerfield wall by Clark. Peoples plated Clark with a single to leftfield. In the seventh inning, Danks walked and Kyle Russell hit a two-run dinger over the fence in rightfield.
Kansas State (17-5, 0-1 Big 12) put together a late rally in the ninth inning. Rob Vaughn walked, Derek Bunker singled and they moved to second and third on a groundout by J.J. Muse. Drew Biery delivered an RBI single through the left side of the infield to plate Vaughn. Byron Wiley followed with an RBI single to push Bunker across, cutting the lead to 10-2. Pat McCrory relieved James Russell on the mound for Texas and, after giving up an RBI single by Eli Rumler, he retired the final two Wildcats to end the game.
Clark went 3-for-3 with one triple, one home run, three runs and three RBI to lead Texas. Suttle went 2-for-3 with one home run, one run and three RBI. Moldenhauer went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Rumler led Kansas State's offense, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Brad Hutt (5-1) was saddled with the loss for the Wildcats. He allowed six runs, three earned, on seven hits and four walks while striking out one over 4.2 innings.
Texas and Kansas State return to action on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
