The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
Baseball drops series vs. Missouri with 5-4 loss in game three
05.06.2007 | Baseball
AUSTIN, Texas -- No. 5 Texas lost a league series for the first time this season as the Longhorns dropped the deciding game, 5-4, to Missouri in Big 12 Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Despite the loss, Texas maintains a 2.5 game lead over Missouri for first place in the Big 12 Conference standings.
Texas (38-14, 18-6) drew first blood in the first inning. Nick Peoples was hit by the first pitch of the bottom half of the frame and stole second base. With one out, Chance Wheeless laced a single through the left side of the infield to plate Peoples. Wheeless moved to second on a balk and scored on a single to centerfield by Russell Moldenhauer, staking the Longhorns to a 2-0 lead.
Missouri (33-13, 14-7) shaved a run off the lead in the top second inning as Trevor Coleman hit a home run into the Longhorns' bullpen on the leftfield line.
The Tigers tied the contest in the fifth inning. With two outs, Gary Arndt drew a walk, moved to second on an infield single by Evan Frey and scored on a single by Brock Bond to right centerfield, knotting the score at 2-2.
Missouri took its first lead of the game in the sixth inning. Joseph Krebs came into relieve Austin Wood for Texas and yielded a leadoff triple to Jacob Priday. Longhorns' rightfielder Kyle Russell was forced to leave the game with a jammed wrist after the diving in attempt to make a catch on play. Coleman followed with his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to leftfield. Singles by Aaron Senne and Kyle Mach put runners at the corners. Pat McCrory came in to spell Krebs on the mound for UT and committed a balk, allowing Senne to score, giving Missouri a 5-2 advantage.
Longhorns' catcher Preston Clark hit his sixth home run of the season over the leftfield wall in the seventh inning, to cut the margin to 5-3.
Texas put together a rally in the eighth inning. Travis Tucker was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Peoples and Clay Van Hook drew walks to load the bases. Wheeless was able to drive in Tucker with a sacrifice fly, but Missouri's Scooter Hicks came in to close the door.
The Longhorns were unable to take full advantage of 10 hits, six walks and two hit by pitches as Texas left 14 runners on base and hit 2-of-14 with runners in scoring position.
Wheeless went 2-for-3 with one run scored and two RBI. Clark went 2-for-3 with one home run. Moldenhauer and Tucker each had two hits.
Coleman led Missouri's offense, going 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI. Bond went 4-for-5 with one RBI. Frey went 2-for-4.
Krebs (6-1) was saddled with the loss for Texas. Wood allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two over five innings. McCrory pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk, while striking out three.
Kyle Gibson (6-3) earned the win for Missouri. He pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out one. Hicks pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn his second save of the season.
