The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Stanford
Late rally comes up short for Baseball in 12-9 loss to Stanford
03.09.2008 | Baseball
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Longhorns dropped the finale of its series with the Stanford Cardinal, 12-9, in collegiate baseball action Sunday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Texas scored eight runs in the final four innings of the contest that was stopped after eight frames due to a travel curfew for Stanford.
The Longhorns tallied 18 hits and clobbered three home runs, but fell victim to six double plays, including one in each of the first two innings and twice with bases loaded.
Stanford pounced on Texas with five runs in the top of the first inning. Cord Phelps hit a leadoff double and moved to third on a flyout by Brendan Domaracki. Joey August plated Phelps with a single through the right side. Juan Castro followed with his own single that bounced through the right side of the infield to put runners at the corners. Randy Molina plated August with a single to leftfield, staking Stanford to a 2-0 lead. Sean Ratliff tripled to centerfield, driving in Castro and Molina. Austin Yount finished off the rally with a single to push Ratliff across.
The Cardinal tacked on another run in the second. Domaracki hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Molina.
Texas broke the scoring seal in the bottom of the third. Michael Torres drew a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by David Hernandez, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Jordan Danks.
Stanford inflated the cushion to 9-1 with three runs in the top of the fifth. Ratliff hit a leadoff home run and Yount followed with a double down the rightfield line. After a bunt moved Yount to third, he scored on a home run to centerfield by Phelps.
Torres manufactured another run for Texas in the fifth. He drew a walk, stole second base and scored on a single to centerfield by Travis Tucker.
With two outs, Preston Clark and Cameron Rupp hit back-to-back home runs with two outs in the sixth inning to trim the lead to 9-4.
Ratliff hit his second homer of the game in the seventh to give Stanford an insurance run.
The Longhorns did their most damage in the seventh inning. With one out, Danks hit a solo home run to leftfield. Travis Tucker and Kyle Russell hit back-to-back singles and Tucker scored on a single through the right side by Brandon Belt. With two outs, Clark hit a two-run single to centerfield, closing the gap to 10-8.
A sacrifice fly by Castro and an RBI double by Ratliff gave Stanford a 12-8 lead in the top of the eighth.
The Longhorns loaded the bases in the eighth and scored a run on bases loaded walk by Belt. The contest ended when Kawika Emsley-Pai grounded into UT's sixth double play of the game.
Belt led Texas' offense, going 4-for-4 with one run and two RBI. Danks went 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI. Rupp was 2-for-4 with one double and one home run. Clark hit 2-for-4 with three RBI. Russell and Tucker each added two hits.
Ratliff paced the Cardinal, going 4-for-5 with one double, triple, two home runs, three runs and five RBI. Molina went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Yount went 3-for-4.
Texas returns to action on Monday with a 2:30 p.m. contest against Dallas Baptist University at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH Augie Garrido
On the outcome of the game: It's not about being happy or unhappy. I'm disappointed in losing. I'm disappointed in not getting the hits when you have set the table for the second straight day to tie the guy or win the game. We put ourselves into position because we did some exceptional things as a team, but that isn't what competitive athletics is finally about. It's finally about doing the things that you need to do to over come adversity, and we have yet to break through to that level. That is my disappointment and frustration. I'm not frustrated with the players; I think they really gave a competitive effort and battled all the way.
1B/LHP Brandon Belt
On the team's mindset during the game: We never think that we're going to lose. We thought we had a chance to come back and we fought hard, but I guess just not hard enough.
On playing in game with a time constraint: It's different. I wish we would have had a little more time. Maybe the outcome would have been different or maybe it wouldn't have. We just have to play the game.
On hitting 4-for-4 and hitting from the four spot: I'm comfortable hitting wherever they put me. I've had to move up and down all my life, but wherever they want to put me is fine by me. It doesn't put any extra pressure on me I just go up there and hit.
