The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Penn State
Baseball wins opening game of doubleheader versus Penn State
02.28.2009 | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2009
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AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Longhorns benefited from a solid six-inning start from freshman Taylor Jungmann and took advantage of four wild pitches and one passed ball by the Penn State Nittany Lions en route to a 6-2 win in the first game of a doubleheader at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Jungmann (2-0) scattered five hits and two walks over 6.0 innings, allowing just one run while striking out five. Austin Wood earned his second save of the season getting the Horns out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh.
For the second straight game, Texas (7-0) scored a bulk of its runs in the fourth inning, blowing a tie game open. With the score knotted at 1-1, Tant Shepherd was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Keyes and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Cameron Rupp and David Hernandez drew walks to saturate the bases with Horns. Connor Rowe plated Shepherd with a bunt single down the first base line to give Texas its first lead of the game. Rupp scored on a wild pitch and Travis Tucker inflated the cushion to 5-1 looping single to centerfield, scoring Hernandez and Rowe.
The Longhorns added an insurance run in the sixth when Tant Shepherd lined a one-out triple to right field and scored on a wild pitch to push the edge to 6-1.
Penn State (2-3) mounted a rally in the seventh when it loaded the bases off UT reliever Stayton Thomas. Wood entered the game with no outs and induced a double play ball and a bouncer back to the mound to end the contest.
The Nittany Lions drew first blood in the top of the second inning. Cory Wine and Jordan Steranka sandwiched walks around an infield pop out putting runners on first and second with one out. With two outs, Ben Heath trickled a single through the left side of the infield, plating Wine with the game's first run.
The Longhorns scored an equalizer in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Travis Tucker reached on a throwing error by PSU shortstop Michael Glantz, moved to third on a single to rightfield by Brandon Loy and scored on a wild pitch.
Six different players accounted for each of UT's six hits. Shepherd led the Horns with two runs.
The loss was hung on Scott Kelley (1-1) who allowed five runs, four earned, on four hits and four walks over 3.1 innings.
Wine and Ben Heath each went 2-for-2 to lead the Penn State attack.
