The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas Tech
Baseball wins series opener against Texas Tech, 9-5
03.27.2009 | Baseball
March 27, 2009
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AUSTIN, Texas -- After going eight consecutive games without a four-run inning, the No. 9 Texas Longhorns scored five in the third inning and four in the seventh en route to a 9-5 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Big 12 baseball action at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday evening.
Texas (16-6, 3-4 Big 12) snapped a three-game conference losing skid and improved to 13-1 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Texas Tech (10-16, 3-4 Big 12) drew first blood in the top of the third inning. The seal was broken when Jeremy Mayo curled a wind-aided home run around the rightfield foul pole to start the inning. Joey Kenworthy kept the rally alive with a one-out single and a stolen base. With two outs, Chris Richburg capped the scoring with a single to centerfield to plate Kenworthy, giving the Red Raiders a 2-0 advantage.
The Longhorns responded with a five-run uprising in the bottom half of the third. Travis Tucker singled to centerfield, Michael Torres singled to short and Brandon Belt laid down a bunt single to load the bases. Kevin Keyes put Texas on the scoreboard with a groundout to shortstop, driving in Tucker. Preston Clark walked to reload the bases and Cameron Rupp cleared the paths with a three-run double to the wall in left centerfield. The final run of the frame came when Brandon Loy pushed Rupp across with a sacrifice fly to rightfield to stake the Longhorns to a 5-2 lead.
The Red Raiders trimmed a pair of runs off the lead in the top of the fifth. Mayo struck out swinging to lead off the inning, but reached base on a third-strike wild pitch. Willie Rueda followed with a single through the left side of the infield and Kenworthy sacrificed the runners to second and third with a bunt. Mayo scored on a dropped fly ball by UT leftfielder Tant Shepherd and Richburg doubled to the right centerfield gap to plate Rueda, shaving the lead to 5-4.
Texas was helped by four Tech errors and a balk as the Longhorns put the game out of reach in the seventh. The lone RBI in the inning came on an infield single by Shepherd to plate Rupp.
Rupp led the Texas offense, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one walk, one double and three RBI. Belt went 3-for-4 with one run, one walk and one stolen base. Torres added two hits.
Kenworthy went 3-for-4 with one run and one stolen base to lead Texas Tech. Richburg and Mayo each added two hits and two RBI.
Chance Ruffin (4-2) earned the win for Texas. He allowed four runs on nine hits and eight strikeouts over 6.2 innings. Austin Wood picked up his fourth save of the season, yielding one run on two hits while striking out one.
Miles Morgan (1-4) was tagged with the loss for Tech. He allowed five runs on six hits and five walks while striking out one over 4.0 innings.
The Longhorns and Red Raiders continue the three-game series with a 2 p.m. contest Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Head coach Augie Garrido
On the two big innings that propelled Texas tonight: The first part, we kind of wrote the lyrics and the script for that one, in that we hit the ball the best we've hit the ball in a long time. We had timely hitting and good approaches at the plate. We took our walks. We played good offense. The second one, we battled, hit balls in play with two strikes and they made some mistakes, and we capitalized on them. They were very different innings.
On the merits of being aggressive at the plate and on the base paths: I don't think you ever get lucky and the intangibles never go your way until you battle like that and give your all to the game. Somehow the game knows when a team is really battling and that's what happened.
On Chance Ruffin's outing: I was really proud of Chance Ruffin. He just battled. He really competed and had a hard time of it. They hit the homerun in the perfect place, probably one of the few places where it goes out of the ballpark. I think he had a lot on his hands and he dealt with it all.
On the importance of the five-run third inning: I think the importance of the third inning is that's what's in (our team), and that can be consistent if we relax and play within ourselves, with confidence. That's the offensive team that I've been talking about all season. It is in there. They can do that.
Right-hander Chance Ruffin
On his outing tonight: It's tough whenever you're making good pitches and you see balls where you're leaning, trying to get them to go foul, and they just stay on the line. Otherwise, you just do what you can.
On the third-inning homerun that gave Texas Tech the lead temporarily: It was kind of a laugh moment. I didn't even think that would be over Kevin's [Keyes] head. It's just one of those deals.
On whether the wind changed his approach on the mound: It kind of does. I think that hitters have an approach that they're going to try to pop it up. You try to throw them inside, try to get them to go to left field. Not too much, but maybe here and there you get a pitch inside where you would have gone outside otherwise.
Catcher Cameron Rupp
On his three-RBI double in the third inning: I've been in that situation a million times. It's baseball. Sometimes you're successful, sometimes you're not. I went up there looking for a pitch up that I could elevate and get the runner in from third. He left it up and I hit in the gap.
Left-hander Austin Wood
On coming into the ballgame with a one-run lead and a runner on first in the seventh inning: It takes a lot, but as much as we practice and work on that stuff, I can rely on the past to give me the confidence to go out there and do my job. Chance threw great and battled all night. The thing about this pitching staff is you don't want to let anybody down. I just went out there and did my job, and fortunately got the job done.
Leftfielder Tant Shepherd
On the importance of Cameron Rupp's third-inning, three-RBI double: I think we all loosened up once he got that hit. We've been waiting for the clutch hit and I think once we got it, it showed that anyone can get it.
