The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas A&M
Baseball wins round one of State Farm Lone Star Showdown
05.08.2009 | Baseball
May 8, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Russell Moldenhauer broke an 8-8 tie with a single in the top of the 10th inning and Austin Dicharry earned his first career save to lead the No. 8 Texas Longhorns to an 11-9 win over the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies in the first game of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown at Olsen Field on Friday evening.
With the score tied 8-8, Cameron Rupp, who went 3-for-5 with three runs scored on the evening, led off the top of the 10th with a single through the left side. Tim Maitland was hit by a pitch to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Moldenhauer, who pinch-hit in the eighth inning and remained in the game as designated hitter, singled up the middle to plate Rupp. Maitland added an insurance run when he scored on a wild pitch and Jordan Etier, who pinch-ran for Moldenhauer, touched home when Connor Rowe grounded into a double play to give the Horns an 11-8 lead.
Austin Wood, who entered the game in the seventh, remained in to pitch the bottom of the 10th inning, but yielded a lead-off triple by Kyle Colligan and a single by Joe Patterson narrowed the gap to 11-9. Dicharry entered the game and induced a fly out by Caleb Shofner, swinging strikeout by pinch-hitter Brett Parsons and a looking strikeout by Kevin Gonzalez to close the game.
The game almost failed to go extra innings when Texas A&M rallied from an 8-7 deficit in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, David Alleman drew a walk and was replaced at first by pinch-runner Scott Arthur. Arthur stole second base and with two outs, Adam Smith launched a ball to the gap in left centerfield. Texas centerfielder Connor Rowe was unable to track the ball down and the carom off the wall got past him allowing Arthur to score. Smith was feeling lucky and went for the inside-the-park home run but Rupp, UT's catcher didn't allow him to touch home with a perfect block of the plate, ending the inning with the score knotted at 8-8.
Texas drew first blood, putting a picket fence on the scoreboard with single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead.
The Longhorns harvested a run in the top of the second. Rupp hit a wall-banger in centerfield for a lead-off double. A deep fly out to centerfield by Kevin Keyes pushed Rupp to third and he scored on a groundout to shortstop by Preston Clark to stake Texas to a 1-0 lead.
Rowe added a run for the Horns in the visitor half of the third. With one out, Rowe launched a home run over the wall in right centerfield. It was his sixth homer of the season, five of which have come in Friday games.
Rupp sowed the seed for another run in the top of the fourth. He hit a lead-off double to the gap in right centerfield and came around to score on a double by Clark past a diving Aggies' third baseman.
After being held scoreless for five innings, the Aggies hung three runs on the board in the home half of the sixth to tie the score at 3-3. With one out, Luke Anders was issued a walk and Colligan was hit by a pitch setting up a three-run home run by Joe Patterson over the rightfield fence.
Texas bounced back with five runs in the top of the seventh. Keyes singled through the left side, Clark walked and Brandon Loy singled to centerfield to load the bases. Tant Shepherd, who was 1-for-17 in his last five games, launched a double off the wall in leftfield to clear the bases and give the Horns a 6-3 lead. Rowe was hit by a pitch and Travis Tucker sacrificed the runners into scoring position to set up a two run single by Brandon Belt, inflating the cushion to 8-3.
The Aggies wouldn't go gently into the good night and responded with a four-run frame of their own in the home half of the seventh. With one out, Smith drew a walk and Brodie Greene blasted a two-run home run down the leftfield line. Anders kept the rally going with a two-out single and Colligan hit a dinger to rightfield to tighten the separation to 8-7 and set up the late-game heroics.
Wood (5-1) was credited with the win, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out one over 2.2 innings. Dicharry's save was the first of the season. Chance Ruffin started the game for the Horns and allowed just three this, but two of the knocks were home runs. The northpaw yielded five runs on three hits and three walks while striking out nine over 6.1 innings.
Alex Wilson (5-6) was saddled with the loss for Texas A&M. He allowed three runs, two earned, on two hits and two walks while striking out three over 3.2 innings. Aggies' starter Brooks Raley allowed eight runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out five over 6.1 innings.
Rupp's offensive contribution was complemented by Shepherd's three RBI and two ribbies apiece by Belt and Clark.
Patterson spearheaded the Aggies' arsenal, going 2-for-5 with four RBI. Colligan was 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. Brodie Greene went 2-for-5 with one run and two RBI.
