The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
UT Arlington
No. 3 Baseball wins 13th consecutive game with 21-2 victory over UT Arlington
04.20.2010 | Baseball
April 20, 2010
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 3 Texas Longhorns extended their season-long win streak to 13 games Tuesday night at UFCU Disch Falk Field, defeating UT Arlington 21-2 in a non-conference matchup.
Texas (31-7) recorded season-highs in runs scored (21) and hits (21), as eight different Longhorns had multi-hit games. Cole Walla led the offense, going 4-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored while belting his fourth home run of the season.
The 13-game win streak is the longest for the Horns since stringing together 16 consecutive victories in 2005.
UT Arlington (17-21) managed just six hits off six different Texas' pitchers as Andrew McKirahan (2-1), who came on in relief of starter Sam Stafford, earned the win after going 2.1 innings and allowing no runs on one hit.
The Longhorns struck first in the bottom half of the third, using three hits, including a two-run home run, to take a 4-0 lead. Connor Rowe singled to left to start the inning and advanced to second following a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Etier. Walla followed with an RBI single to left to put Texas up 1-0, but was picked off at first for the second out.
However, Brandon Loy forced a walk and stole second before an infield pop up by Tant Shepherd was dropped, plating Loy and pushing the lead to 2-0. Rupp followed with his fifth home run of the season, sending a 3-2 pitch over the leftfield fence to give Texas a 4-0 lead.
UTA answered with a run in the top of the fourth after Jesse Payne reached after being hit by a pitch and Michael Choice followed with a walk. Steffan Guest's grounder to third looked like a routine double play, but the throw to second went into centerfield, scoring Payne and putting runners on first and second with no McKirahan entered in relief of Stafford, forcing a double play and a line out to end the inning and keep the score at 4-1.
The Horns responded in the bottom half of the inning after Russell Moldenhauer recorded a one-out single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and reached third on a flyout to left. Etier plated Moldenhauer with an infield single to put Texas back up by four and put the score at 5-1.
Texas broke the game open in the bottom half of the fifth, scoring four runs to go up 9-1 and give UT pitchers a comfortable lead the rest of the way. Walla led off the inning with a single, followed by an RBI double down the leftfield line by Loy. Shepherd then walk, and both players advanced after stolen bases to put runners on second and third with one out.
Kevin Keyes pushed the lead to 7-1 after a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Loy, and third base replacement Jordan Weymouth kept the inning alive with an infield single to put runners at the corners. A double down the leftfield line by Moldenhauer, his ninth of the season, plated the final two runs of the inning.
UT Arlington got their second run of the game in the top of the sixth after an RBI triple by Preston Beck, but Texas answered with four more runs in the bottom half of the inning, extending the lead to 13-2.
Texas began the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back home runs from Etier and Walla, as Etier sent one over the 405 sign in left center and Walla cleared the bullpen in left. With one out, Shepherd then singled to left, followed by a Rupp double to left center to put runners on second and third. Keyes then singled up the middle, recording his second and third RBIs of the game to push the lead to 11.
In the bottom of the eighth, Texas erupted for eight runs off six hits, highlighted by a Weymouth two-RBI triple and a two-RBI single by Shepherd. Keyes, Moldenhauer, Walla and Loy also recorded base hits as Texas tied its largest run output in an inning this season.
Keyes led the Longhorns with a game-high four RBIs, as Moldenhauer joined Walla with three RBIs apiece. Loy, Shepherd, Rupp, Weymouth and Etier each finished with 2 RBIs as Texas recorded seven extra base hits.
Loy, who recorded a sacrifice bunt in the top of the first, broke the school record for most sacrifice bunts with 39, breaking the previous record held by Tommy Nicholson (1998-2000).
Starting pitcher Stafford pitched the first three innings for the Horns, allowing one unearned run on one hit while earning a no decision, while Stayton Thomas, Keifer Nuncio, Hoby Milner and Chance Ruffin combined to finish the game.
In the past three games, Texas has outscored its opponents 43-2 while outhitting them 49-11.
The Longhorns look to add to their 13-game win streak as they turn their attention to Oklahoma State in a three-game conference series beginning Friday in Austin.
Head Coach Augie Garrido
On tonight's win: Recently we've been talking this is the best of this or best of that, well this is the best Tuesday. Basically, you're seeing the confidence grow from the offensive side of it. We're taking better at-bats, the runners are in scoring position now. We swing at one bad pitch, but it doesn't end up being three, we recover from it. We didn't earlier in the season. Once one thing went wrong, we tried too hard to compensate for it. I think that we're showing more and more maturity and confidence.
SS Brandon Loy
On his sack bunt record: It's an accomplishment because we do a lot of bunting and it just shows I've done my job as far as getting bunts down. It's good for me and it's pretty cool.
C Cameron Rupp
On why the team did so well tonight: I think we figured it out. We've got to come out [ready to play]. We can't just throw ourselves on the field and expect to win every game because that definitely didn't happen against Oral Roberts, and we've got to go out and play. As good a team as we have, that score shouldn't be a one-time thing. We need to be able to come out on Tuesdays and do that every week.
