The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Kansas State
No. 22 Baseball erases three-run deficit, beats Kansas State, 6-4, in extra innings
03.24.2012 | Baseball
March 24, 2012
Box Score | Box Score 
MANHATTAN, Texas - Four consecutive two-out singles by Mark Payton, Taylor Stell, Erich Weiss and Jonathan Walsh gave the Longhorns two runs in the top of the 11th inning as the No. 22 Texas Longhorns registered a 6-4 win over the Kansas State Wildcats at Tointon Family Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
With the score knotted at 4-4 and two outs in the top of the 11th, Payton laced a single through the right side of the infield. Taylor Stell hit his first collegiate base-hit, a single off the leg of umpire John Bullock who was calling the game from between second base and the Wildcats' second baseman with Payton on first. Weiss gave Texas the go-ahead run, depositing an 0-1 offering into rightfield to plate Payton. Walsh added an insurance run with a single up the middle to knock Stell home for the 6-4 lead.
Corey Knebel (2-0), who was starting his fourth inning, stayed in the game and induced a foul pop up by Matt Giller, flyout to leftfield by Mike Kindel and a strikeout by Kyle Speer to seal the game.
Knebel scattered two walks while striking out four over 4.0 shutout innings to earn the victory.
Nate Williams (0-1) who allowed the four-single barrage by the Longhorns was saddled with the loss. He allowed two runs on five hits over 2.0 innings. Kansas State starter Joe Flattery worked 5.0 shutout innings, scattering five hits while striking out six in the no-decision.
Walsh paced Texas at the plate going 3-for-6 with two runs, one stolen base and one RBI. Payton and Jordan Etier each registered two hits. Payton extended his streak of games reaching base to 21.
Jared King went 3-for-4 with one RBI and Dan Klein went 1-for-2 with one walk, one sacrifice fly, one home run and three RBI.
Kansas State drew first blood in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Kindel drew a walk and with two outs, Dan Klein delivered a full-count offering over the leftfield fence for a two-run home run to give the Wildcats a 2-0 edge.
The Wildcats inflated the cushion to 3-0 with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Ross Kivett hit a leadoff single to the gap in right centerfield, moved to second on a groundout by Jake Brown and scored on a single up the middle by Jared King.
Texas shaved two runs off the lead in the top of the sixth inning. With one out, Walsh struck out swinging, but advanced to first on a wild pitch. Walsh stole second base and Alex Silver was hit by a pitch putting a pair of runners on base. Jacob Felts flirted with a home run, but it came up two feet short and resulted in an RBI double, plating Walsh. Brooks Marlow grounded out to second base to drive in Silver, trimming the lead to 3-2.
The Wildcats had an immediate response in the home half of the sixth. Giller hit a leadoff single to leftfield and with one out, Blair DeBord singled to the gap in right centerfield to put runners at the corners. Klein hit a sacrifice fly to rightfield, plating Giller for the 4-2 lead.
Texas started their successful attempt to save victory from the jaws of defeat with a two-run eighth inning. With Robert Youngdahl coming in to pitch for Kansas State, Weiss was hit by a pitch and Walsh deposited a sun-aided single into the Bermuda triangle in shallow right centerfield to put two runners on. Silver pushed both runners into scoring position with sacrifice bunt. John Fasola came in to relieve Youngdahl and his balk allowed Weiss to score. Marlow tied the score at 4-4 with a single up the middle to plate Walsh.
The series between Texas and Kansas State wraps up Sunday with a 1 p.m. contest at Tointon Family Stadium.
