The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
5-3
Stanford
3-4
No. 18/25 Baseball falls to Stanford, 11-5, in series finale
02.23.2014 | Baseball
Texas falls but wins series, 2-1.
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 18/25 Texas baseball team dropped its series finale to Stanford, 11-5, on Sunday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Though the loss ended the Longhorns' five-game winning streak, Texas (5-3) still won the three-game series, 2-1.
Stanford (3-4) starting pitcher Chris Viall kept Texas off the scoreboard for the first four innings while the Cardinal built a 5-0 lead. John Hochstatter (1-1), who was credited with the win, pitched one inning and gave up one earned run.
Texas junior RHP Lukas Schiraldi (1-1), making his first start at home, took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and five walks in two-plus innings. Seven Longhorn pitchers saw action, including Travis Duke who pitched 2 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and surrendered just one hit.
Stanford third baseman Alex Blandino went 3-for-4 with two RBI, improving his season average to .417. Texas freshman Zane Gurwitz contributed to two rallies for the Longhorns, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Mark Payton capped off a stellar series at the plate by going 1-for-2 with three walks. The senior went 8-for-10 with five walks, a triple, four RBI and two runs on the weekend.
Stanford got out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Blandino scored on a fielder's choice while Brant Whiting advanced to third. Later in the inning, Wayne Taylor hit a two-out bases loaded triple to deep right center, sending Whiting, Drew Jackson and Tommy Edman home.
Stanford first baseman Danny Diekroeger's RBI double got the Cardinal offense started again in the sixth. Austin Slater followed with a two-run double down the left field line, and Blandino capped off the inning with a two-run home run, increasing Stanford's lead to 10-1.
The Longhorns responded in the bottom of the sixth by scoring four runs. Gurwitz hit a two-run single, scoring Tres Barrera and Jeremy Montalbano, who advanced to second earlier in the inning off a fielding error by Stanford's Edman. Brooks Marlow's sacrifice fly to centerfield scored Ben Johnson and Gurwitz, who advanced to both second and third off wild pitches, scored Texas' fifth and final run of the game off a third consecutive wild pitch from Sam Lindquist.
Johnson's triple, his second in two days, gave the Texas offense a spark in the fifth, and Gurwitz followed with a single to right field that drove Johnson home.
The Cardinal offense struck for a final time in the eighth when Brett Michael Doran's RBI single to left field finished off the Cardinal's scoring.
The game was shortened to eight innings due to a pre-arranged last inning start time of no later than 4:15 p.m., due to Stanford's travel schedule.
Texas is back in action on Tuesday, when it takes UT Pan American at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hochstatter (1-1)
L: Schiraldi, Lukas (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Diekroeger,D 1 ; Slater, A 1 ; Whiting, B 1
3B: Taylor, W 1
HR: Blandino, A 1
RBI: Taylor, W 3 ; Diekroeger,D 1 ; Slater, A 2 ; Blandino, A 2 ; Doran, BM 1 ; Jackson, D 1
SH: Doran, BM 1 ; Jackson, D 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Edman, T 1 ; Taylor, W 1 ; Diekroeger,D 1 ; Slater, A 2 ; Blandino, A 3 ; Whiting, B 1 ; Jackson, D 1 ; Hoffpauir, Z 1
HBP: Doran, BM 2
Batting:
2B: Clemens, Kacy 1
3B: Johnson, Ben 1
RBI: Marlow, Brooks 1 ; Gurwitz, Zane 3
SF: Marlow, Brooks 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Montalbano, Jeremy 1 ; Barrera, Tres 1 ; Johnson, Ben 2 ; Gurwitz, Zane 1
SB: Hinojosa, C.J 1
