No. 14 Baseball completes sweep of K-State with 6-1 win

Sunday, March 22

Austin, Texas

1 p.m.

University of Texas

16-8, 5-1

K-State

11-12, 0-3

Kansas State

Texas

No. 14 Baseball completes sweep of K-State with 6-1 win

03.22.2015 | Baseball

Box Score

Three Texas pitchers combine for a two-hitter in the series finale victory

AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 14 Baseball team struck for three fifth-inning runs to break a 1-1 tie, Kacy Clemens and the bullpen combined to allow just two hits and the Longhorns completed a series sweep of Kansas State with a 6-1 victory Sunday afternoon at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Clemens played dual roles in the contest for the Longhorns (16-8, 5-1 Big 12), serving as not only the starting pitcher but also batting and staying in the game as the designated hitter after being replaced on the mound. It was the first time in the Augie Garrido era at Texas that a player started a game as the pitcher/designated hitter.

On the hill, Clemens (2-1) allowed just one run on two hits and three walks while striking out one over five frames to earn his second win of the year. He retired the last seven batters he faced after allowing the lone run to score on a single in the top of the third.

In his last five outings, the sophomore right-hander has been excellent, tossing 22 innings and surrendering only 12 hits, 11 walks and five earned runs (2.05 ERA) while recording 11 strikeouts.

Travis Duke (1.64 ERA) relieved Clemens to begin the sixth, and allowed just a hit batter before giving way to Connor Mayes (0.87 ERA) with one out into the seventh. Mayes surrendered just a hit batsman over the final 2 2/3 innings, while striking out two to close out the game and earn his first career save.

Ben Johnson smashed two doubles, scored a run and had two RBIs in the win to lead the Texas offense, including a one-out drive to left field that drove in Zane Gurwitz, giving UT a 2-1 lead in the decisive fifth inning. Collin Shaw followed that up with the big blow of the game, a home run over the bullpen in right field that gave Texas a comfortable three-run advantage.

Tres Barrera and Bret Boswell each added two hits and an RBI to the cause, and Barrera scored a run. Barrera's RBI came way of a double off the wall in the bottom of the first inning to score C.J Hinojosa.

K-State starter Corey Fischer looked in control in the fifth, having sat down nine in a row including the leadoff hitter in the inning, but Gurwitz worked a momentum turning nine pitch base-on-balls to begin the rally.

Johnson followed the walk with an RBI double to left three pitches later, and Shaw stretched the advantage to 4-1 on a bomb out of the ballpark to right field on an 0-2 pitch.

Clemens helped his own cause in the bottom of the seventh by drawing a leadoff walk and coming around to score on Johnson's second double of day. The lead extended to 6-1 when Barrera, Brooks Marlow and Boswell ripped three straight base hits to begin the eighth inning, the last of which from Boswell scored Barrera from second.

Kansas State fell to 11-12 on the year with the loss today, and 0-3 in the Big 12 with the sweep this weekend. Fischer (1-2) took the loss on the hill after starting and allowing four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Texas returns to action Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in San Marcos to take on the Texas State Bobcats.

QUOTES

Texas Head Coach Augie Garrido

On being balanced on offense and defense: I'm really happy about the weekend. We responded well to the game in Arlington, we responded well to the game Saturday night against West Virginia, we had two great practices after those two games. They came with a different level of confidence in this series and where it showed up for me was based on the offense. The offensive players hit the ball hard [at defenders] throughout the series, they hit balls deep and could have taken the opportunity to be frustrated and selfish and disappointed and put their head down, but the true measure was not seeing any of that body language by the players.

The defensive plays were instrumental in the wins. We got our outs on time for the most part throughout the weekend and we backed up the pitching. We always ask to throw the ball to the mitt both offensively and defensively and that's a giant step forward for young players, for them to be able to move through a series and hit four or five balls on a line and have them catch two of them, and to not get frustrated and selfish is a big step forward; I don't think we saw any of that. That is a significant improvement over what most teams and most players are able to do.

On the decision to have Kacy in batting order: They were starting a right-handed pitcher and we intended to DH him because he has a presence about him that the other players respond in a positive way to. That presence is trusted because of the way he played last year. He had a lot of offensive challenges last year but at the same time he always played a high level of defense. In addition to that he was instrumental in the regional championship, the super regional championship and in the College World Series. He got his biggest hits with runners on base driving in runs and when they mattered the most to win the game and he has the heart of a champion and his teammates respect him tremendously for that and they trust him for that. He just has that presence that's real.

Senior OF Collin Shaw

On this being the most complete game of the year: Yeah I think so for sure. We have great pitching and really great defense and we took good at bats 1-9 throughout the lineup.

On what's been working for the team at the plate: We've just been going up there with the approach of helping the team win, whatever you can do no matter the situation.

On the importance of the sweep: It was very important. Anytime you can get a sweep in Big 12, a very competitive conference, it's good to get three wins on the weekend.

Junior OF Ben Johnson

On if hitting has become contagious: I think we're just hitting the ball hard. The first game we hit some balls hard and it didn't really fall for us but we ended up coming through in the end. We had some guys with big hits. Sticking with the process that Coach Garrido talks about all of the time. Game two was the same thing, we were hitting the ball hard and some of them weren't falling; even today we hit some balls hard that didn't fall as well. C.J Hinojosa is ripping the ball; his average doesn't show it but if he just keeps doing what he's doing he'll be just fine.

On filling the leadership positions: I really think it's a group effort. If you look at [three] guys, Parker French and Collin Shaw and Brooks Marlow, they are all seniors who have been around this program for a long time, they've seen it at its worst and at its best and for young guys to look up to them and for them it's their last shot to get a National Championship. Parker French came back this year specifically to win it all and get us a ring so I think those three guys mainly but it's a group effort overall. We have six guys who are consistently in the lineup last year and as you get older you are going to become a leader on and off the field so there are some seniors who are doing a great job leading but I would say it's a group effort for sure.

Sophomore RHP/INF Kacy Clemens

On how he felt today: I felt great, my legs were a little tired from the doubleheader yesterday but other than that the intensity levels were high for everybody. We really wanted to get the sweep and I was glad it turned out that way.

On pulling double duty: I love it. It's fun pitching, playing first and hitting. I love all of it. It's fun to come to the ballpark and just get the job done however it needs to be done to get the win.

NOTES

- With his performance today (5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K), Kacy Clemens has now tossed 22 innings while surrendering just 12 hits, 11 walks and five earned runs (2.05 ERA), and recording 11 strikeouts over his last five outings. Clemens is also believed to be the first Longhorn to start a game as the pitcher/designated hitter since Brooks Kieschnick in 1993.

- After 15 assists and three double plays turned this weekend, Brooks Marlow now ranks third in school history with 578 assists (Spike Owen – 679 and Bill Bates – 660), and is fourth in double plays with 124 (Jeff Ontiveros —219, Chance Wheeless — 161, Tommy Nicholson — 131).

- As a team, Texas turned four double plays this weekend to give them 27 on the year after entering the series tied for 10th in the country in double plays turned.

- Texas is now 9-2 on the season when it scores a run in the first inning after doing so today.

- The Longhorns are now outscoring their opponents 57-17 from the 7th inning on this year, and are 12-0 when leading after seven frames.

- After smashing 10 more extra base hits vs. Kansas State this weekend (8 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR) Texas now has 76 extra base hits on the year through 24 games. At this point of 2014, UT had 37 extra base knocks (23 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR).

- With Collin Shaw homering today, Texas has eight home runs in 15 games at UFCU Disch-Falk Field after hitting five in 33 games last season.

- Ben Johnson entered the weekend leading the Big 12 in hits, batting average and total bases, and went 4-for-12 with three doubles and a triple in the series. He is now hitting .404 with 42 hits and 67 total bases.

- The Horns have been at their best at home, posting a 12-3 record at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The team is currently batting .293 at home and a staff ERA of 1.53.

- Texas plays seven of its next eight games on the road, including a conference series at Oklahoma State (April 3-5). Four of the next five weekend series are on the road.

- The pitching staff sported a 1.00 ERA against K-State this weekend. The three starting pitchers each allowed one earned run (Chad Hollingsworth 7 1/3 IP, Parker French 6 IP, Kacy Clemens 5 IP). Reliever Kirby Bellow picked up a win and a save over 3 2/3 innings without surrendering a hit or walk and Connor Mayes (2 2/3 IP) and Ty Culbreth (1 IP) also earned saves with scoreless outings. The bullpen did not allow a run in 8 2/3 innings of work.

- At the plate, four Horns hit over .300 for the three games: Bret Boswell (.500), Brooks Marlow (.455), Tres Barrera (.364) and Ben Johnson (.333).

- All four of Johnson's hits over the weekend went for extra bases (three doubles, one triple), Boswell reached base in 7 of 11 plate appearances (.636 ob%) and Marlow's season batting average was raised .022 points (.268 to .290) with his 5-for-11 performance.

- With a single in his final at bat today, Marlow is now on an 11-game hit streak. He is 15-for-43 with three extra base hits over that span.

- After an 0-for-4 in game one of the series, Ben Johnson had two hits in each of the final two games to give him 14 multi-hit games out of the first 24 contests.