The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Kansas
Baseball tops Kansas, 3-2, in 14 innings
04.17.2015 | Baseball
Ben Johnson provides the game-winning RBI single in the top of the 14th
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Ben Johnson legged out an RBI infield single to break a 2-2 tie in the top of the 14th and lefty reliever Jon Malmin came on to close the door in the bottom half and give Baseball a 3-2 win over Kansas Friday night at Hoglund Ballpark.
In the ninth game of the year to go extras, Texas (20-18, 7-6 Big 12) received 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief from Ty Marlow, who picked up his first win of the season. Marlow was able to get out of a major jam in the 12th, when Kansas (15-23, 3-7 Big 12) loaded the bases with one out only to see Marlow induce a 6-3, inning-ending double play.
Texas edged ahead two innings later, with Brooks Marlow drawing a leadoff walk and Kacy Clemens reaching on a perfect sacrifice bunt that turned into a single. After Bret Boswell moved both runners up on a sacrifice bunt and Zane Gurwitz grounded out, it came down to Johnson – the team's leading hitter. On a 0-1 count, Johnson hit a dribbler to shortstop and beat out the throw at first allowing Marlow to score.
The bottom of the 14th wasn't without drama. A leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt put the tying run in scoring position, prompting Texas to go to the pen for Malmin. The move worked, as the sophomore got a swinging strikeout before inducing a game-ending groundout to third. It marked the second save of the season for Malmin.
Texas finished the evening with 11 hits, including three each from C.J Hinojosa and Gurwitz. Hinojosa had given the Longhorns a 2-1 lead in the fifth when he delivered a two-run double as part of a two-out rally.
Starting pitcher Parker French turned in a typically steady performance, keeping Kansas off the scoreboard in five of his six innings of work. The senior lowered his ERA to 2.09 by surrendering just one run on four hits while striking out five and walking one.
The Longhorns led 2-1 when French exited after six innings, and took that lead to the eighth only to see Kansas tie it up. After the Jayhawks' Justin Protacio singled up the middle to lead off the inning, Connor McKay doubled to center and an intentional walk was issued to load the bases with one out. Lefty Kirby Bellow came on in the tough spot and got Kansas' best hitter, Michael Tinsley, to hit a weak ground ball to second base that Brooks Marlow nearly turned two on, but Tinsley beat the throw at first allowing the tying run to score.
Kansas, which received nine innings of two-run ball from starting pitcher Ben Krauth (five hits, three walks, nine strikeouts), rode the arm of Stephen Villines for all five frames of extras. Villines (2-3) struck out eight but allowed six hits and the winning run.
The Jayhawks were held to seven hits in the game, as Ty Culbreth (1 IP), Connor Mayes (1/3 IP) and Bellow (2 2/3 IP) combined to allow just two hits in what turned out to be the middle innings of the game.
The series is set to resume Saturday at 1 p.m. Originally scheduled to be a 6 p.m. game on Saturday, the start time was moved up due to the threat of rain.
QUOTES FROM AUGIE GARRIDO
On the tenacity the team showed: The entire team played with a lot of energy and just fought their way through it. It's pretty amazing the way you feel when you have the one run that separated the teams rather than the other way around. It's been a while since that happened. I'm really proud of them. They stayed committed for all 14 innings and finally executed to a level where we scored the run and won the game.
On reverting back to a lineup similar to what they started the year with: That was part of the idea, was starting over. We've been talking about starting over and we haven't been able to get that done. The players had their own team meeting and their spirit was a big part of this victory tonight. There were really no let downs for the entire 14 innings tonight. I'm really proud of the commitment they made to each other and to the team, and how they acted on it during this game.
NOTES
- Texas went to extra innings for the ninth time this year and snapped a six-game skid in those affairs. The Longhorns are 3-6 in extra innings.
- C.J Hinojosa recorded a three-hit game for the third time this season (also UTSA, 2/17; at UTA, 3/17). He has hit safely in seven of the last eight games (exception is series opener vs. Oklahoma).
- Texas played error free defense among 57 chances in the field. Hinojosa had a team-high five assists and turned a key double play to get out of a bases loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the 12th.
- Though the Texas bullpen surrendered a 2-1 lead, five Longhorn relievers combined for eight innings allowing just one run to bring the season ERA for the pen down to 2.08.
- Parker French tossed six innings and allowed just one run to lower his ERA to 2.09 on the year. The senior has gone at least six innings in six of his 10 starts.
