The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
7-5
Stanford
8-3
No. 21 Baseball bested in game one by No. 19 Stanford’s walk-off homer
03.04.2017 | Baseball
The Longhorns led until the ninth and the Cardinal walked it off in the 10th.
PALO ALTO, Calif.—For the second straight game, Texas Baseball (7-5) let a late lead turn into a Stanford walk-off at Sunken Diamond. On Saturday in game one of the doubleheader, Stanford (8-3) picked up a 10th-inning walk-off homer to win it 5-2 and give the Cardinal a 2-1 series lead.
As was the case in the previous two games of the series, Texas got on the board first.
In the opening inning, freshman shortstop David Hamilton, who has a hit in each of the series' three games, drove a one-out single to left to ignite the Longhorns offense. Zane Gurwitz followed with a long RBI to left to plate Hamilton and the Longhorns went out to a one-run lead.
With his team up 1-0, Texas starting pitcher Kyle Johnston cruised. The right-hander allowed just two hits and a walk over the next seven frames to keep Stanford at bay. After allowing those two hits in the second, Johnston sat down 15 of the next 16 he faced, the only blemish being a one-out walk in the fourth.
Texas got an insurance run in the eighth behind Johnston's strong effort. Tyler Rand opened up the winning with a walk and, after a Travis Jones grounder moved him to second, came around to score thanks to a Hamilton RBI single.
With a 2-0 lead, Johnston went back to work in the eighth. After a leadoff single and a stolen base, a single through the right side brought Stanford back to within one. Johnston followed up with a 4-6-3 double play, however, to limit the damage.
Up 2-1, Johnston headed back out for the ninth looking to finish it off. The Cardinal opened with back-to-back singles before Johnston induced a 6-4-3 double play. Along with the double play, Nico Hoerner came around to score to make it 2-2 after nine innings.
In the 10th and final frame, the Longhorns were kept off the board in the top half before Quinn Brodey hit a two-out, three-run homer off Chase Shugart to walk it off for the second straight game.
Johnston finished with a career-best 8.2 innings of work, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk while fanning four. Shugart (0-1) was tabbed with the loss.
The teams will meet again this afternoon as Sunday's game four was moved as a precautionary measure to due impending weather.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hock, C. (3-0)
L: Shugart, Chase (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Gurwitz, Zane 1
RBI: Hamilton, David 1 ; Gurwitz, Zane 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hamilton, David 1 ; Rand, Tyler 1
CS: Mathis, Patrick 1
HBP: Reynolds, Ryan 1
Batting:
2B: Wilson, A. 1
3B: Diekroeger,M 1
HR: Brodey, Q. 1
RBI: Brodey, Q. 3 ; Stowers, K. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kinamon, D. 1 ; Hoerner, N. 2 ; Brodey, Q. 1 ; Molfetta, C. 1
SB: Molfetta, C. 1
