After a true lost or "loss" weekend in Nebraska, the Horns try to get back on track against A&M-Corpus Christi. They need to quick, before the biggest series of the season to date next weekend, against OSU in Stillwater. Freshman right hander, Kyle Johnston, will get the start for Texas on the mound. He is the only pitcher that didn't see much action during the weekend, mainly because he can't control his high velocity fast ball. Maybe he can find command in a starting role. LHN has the broadcast and you know where the audio is by now I hope. The lineups are coming.
After the cluster in Lincoln, the Horns need to right the ship and win this game with "extreme prejudice". Besides Augie chewing some serious team *** since Sunday, this foe is an aggy directional college, so that should get the guys fired up.
A&M-CC lineup: Tyler Ware-CF Lukas Hermanson-C Kyle Danford-RF Jordan Lee-LF Justin Perales-DH Frankie Salas-1B Cody Clarke-3B Brett Burner-2B Brandon Guiford-SS Garrett Harris-P
Kyle Johnston, the freshman righty, warms up for the Horns, as he gets the start. Command is his problem and he looks to find it, in a starting role tonight. Tyler Ware, the Islander center fielder, leads off. He steps in the left handed and the game begins. He slaps a roller to second for a 4-3 first out of the game. The catcher is Lukas Hermanson, and he bats righty. Another slow roller it Marlow and the same result is two away. Kyle Danford, the right fielder, will bats also righty. A grounder up the middle is handled by Hinojosa for a 6-3 that retires the side in order. Good start for Johnston, and Texas comes to bat.
Garrett Harris, gets the start for the Islanders and he is a big right hander. Brooks Marlow will lead off, as something new is tried to jump start the offense. He grounds to short and a 6-3 first out. Hinojosa will bat from the right side with one down. A high foul pop tailing down toward the seats, on the right side, is run down by the second baseman for a nice play and two away, Johnson, now batting in the three spot, steps in righty with two down. A one hopper back to the mound is a 1-3 third out. Both teams go in order and that means no runs after one.
Johnston will come out again in the second for Texas on the hill. Jordan Lee, the left fielder bats lefty leading off. He squibs a ball to the left of the mound and Johnston has it and the 1-3 is one down. The Islander DH, is Justin Perales, batting right handed. He takes a fast ball on the outside corner for a called strike three and two gone. Frankie Salas, the first baseman, bat from the right side. He grounds to short and the 6-3 retires the side again in order. Six up and six down for Kyle and to the bottom of two, nothing across.
Garrett will take the hill for the Islanders in the Texas half of the second. In another lineup change, Shaw will bat cleanup, as he leads the inning. The lefty hitting right fielder runs the count full. A fly ball off the fists, to shallow right is caught on the run by the right fielder for one away. Cantu, up next from the right side with one gone. A liner up the middle is the first hit of the game, a single. Barrera, bats righty, with one on and one down. Cantu takes off and is out by a mile, somebody missed a sign there, I think. Another man cut down on the base paths for two outs. Barrera walks to make it even worse. Boswell will bat lefty, with one on and two down. A big curve is called strike three and that ends the inning. Texas had some traffic, but one car wreck ended a possible threat. So nothing still scored after two.
Johnston will keep pitching for the Horns in the third. Cody Clarke, plays third and leads off, from the right side. A high slider is swung through for a K and one gone. The second baseman is Brett Burner, hacking lefty, with one away. A full count is reached and he whiffs on a fast ball, for two gone Two down for Brandon Guilford, at shortstop for the Islanders. He bats righty and another full count and it's the first walk for Johnston, on an outside pitch. Ware will bats again lefty, at the top of the order, with one on and two outs. The runner goes and a pitch out is caught by Cantu, but he makes no throw as he couldn't get the ball out of his mitt. The steal puts a man on second. Ware takes a fast ball of the shin for a HBP to put two on. Wildness suddenly is back for Johnston after having good command so far. Hermanson is back up from the right side with two on and two outs. He sends a ground ball up the middle past Marlow for a rbi single. Gurwitz fires to third and nails the runner there to retire the side 8-5. The wildness hurts Johnston again and the Islanders take a 1-0 lead to the bottom of three.
Harris back out for the third. Joe Baker is the Texas DH, batting righty. He grounds out to short for one away. Gurwitz bats righty, in the nine hole with one gone. The count is full and he swings at a curve ball a foot or more outside and the 2-3 put out completes the K and two away. Such is how the Texas offense is now. Marlow brings back the top of the order and lines a ball toward the gap in left center. The center fielder cuts it off, but Brooks legs it out for a double, as the throw was late and wide of the bag. Hinojosa bats righty with a chance to drive in a run. He pops up the first pitch to short to retire the side. Texas still can't score and trails 1-0 after three.
Johnston is done and right hander Andy McGuire will come in to pitch the fourth. Right fielder, Kyle Danford leads off, from the right side. A grounder up the middle is cut off by Hinojosa and a 6-3 is the first out of the inning. Jordan Lee, bats lefty with one down and grounds to third for the second out. Parales, a righty hitter bats with two outs. He lines one up the middle for a single. Salas will step in lefty, with two away and one on. A high fast ball is cut on and missed for an inning ending K. Bottom of four and the Islanders lead 1-0.
The Islanders will bring in a new pitcher in the fourth in Tyler Schnuriger, a right hander. Johnson leads off from the right side. A humpback liner to short is flagged on the run for one down. Shaw will be next, from the lefty side with one away. He swings at a curve in the dirt and the 2-3 completes the K and two gone. Cantu, bats with two down, in the right handed box. He K's swinging on the low curve and the side goes in order. This looks like the Horns never left Nebraska and they trail 1-0 after four played.
McGuire will stay on for the fifth to pitch. Clarke leads off, batting righty. He lines a shot off McGuire's glove and he chases it down and barehands it and a throw to first is scooped for the first out, on the defensive gems on both ends. Burner bats lefty with one away. He grounds to short and Hinojosa's throw is wide and pulls Barrera off the bag for an E-6. Guilford bats in the nine hole, with one on and one out. He lines a ball to right and Shaw on the run dives and it short hops him His throw to second as the runner was headed back, as thought it might be caught gets by Hinojosa and goes into left field for another error. It puts runners on second and third. Skip out and he brings a hook. Pitching change.
Jon Malmin, the lefty freshman is the new arm. The defense is even going bad now. Ware, the lead off hitter, bats lefty with two on and one down. He bunts and the throw home by Malmin is high and the runner is safe on the FC. Islanders up now 2-0. Hermanson is up righty, with two on and one down. He bunts and Barrera fields and comes home and he is ruled out on a very close play. He looked safe to me. The out goes 3-2 for two away. Skip out and another change is made
Jake McKenzie is the new pitcher, throwing right handed. He faces righty hitting Danford, with two gone and two on. A fly ball to center and Gurwitz goes back and has it to retire the side. Halfway home and Texas in a serious funk and trail now 2-0.
Schnuriger will stay on and pitch in the fifth. Barrera leads off righty against him. The count goes full and he is rung up on a fast ball on the outside corner for one down. Boswell bats lefty with one down. He ground a weak roller to first for a 3U and two gone. Baker, the DH, bats righty, with two outs. He flairs one to center off the end of the bat, that falls in for a bloop single. Gurwitz, bats righty with one on and two away. Baker is caught leaning, and the pitcher for some reason spins on the rubber toward second. That's a balk on a play where Baker should have been put out on another base running mistake. He is in scoring position now. Gurwitz lines one and the second base goes up and snags it to end the frame, good play that saves a run. Five gone and Texas still looking for their lost offense. Islanders lead 2-0.
McKenzie pitches on in the sixth for Texas. Lee leads off for the Islanders, from the left side. He rips a drive to right and it carries and it goes out to Comal Street for a homer, his first of the season. Islanders lead 3-0. Perales bats righty now. He lines to Barrera, he goes to his knees to make the play for one gone. Salas up now lefty, with one down. A little chopper up the foul line on the right side, is fielded by McKenzie and it's a 1-3 second out. Clarke bats righty with two away. He single on the ground, up the middle, just off Hinojosa's glove. Skip out and another change.
Travis Duke will enter the game to pitch, a lefty hander. He will face he lefty hitter, Burner, with one on and two outs. A liner to left center drops for a single and it puts two on. Skip out and yet another change on the mound.
Ty Marlow is the next Horn hurler to come in. Guilford, the nine hole hitter, bats righty, with two on and two down. He takes a fast ball over for a K and it retires the side. A&M-CC adds another run and Texas can't buy one with Bevo Bucks, and trail now 3-0.
Schnuriger still going, as the Horn sixth commences. Marlow leads off at the top of the order, from the lefty side. He sends the first pitch to center on the fly for one down. Hinojosa bats righty, with one gone. He grounds to short for a 6-3 second out. Johnson will bat from the right side, with two gone. A full count and then swings through a fast ball for the K that ends the inning in order. Texas keeps hanging zeros and the Islanders lead 3-0 after six.
Ty Marlow, out again for his first full inning of work on the hill. Ware bats at the top of the order, from the left side leading off. A ground ball to short and the 6-3 is one gone. Hermanson up righty, with one away. A ground ball, this time to second and Marlow makes the play for two away. Danford is up righty and he grounds to short and that retires the side in order. They stretch in Austin and the Islanders lead 3-0.
Schnuriger will just keep pitching as he has Texas under control so far. Shaw is the lead off hitter to face him, batting lefty. He grounds to first and the 3-1 to the pitcher covering is one away. Cantu bats right handed, with one gone. He works the count full and he walks on the high pitch to reach. Barrera bats righty, with one on and one away. A wild pitch in the dirt, moves Cantu to second. A liner to left is a single to put two on, as Cantu will stop at third. Coach is out and a change is made.
The new Islander on the mound is Nolan Holland, a right hander. Boswell will become the tying run, as he bats lefty, with one out and runners on the corners. He lines a single to center to score a run finally for Texas Islanders lead 3-1. Baker will bat from the right side, with two on and one gone. A 3-0 count brings out the pitching coach, he says throw a strike and goes back. He does and then a sharp one hopper is snagged by the pitcher and the throw to second pulls the shortstop off the bag and then he tags Boswell sliding in for the out. It's a 2-6 out, but not a force, for two away. Gurwitz bats with two away and runners on the corners. Another wild pitch will plate a second run. Islanders lead 3-2. Gurwitz walks to put two on. You wonder why they leave this pitcher in. Marlow bats at the top of the order, from the lefty side with two on. A ground ball to first will end the inning on the 3U play. Texas gets on the board and trail now after seven gone 3-2.
Ty Culbreth will enter the game now to pitch the eighth for the Horns. Lee will lead off for the Islanders, batting lefty. A grounder to second is a 4-3 out one. Perales bats right handed with one out. A liner to Marlow at second is two gone. Salas will bat also righty, with two down. A fast ball on the outside corner is take for a called third strike to retire the side in order. Bottom of the eighth and the Islanders lead 3-2.
Jacob Dorris comes into pitch the eighth for the Islanders. He is the closer for the A&M-CC. Hinojosa will lead off, batting right handed. He is hitless on the night at 0-3. A ground ball to third makes him 0-4 and one away. Johnson bats righty with one gone. He hits him and that puts the tying run on. Dorris drops down and delivers with a sidewinder motion. Shaw up lefty with one on and one down. He lines to short and the throw back is not in time at first. Cantu bats with two down and one on, Johnson should go now. He does and steals the bag easily and is in scoring position. Johnson goes again, but a strike three is called and that retires the side. Eight gone and the Islanders leads 3-2.
Connor Mayes will come in to pitch the ninth, as I think the twelfth pitcher of the night for Texas. Clarke will lead off against him from the right side. He takes a called third strike for one out. Burner bats now, from the lefty side with one gone. He sends a fly ball to center to Gurwitz, for two down. Guilford bats righty, with two down, in the nine hole. He lines out to Shaw in right to retire the side in order. Texas with one last shot to avoid another bad Tuesday loss. The Islanders lead 3-2 to the bottom of nine.
The righty closer Dorris, will try for the save as the Horn ninth comes. Barrera will lead off batting righty. A shallow fly ball to center is one out. Boswell bats from the left side, with one down. The count goes full and an outside pitch puts him on as the tying run. Stell comes in to pinch run for him. Baker, the freshman DH, bats with one on and one away. Stell goes and the throw is high and he slides underneath the second baseman, to get in scoring position. An hanging curve ball is lined by the left fielder and to the fence to tie the game on a double. Game tied 3-3. Macalla will pinch hit for the slumping Gurwitz, from the left side. The winning run at second for him and one down. He K's swinging on a low curve ball for two outs. Marlow will try and win the game, batting lefty. He is walked intentionally to set up a force at any base and bring up a righty hitter. Hinojosa is that righty hitter, with two on and two gone. He sends a little bleeder down the line on the right side and the pitcher fields and the 1-3 retires the side. Texas ties it and now to extras tied 3-3.
Mayes stays in to pitch and I think the only pitcher left in the pen is Josh Sawyer. The starting rotation is available. Ware, the lefty lead off hitter, bats at the top of the order. Marlow is playing third for Texas. He grounds a single into the hole, on the right side to reach. Stell is in to play center. Hermanson bats righty with one on. He ground a single to left to put two on.
