Spicer will try to close the game out for Baylor, in the ninth. Hinojosa leads off, for Texas, batting right handed. A long drive to left center and the center fielder leaps and when he comes down, he doesn't have the ball. The second homer of the game for C.J. ties the game. Game tied 5-5. Coach out and Spicer stays in. Barrera bats righty. Another long blast to left and this is a no doubter, way out of there. Texas leads 6-5. Back to back homers for the second time in the game. Coach out and a change that was one batter too late.
Troy Montemayor, a right hander is in now to pitch, for the Bears. Cantu is his first hitter, batting righty. A ground ball to third is booted and another Baylor error, E-5. Marlow bats lefty, with one on. He K's swinging, for one out. McKenzie bats righty, with one on and one down. He bunts and is out 1-3, as the runner goes to second, no sac. Boswell bats lefty, with one on and two gone. He walks to put two on. Travis Jones, who came in to play left field, bats righty, with two on and two down. A hot shot to short and it goes off him and it's another Baylor error, E-6. Baker bats righty, at the top of the order, with the bases loaded. He could break this ugly game wide open, with a hit. A fly ball to center, won't get it done, it retires the side. Texas with back to back homers for the second time, gains the lead 6-5, bottom of the ninth.
Bellow will now try to close out the game for Texas in the ninth. Toth leads off batting lefty, for Baylor. A shot by Barrera goes down the right field line, for a lead double. Somehow you knew this was not going to be easy. Wendal bats righty, with the tying run at second. A one hopper back to Bellow, he holds the runner and makes the 1-3 first out. Esthay bats lefty, with one on and one out. He's had three hits today, one a homer. He chases the overhand curve in the dirt and the K is two down. Aaron Dotson, in his first at bat, after entering the game late, is Baylor's last hope, with the tying run at second. He bats righty and he K's swinging on another breaker in the dirt, the tag is made by Cantu, and Texas wins a very ugly game. Texas wins somehow 6-5, back in a bit.
Baylor is not a good baseball team and Texas is a little better. A strange game from the nature of it, with Texas treating it like a midweek game, pitching wise. Saving arms, for all important Big 12 Tournament. Five fielding errors, base running mistakes, and one inexcusable mental rock, yet Texas won the game. Baylor had three errors of their own, base running blunders, and their pitching is not very good. It was just an ugly game to watch and I don't think they will be replaying this on LHN, in the future. Four solo homers was the difference in the end, after the Horns started leaving runners stranded left and right. It overcame the five Texas errors, the low moment of the game coming when Baylor scored 3 runs to take a 4-3 lead on some real sloppy Texas defense. The punctuation point being the double error, on a failed hit and run play by Baylor. The runner is dead out and Marlow just doesn't catch the Cantu throw, then Gurwitz just ambles over to the ball and finally picks it up and throws late to third, as the runner watching Gurwitz, just kept running. Gurwitz got removed from the game, for that and rightfully so. The Baylor lefty Kuntz, had Texas shut down. He was removed and the bats came back to life and finally won the game in the ninth, against the Baylor closer. This could be the last regular season game of the season, as bad weather is a real threat, to prevent any further play tomorrow. If not, we will see you next week, for Tournament play. A doubleheader is scheduled for tomorrow at 1 pm and 5 pm. If those games are played, it could really be strange and ugly baseball, with who knows pitching. I might have to throw a couple of innings. Texas is now in the Big 12 Tournament, needing to win it for advancement to a regional. They will have to play much better and smarter, to come even close to that goal.
Hey NB, my recording ran out after UT going up 6-5, and I literally didn't know the outcome until I read your commentary. Thanks for taking the time to do this! Hook 'em
Beginning of year: good pitching and defense, no offense. End of year: decent offense, but pitching and defense is pedestrian.
Great comeback by the team. But as I said previously, win or lose, time for Augie to retire. Hopefully, the team will make me look foolish.
After today's games Texas can finish anywhere from #5-#7 in the conference. If the doubleheader is rained out Texas can finish either #5 or #6. A Kansas State win tomorrow would give KSU the #5 seed by percentage points over Texas. If the games are played, a split or better locks Texas into the #5 seed. A Baylor sweep gives KSU the #5 seed. Baylor would be the #6 seed and Texas #7. A #5 seed is not that good really, you are in the #1, #4,#5, and #8 division. This puts you in the division with #1 TCU, who is without doubt, the best team in the Big 12. You would probably have to beat them twice, to win the division. Also as the #5 seed, you open the Tournament against #4 seed, Texas Tech, at 9 am., on Wednesday morning. I would rather be the #6 seed and play #3 OU at 4 pm. This only happens if Texas doesn't play tomorrow and KSU wins again at Kansas. If Texas fell to #7, they open against #2 OSU at 7:30 pm. I would still rather be in OSU's division, they can be beaten and haven't played that well down the stretch, allowing TCU to come back and easily win the Big 12. OSU went to Fort Worth and in the first conference series and won it 2-1. TCU closed out conference play, by winning 11 Big 12 games in a row. The Frogs have all but assured themselves, a top 8 national seed. Maybe TCU won't take the Tournament all that seriously. Still they would like some momentum going into a regional, you would think.
Well Augie and the team did indeed make me look foolish - not that they care! But I need to own up to my tantrum. After OSU went up 2 - 1 today, it would have been over for most underdog teams. Augie's team did not give up.
