Horns Let One Get Away Against Missouri

by Peter Bean on May 5, 2007 2:28 PM CDT in Texas Longhorns Baseball

Kyle Russell hit two more home runs but Texas dropped their series opener to Missouri, 7-6. Frankly, it was a game Texas shouldn't have lost. The 'Horns wasted a solid outing from James Russell, who pitched six innings, allowing just five hits and two runs to score. But Texas' luck ran out in the seventh, as Joseph Krebs and Randy Boone allowed four Tigers to score to take a 6-3 leead.

After getting a groundout to start the inning, Krebs allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases. Boone relieved Krebs, promptly walked in a run, then allowed three more to score on a single and a sacrifice fly.

The 'Horns would rally to tie the game at six in the bottom of the ninth, but eventually lost it in the eleventh inning when Missouri scored an unearned run off a Preston Clark throwing error.

What to make of this game? It was an unusual one. Randy Boone, who had walked six batters in 53 innings of work this season, walked in a run. Joseph Krebs, who was lights out in relief in Stillwater last weekend, melted down. The Longhorns, normally one of the most solid defensive clubs in the nation, gave up the winning run on a throwing error.

In short: it wasn't Texas' night. The best teams in baseball still lose 20 percent of their games. This one just got away from the 'Horns.

It didn't help, either, that Nick Peoples went 0-6 with five men left on base in the leadoff spot. In fact, the leadoff position has been the kiss of death for Texas' batters of late. It's just been a bit of a fluky anomaly, and it hurt Texas a lot last night.

So it goes in baseball, and the 'Horns will try to get back on the winning track this afternoon at the Disch. Adrian Alaniz will take the mound for Texas at 2:00 today.

--PB--

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just got my internet hooked up!!

So now I can get back to the important things, i.e., posting on BON.

Anyway, did anybody hear Augie's post-game comments? I've never heard him so pissed-off. I don't know if he was just frustrated by the game in general, or thought Mizzou got lucky, or the Horns made mistakes, or maybe he was worried about Randy Boone throwing 50ish pitches in the first game.

I'm feeling a lot better about it now, though, as the Horns are up 5 to nothing in the 7th. After how many pitches Boone threw, we really needed Adrian to have a great start today, which he's done so far.

by hornbone on May 5, 2007 4:11 PM CDT reply actions

Augie

Hates losing the way we lost last night. Untimely walks. Errors. Poor situational hitting. We did all the little things wrong last night, and it cost us a game we should have won. That's the kind of thing that drives Augie - one of the game's greatest emphasizers of little things - crazy.

Augie's teams are always among the most fundamentally sound in the college game, so when we lose like a team that's sloppy in the little areas, he takes it personally. One of the many reasons he's the best.

--PB--

by Peter Bean on May 5, 2007 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Horns Lose Series

Comeback falls short in the final innings, and they fall to Mizzou today.

Lead in the Big XII is now down to 2.5 games, but Texas should be able to win one of 3 from the Ags to clinch the regular season title. More importantly, however, the team has lost some crucial momentum heading into the post-season, and need to make a good impression on the NCAA seeding committe to ensure we get a Super Regional and a decent path to Omaha. We NEED to sweep the Ags.

Officially a Limey Longhorn

by patienthornsfan on May 6, 2007 6:10 PM CDT reply actions

Augie was right

when he said we need some time off to heal, after several Horns getting hurt in this series. But, like you said, we need to get back our momentum quickly after the time off so we get the top 8 national seed and all that.

by hornbone on May 6, 2007 7:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Deja vu all over again?

Last season Texas fans had to endure losing outfielders Jordan Danks and Kyle Russell and it appeared they would suffer the same fate again. After losing Danks to a bruised shoulder in Saturday's game, Russell went down in the top of the sixth on Sunday when he injured his wrist diving for a ball.
But in the ninth inning, Danks returned as a pinch runner and Texas head coach Augie Garrido said he expects the Texas left fielder to return to the full lineup.
"Unless something really goofy happens, he should be back in the lineup. It's not a serious injury," said Garrido.
The jury is still out on Russell, but with two weeks until the next scheduled series, the Longhorns have time to mend.
"It's not broken," said Garrido. "This is the best time for an injury because we've got so much time off."

Not exactly the best way to wrap up the regular season... Now that gaping hole in the schedule looks like a blessing in disguise.

Scout article

The Aggies are at KSU next weekend, and OU is at Mizzou. Since there is no way I can ever root for the Land Thieves, even when any win by them will help us get our magic number, I will instead root for Kansas State to take one or two from the Aggies, who seem to be finding their footing at the end of the season. The Sooners, on the other hand, just got swept by OSU.

Officially a Limey Longhorn

by patienthornsfan on May 7, 2007 4:01 AM CDT up reply actions