April 22, 2012

No. 23 Longhorns Rally Past Kansas, 7-2

April 22, 2012

Texas 7, Kansas 2
UFCU Disch-Falk Field//Austin, Texas

Redshirt junior Thomas Taylor did not allow a base hit until the fourth inning Sunday in a 7-2 loss at No. 23 Texas.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R
KU	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
UT	0	0	0	0	4	2	1	0	x	7

Box Score (.pdf)

Leaders – Batting
Kansas	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
T. Tharp	4	1	2	0	0	0
D. Smith	2	0	1	0	1	0
Texas	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
E. Weiss	3	0	1	2	1	0
E. Jagielo	4	2	2	1	0	0

Pitching
Kansas	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
T. Taylor (L)	4.2	3	4	4	5	2
T. Poppe	2.1	3	3	1	1	1
R. Kahana	1.0	0	0	0	1	0
Texas	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
D. Peters	1.1	2	2	2	3	1
J. Curtiss	3.1	1	0	0	0	0
H. Milner	2.1	1	0	0	0	4
C. Knebel	2.1	0	0	0	0	2

AUSTIN, Texas – Kansas pitchers held Texas to six hits Sunday, however four of them produced runs as the 23^rd-ranked Longhorns overcame an early deficit in a 7-2 win over the Jayhawks in the rubber game of the teams’ three-game Big 12 series at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Kansas falls to 16-25 on the year and 4-11 in Big 12 play, while the Longhorns improve to 23-14 overall and 11-4 in the conference. The Jayhawks drop the final two games of the series, but remain in seventh-place in the Big 12 standings because Kansas State (3-12) and Texas Tech (3-12) were both swept in their weekend series. The top eight teams in the league qualify for the conference tournament.

On Sunday, the Jayhawks led 2-0 after the first inning, while starting pitcher Thomas Taylor did not allow a base hit over the first four frames. However, after knocking UT starting pitcher Dillon Peters from the game after just 1 1/3 innings, the Jayhawk offense was stymied by the Texas bullpen. The Longhorn relievers allowed no runs on two hits over the final 7 2/3 innings of the game, allowing Texas to rally.

The Jayhawks plated two in the top of the first as Tucker Tharp led off with a single and came around to score on a walk, sacrifice and a wild pitch. Chris Manship scored KU’s second run when UT starting pitcher Dillon Peters balked with the senior on third following the wild pitch.

KU’s starting pitcher Taylor only allowed three hits in the game, but all three of them came as part of Texas’ four-run fifth inning. The redshirt-junior went 4 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on three hits with four walks and a pair of strikeouts.

After Taylor walked two and allowed his first hit to load the bases with one out in the fifth, Taylor Stell and Erich Weiss delivered RBI hits on back-to-back pitches, staking the home team to a 3-2 lead. UT left fielder Jonathan Walsh then capped the rally with a deep fly to right, marking the first multi-run inning for the Longhorns on the weekend.

That was all the offense the Longhorn bullpen would need. Left-handed pitcher Hoby Milner notched his fifth victory of the season, working 2 1/3 innings and allowing just one hit with four strikeouts.

Tharp led the Kansas offense, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Redshirt junior Jake Marasco and freshman Dakota Smith collected KU’s other two hits.

The Jayhawks will host Sunflower Showdown rival Kansas State in a non-conference game Wednesday night at Hoglund Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.