Kansas Can't Hold Off No. 7 Texas in 7-4 Loss
May 5, 2006
AUSTIN, Texas –
The 7th-ranked Texas Longhorns scored three seventh inning runs to break a 3-3 tie and went on to defeat Kansas, 7-4, Friday night at Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas. The loss drops KU to 33-19 overall and 10-12 in the Big 12. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Senior Gus Milner gave KU a 2-0 lead with a two-run single in the first inning. Ritchie Price got the inning going with a one-out single to left field. Matt Baty then laid down a sacrifice bunt, Texas first baseman Chance Wheeless couldn’t hang onto the catcher’s throw to first base allowing Baty to advance to second on the error as Price reached third base. Both runners scored on Milner’s single.
Kansas punched across another run in the second inning. Freshman Preston Land singled after Erik Morrison was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. A sacrifice bunt by Dylan Parzyk moved the runners to second and third. Sophomore Brock Simpson drove home Morrison with an RBI groundout to give the Jayhawks a 3-0 lead.
Simpson singled to lead off the fifth inning. On a hit-and-run call, Baty lined the ball off UT’s starting pitcher Kyle McCulloch’s leg. The ball trickled down the first base line allowing Baty to reach first and Simpson to advance to third base. McCulloch was forced to leave the game and was replaced by freshman lefty Kyle Walker. Walker coaxed Milner into a 6-4-3 ground ball double play to end KU’s rally.
Ricky Fairchild held Texas to one hit until the fifth inning. Fairchild issued a four-pitch free pass to Kyle Russell to lead off the fifth. Preston Clark then recorded his second hit of the game with a bloop single to right field. After Chais Fuller moved the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt UT’s lead off hitter Nick Peoples singled up the middle to plate the Longhorns first two runs of the game. A double by Chance Wheeless plated Peoples, tying the game, 3-3.
After UT’s lead off man singled and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt to start the sixth inning, Fairchild was replaced by junior Brendan McNamara. The righty recorded the final two outs of the inning to keep the game tied.
A walk and three singles scored three Texas runs in the seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie. Drew Stubbs broke the tie with an RBI single and Carson Kainer recorded a two-run single through a drawn in infield to put UT up 6-3.
An RBI double down the leftfield line by senior Jared Schweitzer cut the lead to 6-4 in the eighth inning. Baty scored on Schweitzer’s two-base hit after leading off the inning with a double of his own.
Kyle Russell tacked a run on in the eighth inning with a solo home run. The homer was Russell’s 10th of the season.
Fairchild received a no-decision in 5.1 innings of work. The Dallas, Texas, native allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking out one. McNamara (2-2) took the loss after being charged with all three runs Texas scored in the seventh inning.
KU and UT will play the second game of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. Freshman LHP Nick Czyz (3-1, 4.17 ERA) will take the hill for his first Big 12 start against Texas sophomore RHP Adrian Alaniz (5-2, 4.36).
Game Notes: The game marked the 14th time KU has played a Top 10 team this year, (5-8) … Ricky Fairchild made his second Friday start of the year (Feb. 4 at Hawaii-Hilo) and first Friday Big 12 start … Junior Dylan Parzyk made his first start at catcher since April 16 at Oklahoma State … Sophomore Erik Morrison went hitless, ending his eight game hitting streak.
