June 16, 2014

Texas Takes Advantage, Eliminates Louisville

By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

phil@collegebaseballinsider.com @RoadToOmaha

OMAHA, Neb. - Texas played the cleaner game.

The Longhorns took advantage of four Louisville errors to score a pair of unearned runs as Texas won 4-1 in the first elimination game of the 2014 College World Series in front of 17,612 fans at TD Ameritrade Park.

Texas (44-20) will play another elimination contest on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. CT. The Cardinals finished the year with a 50-17 mark.

"Congratulate Texas," Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell said. "They pitched well. They played clean. They manufactured a run when they had a chance to."

The Longhorns put up single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Zane Gurwitz had a leadoff double in the third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Johnson to give the Longhorns a 1-0 lead.

One inning later, C.J. Hinojosa had a leadoff single, moved to second on a single by Collin Shaw, was sacrificed to third and scored on a fielder's choice by Kacy Clemens to make it a 2-0 contest.

In the fifth, Mark Payton drew a one-out walk and scored on an error to extend the lead to 3-0.

"They gave us some extra outs," Texas head coach Augie Garrido said. "They gave us some extra bases within the framework of the innings that we scored."

Louisville finally got on the board in the eighth. Sutton Whiting drew a leadoff walk and moved to second when Zach Lucas was hit by a pitch. Both runner moved up a base on a sac bunt.

That signaled the end of the day for Texas starter Parker French (7-5). He worked 7.1 innings with four hits, one run, three walks and three strikeouts.

"I think the command was there," French said. "They started swinging at a lot of early fastballs. We wanted to start mixing it up with a slider a little bit more to give them something to think about, make them uncomfortable. Because their whole game was making the pitcher and defense uncomfortable. That's how they score runs.

"You have to attack them first before they attack you. That was our plan, stay ahead of them all day."

The Longhorn defense did not commit any errors and recorded 14 assists.

"I come in confident every game," French said about his defense. "When they start making those plays it makes me more of a strike-throwing machine. I just worry about my job throwing strikes and let them do their job, which is to pick it up and throw it."

Travis Duke took over on the mound and enticed Cole Sturgeon to ground out to second, driving in Whiting to make it 3-1. A strikeout end the threat.

Texas tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Madison Carter had a leadoff single to left, moved to second on an error, was sacrificed to third and came home on a sacrifice fly by Brooks Marlow to extend the lead to 4-1.

Duke (1.2 IP, 2 K) retired the Cardinals in order in the ninth to record his first save.

"The game was controlled from our point of view by the pitching of Parker French and Travis Duke," Garrido said.

Anthony Kidston (9-1) suffered his first loss of the season, going eight innings with six hits and three runs (two earned) with one walk and five strikeouts.

"Those guys that know Anthony know what a great job he does when he's in jams and the ability to strike a guy out and get out of jams," McDonnell said. "Give them credit, because they got guys on and they moved them over and they got them in scoring position. But all in all, I thought he pitched really well."