March 4, 2011
AUSTIN, Texas-- Taylor Jungmann (3-0) out dueled Mark Appel (0-2) as No. 6-ranked Texas (6-3) held on to win the series opener over visiting No. 9-ranked Stanford (5-4) 4-3 in a brisk two hours and four minutes.
Jungmann, slated to be a top pick in the June draft, retired the first 14 in a row and then 10 in a row until a leadoff single by Eric Smith in the ninth. Stanford rallied with two runs in the ninth, before Corey Knebel picked up the save, stranding two runners on with a come backer against his only batter.
Jungmann struck out nine in the process, giving up three runs on six hits.
Kenny Diekroeger's two-run single brought the Cardinal to within 4-3 following back-to-back hits to start the ninth. Following a fielder's choice, Stephen Piscotty followed with a two-out single to put two runners on with two outs and forcing Jungmann from the game.
A two-run, two-out double by Jordan Etier gave Texas a 2-1 lead in the fifth, after Stanford became the first opponent to score off of Jungmann in three starts, leading 1-0 off a Lonnie Kauppila single in the top of the inning.
Texas added two runs in the eighth, in what a was a 2-1 game until Texas' final at-bat. Appel, who dropped a 3-2 decision last week, went 7.1 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. He struck out two and walked two, using just 94 pitches.
Brian Ragira broke up the perfect game in the fifth with a two-out triple to the right-centerfield alley and scored on Kauppila's looping single to center. It was the first run off Jungmann after 22.2 innings.
Piscotty cut off a potential run in the bottom of the third, stranding Tant Shepard at third with one out, as the Cardinal third baseman, playing in, dove and threw out Etier, keeping Shepard at third. Appel then struck out Paul Montalbano to keep it scoreless early. Appel stranded four Longhorns at third.
NOTES: Satuday's game is at noon PT and Sunday's finale is at 11 am PT... Stanford returns home after finals to host Michigan on March 18-19... Texas third baseman Erich Weiss robbed Tyler Gaffney of a base hit with a one-hop pickup in the fourth... the first six innings last just an hour and 13 minutes.