University of Missouri
Texas
No. 4 Texas Edges Mizzou, 6-4
3/4/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 4, 2000
COLUMBIA, MO, March ___ A sprawling catch by right fielder Matt Rosenberg and the pitching of the Big 12 Conference's top closer, Charlie Thames, enabled the No. 4 Texas Longhorns (15-3, 4-0) to beat the Missouri Tigers (8-6, 2-2) Saturday afternoon at Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field.
Thames entered the game in the eighth inning in relief of starter Beau Hale after MU's Ryan Stegall led off the inning with a double to right centerfield. After Thames struck out both Landon Brandes and Nick Wilfong on called third strikes, Jon Williams singled in Stegall to bring the Tigers to within two runs.
In the bottom of the ninth, Tigers designated hitter Mick Weiss led off with a single. After their were two outs, Thames fanned J.R. Warner on a pitch in the dirt. The ball bounced under catcher Sam Anderson and back to the screen, allowing Warner to reach base. A balk moved the runners to second and third and brought Stegall to the plate. He hit a long fly ball down the right field line in the direction of the Texas bullpen. Rosenberg raced into foul territory and sprawled across the rolled-up tarp making the game-ending catch just before the ball hit the tube.
Hale (3-1) earned the victory, allowing all four Missouri runs. He recorded eight strikeouts and walked four. Thames, who boasts a 0.00 earned run average, earned his seventh save, striking out four in his two innings of work.
Texas scored all of its runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, erasing a 2-0 Missouri lead. The Longhorns scored twice in the third on one hit, a walk and a hit batsmen. Ben Emond drove in both runs with a single down the left field line. In the fourth, Texas scored three runs on four hits, and the Longhorns got their final run on a leadoff home run by Jeff Ontiveros in the fifth inning.
Freshman outfielder Jayce Tingler led the Tigers with a 2-for-5 performance that raised his team-leading batting average to .455. Junior Jon Harris started on the mound for MU and pitched five innings. He allowed 10 hits and five runs and saw his record drop to 1-1.
The two teams will play again tonight at 7 p.m., and wrap up the Big 12 Conference series at 1 p.m. Sunday.
