Friday is Ty’s day.
Behind seven strong innings of right-handed ace Ty Madden, who is quickly becoming the target of this season for fans of burnt orange and white, 19th Texas Longhorns eliminated 12th place in South Carolina Gamecocks for an important off-conference victory at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, thanks to an eighth entry from three races that provided the final margin of 4-1.
Madden left the game after the seventh entry, after allowing three strokes and a run with five eliminations and three strides. So while Madden failed to match the quality of his full game in Houston last week, against one of the best hitting teams in the country – South Carolina came into play with 0.311 strikes – it was another excellent exit from the Texas ace. .
The biggest traffic jam that Madden had to overcome came in the second entry. After entering the game with only six passes allowed throughout the season, Madden gave free passes to three of the first four hitters in the second round, often leaving his ball fast in the zone due to some mechanical difficulties. South Carolina scored its first and only race on a sacrificial fly to the right field, finishing 17 goalless entries thrown by the Texas ace, but Madden limited the damage with Cam Williams choosing a fielder in third.
In the sixth, Madden had the help of shortstop Trey Faltine, who advanced deep into the hole for the first exit, then hit a ball to the ground behind the second base and made the move in a move for the second exit.
Madden had trouble getting out of inning by allowing consecutive singles before inducing a pop fly into dirty territory controlled by Zubia, but Faltine’s glove ensured that South Carolina never threatened more seriously in the inning.
On the plate, the big blow came from first baseman Zach Zubia in the eighth critical inning.
The speed of left field player Eric Kennedy played big with a triple advantage on the right field line. After central defender Mike Antico walked over and conquered second base without a throw, Zubia landed a 2-0 quickball and hit right into the first base bag for a two-run double-run with no eliminations in the inning, while the Texas won 3-1 to lead.
Faltine then moved the two runners to the scoring position with a sacrificial pitch and DJ Petrinsky pinch to hitter Dalton Porter when South Carolina went to a left-handed pitcher outside the bullpen. Facing a 2-2 count, Petrinsky remained with a low ball and drove in another race with a single line drive to the center.
Right-handed Aaron Nixon replaced Madden in the eighth inning and continued to perform well. Against a high level opponent in a charged environment, Nixon didn’t just seem ready to face the moment, he seemed able to command him with a good fast ball, a sharp breaking ball and a confident and obstinate attitude on the mound.
Entering his second shift, Nixon had some help from his hurried catcher. Zubia was unable to make a choice at first, as second baseman Mitchell Daly was trying to finish a difficult play in the hole, but Silas Ardoin was there to support Zubia, expelling Wes Clarke when the South Carolina player made the first round in the play.
It was the only hit that Nixon allowed in two innings that included three eliminations and no walk. Nixon now allowed only a single run in four strokes on 6.1 job entries to start his career in Texas, while he quickly emerges as one of the team’s best pitchers outside the bullpen.
After the disappointing start to the season with three defeats against SEC opponents in Arlington, Friday’s game seemed to have acquired additional importance. It was no surprise that Madden was up to the task, but Nixon’s clutch and excellent performance should boost this team’s confidence in advancing this series and then at the conference next weekend.
Texas returns to Disch on Saturday for a first throw in the center at 2:30 pm on the Longhorn Network with right-handed Tristan Stevens (0-1, 4.96) taking the mound for the Horns against right-handed Brannon Jordan (1-0, 3.46)