Okay, I’m now caught up to the game on my DVR. A promising top of the first was killed by a GIDP, Ruffin was pretty sharp in the bottom of the first that was killed by a strike ‘em out throw ‘em out DP. The top of the second saw Leake refuse to give in and use Keyes’ impatience against him, not throwing a single ball in the zone. Loy reached on an E1, at least that’s what I would have called it and I’ll have to check on the scoring or one of you can correct me. Rupp showed some patience and drew a walk, then Clark looked overmatched on a swinging K. With two outs and two on Connor Rowe ripped the first pitch foul then did it again with two strikes before biting on a slider in the dirt.

So through the top of the 2nd it’s 0-0. Leake has shown some vulnerability but we haven’t been able to punch through. Could be good news or bad news depending on how you want to take it.

Ruffin starts Calhoun out with a strike. A slider is fouled off and it’s 0-2. Ball one is taken and an offspeed pitch misses outside to even the count. And the Sun Devils take a 1-0 lead on an opposite field homer. Ruffin comes back to strike out Ruettiger for the first out. On the first pitch to Newman Ruffin has to duck a rifle shot up the middle for a one-out single. First pitch ball to the next batter before Ruffin throws over to first. The next pitch is flared to center and falls in; Rowe bobbles it and Newman takes third easily. Runners on the corners with one out. First pitch is flared foul down the left field line. Ruffin tries the almost-never-works-fake-to-third-and-look-at-first play and the result is predictable. Strike two is fouled down the right field line on the ground and Ruffin is ahead 0-2. Rupp stone cold drops a pitchout on the next pitch and ASU’s second run scores. Torrez comes home on a hard single to right field and all of a sudden it’s 3-0. A first pitch strike to MacPhee gets Ruffin ahead in the count and a second pitch heater is flied to right for out number two. A breaking ball gets Ruffin ahead of Maggi as the order turns over. Ball one is taken and Ruffin throws over to first. Ruffin hangs a slider and a base hit to center sets the Sun Devils up on the corners again. An inside corner slider gets Ruffin ahead of Kipnis. An inside fastball is flied to center and we are out of the inning. 3 runs on 4 hits, no errors (but two big misplays) and one runner left.

We couldn’t afford to give away runs and the second one is a giveaway after Rowe’s misplay in center and Rupp’s passed ball. Who knows how the rest would have turned out but we are now in a very big hole considering the opposition. Unusual to say in the second inning but with their pitcher and our offense it’s the truth.

Leake starts out Torres with a changeup outside for ball one. Torres hits another right past first base but this time they are positioned right on the line and it’s a first base unassisted putout for the first out. Tucker lays off a slider for ball one. A fastball is called strike one (a couple of inches outside but this ump has been consistent so far). A breaking ball in the dirt makes it 2-1. An inner half fastball is fisted into left field for a one out single by Tucker. Ball one on a fastball low; the ump appears to be slightly liberal off the edge but very tight at the knees. Ball two in a similar location on a slower pitch. Belt swings through a fastball above the belt and then flies out to centerfield on an inner-half pitch. Moldenhauer swings and misses at a low changeup for strike one. He takes the next one to even the count at a ball and a strike. Leake throws the same pitch a third time in a row and it’s another swing and miss. Ball two is low and away. The first 2-2 pitch is fouled off. An inside slider is waved at for strike three and the inning is over. No runs, one hit, one runner left on.

The hardest hit ball we have so far is from the first batter of the game. We are being dominated at the plate through three innings. Ruffin hasn’t been that bad but his defense let him down and ASU is at least putting the bat on the ball more often. I’m almost ready to say that we can’t let them score any more runs or it’s over. Leake has a boatload of complete games so even planning to get to the bullpen isn’t really a winning strategy.

Ramírez fouls back a fastball to make it 1-1. What looked like a nice two-seamer is tipped into Rupp’s mitt for strike two. Ball two is a curveball that stays up. Well shit. A belt-high fastball is blasted deep into the left field seats. It’s not looking good. Slider for strike one to Calhoun. High tight fastball is ball one. Low and inside for ball two. Ball three is up on a slider and Ruffin is behind to Calhoun. Ball four on a high fastball. Ruffin isn’t sharp at all and we are quickly losing the game. Dicharry is up in the bullpen and Johnson visits the mound. ASU shows bunt but ball one is taken low and inside. Rupp heads to the mound and we’re clearly buying time for Dicharry to be ready. Hard ground ball could have been a double play and Tucker lets it go right through his legs. Our pitcher isn’t sharp, our defense is putrid, and our hitting is overmatched. This game is as close to over as a game can be in the third inning. Runners on the corners with nobody out and Dicharry is coming into the game. Now Dicharry isn’t close to the zone on his first two pitches and is quickly behind 2-0. Now down 3-0 after he’s low and inside with a fastball. Ball four also isn’t close and the bases are loaded with nobody out. This game is getting very, very ugly. Ball one isn’t close. Dicharry hasn’t been within 4 inches of the strike zone on a pitch yet. Changeup over the heart and it’s 1-1. Another is missed and it’s 1-2. Another change is tapped backward and it’s still 1-2. A curve misses by a mile and the count is even at 2-2. Another change and he gets the strikeout for the first out of the inning. First pitch changeup is hammered foul by McDonald and it’s 0-1. Curve in the dirt is taken for ball one. Changeup is tapped foul for strike two. Curveball is skied to right. Keyes catches it in foul ground and the 5th run scores. The runner on second moves up to third and there are runners on the corners with two outs. Ball one and I don’t know who’s hitting anymore because they’ve hit around too many times already. Looks like MacPhee, which ESPN now shows me it is. Strike one on a pitch on the corner at the knees. Wow. The runner takes off and we throw it but nobody is covering. The game has moved from ugly to a joke. 6-0 ASU with a runner on third and two outs. The count moves to 3-1 on an outside curveball. Ball four on another missed curveball. Ball one outside on a fastball to Maggi. Fastball down the pipe for strike one. Ball three as I apparently missed ball two while laughing through my tears at our performance. Strike two on a somewhat generous call. Ball four a foot outside. Not sure how much more of this I can take as the bases are loaded again. Kipnis takes a ball that is caught in Council Bluffs for ball one. Foul down the first base line evens the count at 1-1. A curve crosses somewhere around the neck for ball two. Kipnis is nice enough to aim his rocket shot right at Tucker, who somewhat surprisingly makes the catch for the third out. Three runs on some hits or some shit.

No other way to put it other than this is an embarrassing performance. It’s one thing to be losing to a team that is better than you are. This is something else altogether. Time to start throwing our scrubs to save our guys for the loser’s bracket. Or maybe pitches don’t fatigue Leake but time does. I mean, hell, with how ugly we’re playing we’re on pace for a 4-1/2 hour game. We can hope.

So Leake starts out Keyes with a fastball on the black. Keyes takes a slider away and it’s 1-1. A slider in the zone is tapped foul and Keyes is behind. Another slider in the zone is hit up the middle for a leadoff single. Slider out for ball one followed by a fastball on the black and it’s 1-1 to Loy. Loy is plunked by a slider that gets away and there are two on and nobody out. At this point I’m expecting a triple play as Loy and Rupp trip and fall on the basepaths. Way outside for ball one and Leake isn’t looking sharp. But can we take advantage? Another slider misses badly and it’s 2-0. Rupp has to be patient here and force a pitch in the heart of the plate. A fastball is hammered to right, and it’s gone. A three-run bomb by Rupp. I’m not sure, but I think he may have bunted that one over the wall in right. With one swing we score as many runs as Leake has given up in a game all year. On replay it’s a good thing their right fielder doesn’t have a good vertical, but over the wall is over the wall. A curve misses way up and it’s possible Leake is rattled. Fastball at the belt on the inside black is taken for strike one. Good take there. Leake misses low and in and it’s 2-1 to Clark. Clark rips the ball foul down the line but it’s strike two. Now he grounds one hard up the middle. Leake is not at his best. We need to keep up the pressure. Maybe a bunt, Augie? Hahaha. Tough pitch for strike one to Rowe. Ball one on an offspeed pitch low and away. Rowe swings over the top of a fastball and it’s 1-2 now. Rowe pokes a tough pitch to right for a single and that’s the kind of thing that can get in a pitcher’s head. Finally makes a good pitch and we poke a Texas Leaguer to right. Ball one outside to Torres. Ball two on a changeup called low. Looked pretty decent from the behind-the-plate angle. Changeup called strike one a little off the outside corner, but certainly where strikes have been called all night. 2-1 pitch is an inside fastball taken after a bunt show by Torres. Fastball fills the count on the outside black. Torres chops the 3-2 pitch to second but there’s not shot at a double play. Runners on the corners with one out for Tucker. Tucker bunts on a safety squeeze and they throw it away at first. Runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out and it’s now 6-4. I love squeeze plays. The only bunt I will ever like. Belt singles to right and it’s tied up! Fucking awesome. Fucking awesome. Fucking awesome. The Sun Devils are rattled like you wouldn’t believe and they are now yanking Leake. They’ve got two really good relievers in Franzblau and Lambson but I didn’t see who’s coming in. It’s Swagerty. He’s a Texan with a nice K/BB ratio but a 4.55 ERA. Ball one to Moldenhauer. Ball two low and in. A foul into the left field stands is strike two. A little fister to third base is the second out. Now Keyes is up with Belt still on first base. Ball one low and outside on a fastball after a throw over. Ooh. Keyes fouls off a fastball down the pipe on a mean swing. He had his pitch there and he knows it. Strike two on a check swing foul. Strike three on a well-placed fastball and the inning is over. Six runs on some hits and a homer and shit and one runner left on.

As I said before, this game is as far from over as a game can be. It’s now a battle of bullpens as the aces are finished. I know games never play out the same way, but damn if we could have just played decent defense so far.

Dicharry back out there and in a whole new situation. Strike one inside edge on a changeup followed by strike two on the inside corner in the same spot. Strike three on a curveball taken by Ramírez. Ball one outside to Calhoun followed by another outside changeup. The 2-0 pitch is called a strike at the belt on the outside corner. A changeup is fouled away to the left and the count is even at 2-2. Calhoun lines one to the right field corner for a double that landed fair by a foot. Good pitch by Dicharry on a changeup way down, just a good hit. Ball one just off the inside corner to Ruettiger. Changeup is taken down and it’s 2-0 with a runner on second and one out. Ball three inside on a fastball and Dicharry is way behind. Strike one taken on the outside half to make it 3-1. Ball four is high and there are two runners on. That is Dicharry’s fourth walk in 1.1 innings of work. Big moment in the game. Ball one low and away to Newman. Action in the Texas bullpen but I can’t tell who it is and now Skip Johnson is visiting Dicharry. They now show that it’s Jungmann and he’s coming into the game. Some guy is holding his son who turns 4 today and flashing the shocker on national television. I hope mom was recording that (yes, I know that’s ASU’s hand sign). Jungmann takes over with a 1-0 count and induces a flyout to left on his first pitch. Two down now with the runners on first and second. Strike one on the outside corner to get ahead. Slider gets away from Rupp and now the runners are on second and third. Rupp didn’t look like he moved his body enough on that. Bad night for the catcher so far behind the plate. Strike two on a fastball. I hope Rupp isn’t planning on paying back that three-run homer. 94mph fastball is chopped foul on a late swing and it’s still 1-2. Another fastball and he’s even later on this one. Ball is lined into the first base dugout area at some young ladies. Jungmann tries another one a little higher and Torrez lays off. Now 2-2. Foul tip on a breaking ball is caught for the third out on the K. No runs on one hit, two runners left on.

Very important to get out of that inning without giving up a run. Jungmann’s stuff looks good right now, let’s hope he can keep it up. Need to get some runners on here.

Loy hits the first pitch, a curveball, up the middle for a leadoff single. Rupp is up now and a throw over to check on Loy. ASU suspects that the bunt is back in play as the game is now tied. Another throw over and Loy is back standing up. Rupp takes a fastball in the dirt and never showed bunt. Another throw over. Rupp fouls off a piped fastball and it’s 1-1. High curveball taken for ball two. Another throw over. Fastball low and away for ball three. Ball four is low (barely) and we have two on with nobody out. Statistically the best situation to bunt now with runners on first and second and nobody out. We’ll see what happens. Now the Sun Devils are making a change and Lambson is coming in. Clark takes a slow curve up and away for ball one. A slow curve is a swinging strike one. Time for Clark to adjust his timing mechanism. Bunted foul and it’s 1-2. I only like a squeeze play. I simply hate the bunt in this situation less than other sacrifices. 81mph heater is taken up and away to even the count. Inside fastball is fouled back and it’s still 2-2. Curveball in the dirt and Clark lays off after starting. Full count now. Send the runners? Dangerous but forceful. They don’t move and Clark fouls it back again. Foul tip caught for strike three on an 82mph fastball a little above the belt. One out now for Rowe. Rowe swings and misses at a curveball for strike one. Skies the next one to center. Loy tags but doesn’t advance and now there are two outs for Torres. Fastball is hit to center and caught just before the track. Well-hit but to the wrong part of the park. No runs on one hit, two runners left on.

That one hurts a little bit as we were in a good position to score but couldn’t get it done. Both teams have some good hitters coming up in their next at-bat so another crucial couple of half-innings coming up. ASU is well-positioned with Lambson against Belt and Moldenhauer, so we need Jungmann to have a smooth inning. By the way, this will be Leake’s first non-decision of the year.

Swinging strike one on an outer half fastball to McDonald. A two seamer is taken low for ball one on the inside corner. Fastball grounded to Loy and there’s one away in the bottom of the 5th. Curveball misses low and away for ball one to MacPhee. Ball two low and away on a fastball and Jungmann falls behind. A belt-high fastball is a fly out to centerfield and there are two down. Inside corner fastball is strike one to Maggi. Outer half fastball is strike two and Jungmann is quickly ahead. Another fastball at the belt on the outer half and Maggi didn’t even need his bat for that K. No runs on no hits, nobody left on.

Just what the doctor ordered in that frame. Hopefully we can at least put a runner on base in our half to maintain the pressure on ASU.

Tucker leads off and shoots a curveball foul to the right for strike one. Outside curve taken for ball one. Another and it’s 2-1. Fastball at the knees and the count is even at 2-2. Tucker with his third hit of the game (the bunt was ruled a hit I guess with the error allowing the runners to advance), a grounder up the middle on a fastball from Lambson. Lambson balks the runner back to first. No worries, not complaining, pretty much every lefty does it. Belt squares but pops the bunt attempt back. Obviously the bunt is in play with a tough lefty on the mound. Belt with a nice bunt and is thrown out by a half-step with Tucker moving to second. Tant Shepherd is pinch-hitting for Moldenhauer in the cleanup/DH spot now. A curveball is taken for strike one in a tough location to hit. Lambson does the step-over for the second time. Curve misses low and away for ball one. A third step-over with nobody covering second. Shepherd lays off a low curveball that started in the zone for ball two. Good take. Something that resembled a screwball from behind the plate is ball three. Ball four low on a curve and there are two on with one out for Keyes. Lambson sneaks a fastball in there on the inner half for strike one. Dangerous pitch for him but Keyes was probably looking offspeed. Second pitch is a curve and it’s popped up to first. Two down now for Loy. Ball one is a breaking ball low. Ball two is the same. Fastball on the inside half at the knees is strike one. Another breaking ball in the dirt and Loy is ahead 3-1. Fastball fouled back and the count is full so the runners will be moving and a single would take the lead. Loy spins it off the end of the bat and Lambson throws him out to end the inning. No runs, one hit, two runners left.

Well, we got the runners on but now we need to deliver. Jungmann looked very good last inning; we need a few more innings like that.

Ball one low and away followed by a fastball on the outer half for strike one. Ball two is followed by strike two to Kipnis. He fights off an inside fastball to stay alive. A curve is fouled back and it will stay 2-2. Fastball is skied to right-center and Rowe makes the catch for the first out. Ball one just outside to Ramírez. Hanging curveball is fouled back and it’s 1-1. Strike two on the outside corner with a fastball and Jungmann is ahead. Fastball away evens it back up. Ramírez checks his swing on a curve in the dirt and the appeal is denied. Full count pitch is a fastball that gets past him for out number two. Ball one down and out to Calhoun. Fastball up makes it 2-0. Fastball lined to left for an opposite-field two out single. “Not Rudy” up now and takes ball one up and in. Fastball way up is ball two and Jungmann is showing his first signs of struggling. Ball three barely low and now it’s 3-0. Ball four and it’s a four pitch walk to move the lead-taking run into scoring position. First pitch fastball is skied to left and the inning is over. Jungmann’s good movement helped him out on that one. No runs, one hit, two runners left on.

Jungmann started to scuffle just a bit in that frame after he got two outs. The last thing we need now is a 6-pitch inning. Hopefully a little patience from the bottom of the order, possibly taking a strike if necessary. It’s now a three inning ballgame.

Lambson out for the Sun Devils to face Rupp. Curveball is hammered to right and gone again for Rupp! We take our first lead of the game. Rupp is on fire with his bunting stick. Two big shots the other way tonight for 4 RBI. Fantastic job there waiting on an outside 67mph breaking pitch. Clark takes an outside curve for ball one. Swings over the top of another curve and it’s 1-1. Swings over another to fall behind 1-2. Clark rips a fastball to center for a line drive single and we have a runner on first and nobody out with a one-run lead. 99% probable bunt attempt with #9 hitter Rowe at the plate. Clark is picked off. Goodness. You know he’s not running there. Just terrible. Hershiser defends the stereotypical balk move by the lefty but the blame is all on Clark there. Now Rowe falls behind 0-2. Swings and misses at a curve and all of a sudden there are two outs with nobody on. Torres shows bunt and takes ball one. Fastball on the low outside corner for strike one. Ball two just a little further outside and lower. Another fastball on the black is strike two. Curveball in the dirt is missed and the out is made at first. One run, two hits, nobody left on base.

Big run but there are still nine outs to get against a very good offense when our closer has been struggling in his last couple of outings. Clark’s baserunning error hurts right now.

Maitland replaces Clark in left field and Jungmann starts Torrez out with a curve in the dirt. Fastball is taken for strike one. Fastball barely low makes it 2-1. Fastball fouled off to the right and it’s 2-2. Jungmann has lost 1-2mph on the fastball but the movement is still good. Fastball at the knees is called strike three. Torrez doesn’t like it and to be honest that pitch has been called low tonight. Fastball is fouled back by McDonald for strike one. Tailing fastball misses outside and it’s 1-1 now. Hard shot to Belt who dives to make a great stop and Jungmann gets to the bag in time. Good play all around for the second out. Ball one a little up and in and Jungmann pumped that one at 93mph. Breaking ball called outside to MacPhee and it’s 2-0. Behind the plate angle shows good movement on all his pitches still. But he misses with a fastball and it’s 3-0. Fastball piped and taken for strike one. Lots of movement on that fastball fills the count. Another nasty fastball is missed for the strikeout.

Jungmann’s stuff is simply nasty right now. As Steve Phillips talks about him in the booth and Hershiser piles on you realize how quickly a talented player can make himself some money with the exposure in Omaha. Now let’s go get some insurance.

Tucker to lead off against Lambson now. Lambson averaged over 2.5 innings per appearance this year so won’t necessarily fatigue here. You have to think they want him to stay in through Belt and even Keyes as an offspeed specialist. Ball one is taken outside followed by ball two high. Fastball taken for strike one. Fastball pumped in there and it’s 2-2. Curveball in the dirt is taken and the count is full. Ball four is just low and another leadoff runner is on. Belt will almost certainly bunt again against the tough lefty. My sound just went out for a couple of seconds and I had an internal conflict between happiness the announcers were gone and horror at the fact something changed and we’re winning. Tucker moves back on the balk. Belt shows bunt but takes a breaking ball low and away for ball one. Belt with another good bunt to the right side against a sidewinding lefty but the play is made with Tucker advancing to second. Shepherd takes a curveball at the knees to make it 0-1. A spin move but no throw on Tucker at second. At least there was an infielder in the frame that time. Curveball low and it’s 1-1. Josh Holliday loves changing pitchers in the middle of plate appearances and now brings in their third starter Seth Blair. Kevin Lusson now replaces Shepherd at the plate. So we have two players facing each other that can’t possibly screw up as bad things will be charged to the guy they replaced (or would a one strike count put a K or out on Lusson? – I forget). Two straight balls make it 3-1. Doesn’t matter now as ball four is inside and there are two outs with runners on first and second. We’ve been here before, let’s capitalize. Tough fastball on the black to Keyes for strike one. Another heater and Keyes is behind and fouls it off to fall behind 0-2. Slider in the dirt is a waste pitch that Ramírez blocks well. 1-2 pitch is a fastball that is smoked to the right-centerfield wall for an RBI double. All that was missing was elevation as that ball was crushed. The score is now 8-6 Texas. Hahaha. Keyes comes out for a pinch-runner again. How many times does that move have to backfire on Augie? Swinging strike one to Loy. Loy waves at another slider in the dirt. Obviously not picking that pitch up right now combined with being too anxious. Blair rescues Loy by leaving the third slider he throws in the zone and Loy dumps a single into right-center to score both runners to make it 10-6 Texas. Now Franzblau comes in for ASU as they seem intent on using all their good pitchers. Breaking ball hit foul by Cameron Rupp. He deserves his full name at this point. Crazy night he’s had with the passed ball, throw to nobody, and two homers. Ball low evens the count. Another breaking ball low makes it 2-1 and my signal goes out. Fuck Comcast. Okay, it’s back. Slider is missed by Rupp, who took a big rip. 2-2 pitch is a slider way low and out and it’s now full. Rupp strikes out on a good slider as Loy steals second. Maitland misses a breaking ball at his ankles to make it 0-1. Now a change or forkball is missed for strike two. Now it’s 1-2 after a waste pitch. Maitland takes a slider on the leg and moves to first. Didn’t move a muscle out of the way but took one for the team. Slider low and away in the dirt for ball one to Rowe with runners on first and second and two down. Fastball is roped toward the first base dugout for and it’s 1-1. Slider up and it’s 2-1. Fastball at the knees makes it 2-2. Slider is grounded to short and the throw to first is in time. Three runs on three hits, two runners left on base.

Six outs to go with a four-run cushion. Statistically it’s probably roughly as safe as our first lead was against USM given the difference in opponent strength so there’s still work left to be done. Jungmann is looking sharp but had a longer layoff that inning so let’s see if he’s still got it in the 8th.

Maggi leads off against Jungmann and takes ball one a hair low and in. Fastball in there for strike one. Fastball misses well up so it’s 2-1 to Maggi. Moving fastball is fouled to the right off the fists to make it 2-2. Tough breaking ball is turned over to shortstop and Loy throws him out and there’s one away in the 8th. Nice slider for strike one to Kipnis. Tough hitters coming up but the cushion will let Jungmann throw strikes. Ball one away. Challenges him with a fastball at the belt and Kipnis misses to make it 1-2. Rupp asked for a fastball well down and Jungmann left it way up but Kipnis fouls it off. Waste pitch in the dirt and Kipnis lays off. Another fastball, this one at the letters, and Kipnis can’t catch up. Two down now and ASU’s body language is dead. Wood is shown warming up in the bullpen as Jungmann pumps in a 93mph four-seamer for strike one. Breaking ball left up and Ramírez hits it a mile high; Maitland goes to the wall and comes back in to the front of the track for the catch. No runs on no hits and no runners left on as Jungmann navigates through the toughest part of the Sun Devil Order.

Obviously any insurance here would be nice. But if we’re going to bring Jungmann back out a standard-length inning may be even better to let him stay in the groove. If we’re bringing Wood into the game, I’d take a longer inning for sure. It’s a good thing I set the DVR to record until 10:30.

ASU brings in Kyle Brule, who has a nice 2.79 ERA but less than 10 innings on the year. Torres takes a breaking ball in the dirt on the first pitch. Fastball in the inside corner at the knees and it’s 1-1. Now a pitch on the outside black at the knees for strike two. Tough back-to-back pitches. The next fastball is too far down and out to make it 2-2. Inside fastball is ripped down the right-field line but lands a foot foul. Slider in the dirt and in fills the count to Torres. Fastball results in a swinging strikeout bringing Tucker up to the plate again. I believe he’s been on base all 5 times tonight. He lines out to centerfield this time, though, and there are two down. Belt up now and it seems like he hasn’t swung in two hours after two bunts. Fouls off the first pitch. The next is hit to left field for a single and we have a runner with two outs and Kevin Lusson coming up. He grounds it to Maggi and is thrown out at first. No runs on one hit and one runner left on base.

Three outs to go to put ourselves in a great position. I’m assuming Wood will come in after warming up. Hopefully he can regain his command after not having it the last two outings.

And I are wrong as Jungmann takes the hill. I most definitely agree with this decision. The cameraman just voted on who he thinks is the best looking girl in a group of Texas fans. I agree with that decision, too. Calhoun leads off and takes strike one. Then he hammers the ball to centerfield. It goes in the book as an F8. A 408-foot F8. Ruettiger up now and takes strike one. 59-foot curveball evens the count and a ball and a strike. A strike then a ball and it’s 2-2. Rudy chops a ball to second, Tucker bobbles it, and Rudy’s Nephew (have you heard?) is safe at first. Fastball is taken just below the knees for ball one by Newman. Another heater is in there and it’s 1-1. Another fastball at the knees is a lineout to Row in centerfield. Torrez takes ball one outside by a hair. Jungmann pipes a fastball making it 1-1. Torrez waves at a curveball and now it’s 1-2. A fastball is fought off to stay alive. Curveball is chopped to Loy and he makes a strong throw to finish the game.

Huge win for Texas. Just an unbelievably great win no matter how you look at it. Everyone’s favorite table forthcoming.

Updated Odds Table

Team	Power	Offense	Defense	EWP	Finals	Champs
LSU	12.56	9.50	3.06	0.893	82.57%	33.77%
Texas	11.94	8.25	3.69	0.894	58.85%	31.06%
Arizona St.	14.20	9.16	5.04	0.938	41.15%	29.97%
Arkansas	11.48	8.11	3.37	0.856	17.43%	5.20%
Cal St. Fullerton	14.06	9.58	4.48	0.926	0.00%	0.00%
Virginia	12.31	9.19	3.12	0.878	0.00%	0.00%
North Carolina	11.87	9.01	2.86	0.869	0.00%	0.00%
Southern Miss	10.52	8.39	2.13	0.775	0.00%	0.00%