Baylor Drops Final Regular Season Series Against Oklahoma State
The regular season is officially over, as Baylor has completed their series against Oklahoma State. What appeared to be a promising series to pull a huge upset and gain momentum heading into the Big 12 Tournament for the Bears quickly fell apart, as despite the big win on Thursday they stumbled on Friday and Saturday to drop their final series of the season.
Game 1: Baylor 13 Oklahoma State 11
This is a game where things truly kicked off in the seventh inning for the Bears, as their offense came roaring to life. Up until the seventh, the Bears lineup had largely been held in check, as they had only managed to push across three runs through six innings. That wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that the Cowboys had dominated the Bears pitching through those same six innings, as Oklahoma State took an 11-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
However, the bottom of the seventh would see this game flipped on its head almost immediately. The Bears pushed across eight runs in the seventh inning alone, erasing the 11-3 deficit and making it a brand new ballgame. The big blow of the inning came on a Jared McKenzie grand slam that made it 11-10, which was followed by an RBI single from Harrison Caley to tie things at 11-11. Both offenses would go scoreless in the eighth, leading to a walk off two-run home run off the bat of Antonio Valdez to secure the 13-11 victory, which would Baylor's largest comeback win in five years.
Antonio Valdez
Game 2: Baylor 5 Oklahoma State 11
While game one of this series didn't really kick off until the seventh inning for the Bears, the final four innings of this game were when things fell apart. Entering the fifth inning, the Bears once again found themselves trailing following a four-run top of the fifth for the Cowboys. The Bears would respond once again though, as they would put up a four-run fifth of their own, capped by an RBI groundout from Harrison Caley to tie the game at 5-5.
That would be the last that the Bears would score though as the Cowboys would put up six unanswered runs over the last four innings while shutting down the Baylor lineup. The Cowboys scored one run each in the sixth, seventh and eighth inning, taking a 8-5 lead into the ninth that felt manageable to overcome following the prior game's eight-run comeback. However, a David Mendham three-run home run in the top of the ninth made it an 11-5 lead for the Cowboys, a lead that would be insurmountable as the Cowboys would take game two to even the series.
Game 3: Baylor 5 Oklahoma State 9 (8 inn.)
The theme of this series should be what team can score the most unanswered runs to win each game, as that was yet again the tale of the tape in this one. Baylor struck first with a three-run first inning, as three RBI singles gave the Bears the early 3-0 lead. From there, the Baylor pitching staff appeared to be on cruise control, slowing down the Oklahoma State lineup and holding a 3-2 lead after six innings.
And then once again in the seventh inning, momentum shifted. The Cowboys would plate three runs in the seventh to take a 5-3 lead. They would follow the three-run seventh with a four-run eighth, making it a 9-3 lead for the Cowboys as they scored nine unanswered runs. Baylor would respond in the eighth, as a Jack Pineda home run and a Cam Caley RBI single would make it 9-5. However, that would be all the Bears could muster as the weather would cause the rest of the game to be unplayable, with the Bears dropping the final game 9-5 and ultimately the series.
What's next for Baylor?
With the conclusion of the regular season, the Bears find themselves looking toward the Big 12 Tournament. Their first game will be Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. against the No. 1 seed TCU, who won their regular season series. If the Bears want any chance at making the NCAA Tournament, they will need to go on a dominant run in Arlington and win the Big 12 Tournament to do so.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Baylor Bears? Click Here
Follow Inside the Bears on Twitter
Follow Inside the Bears on Facebook
Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.