Baylor Drops Big 12 Tournament Opener to TCU 4-2
The Baylor Bears entered the Big 12 Tournament knowing their only realistic shot at making the NCAA Tournament would be to make a run to win the Big 12 and grab the conference's automatic qualifier bid as a result. However, things got off to a rough start in that regard as they would drop their opening game to TCU on Wednesday afternoon and now find themselves in the losers bracket.
No. 8 Baylor 2 No. 1 TCU 4
On the mound, for Baylor to start the first game of the conference tournament was Blake Helton, who would deliver a solid outing for the Bears. Helton was given an early 1-0 lead following a Kyle Nevin RBI triple that plated Tre Richardson in the top of the first inning. Following Nevin's triple, Helton would cruise through five scoreless innings, picking up another insurance run from his offense in the top of the sixth on an Antonio Valdez RBI single to make it 2-0 Baylor.
Blake Helton
Kyle Nevin
Tre Richardson
That would be when the momentum shifted however as once again an inability to hold a late lead would haunt the Bears. Helton would give up two runs in the bottom of the sixth, as TCU would tie the game at 2-2. He would ultimately give the Bears 6 1/3 innings of two-run baseball, racking up seven strikeouts and scattering five hits, shutting down the TCU lineup.
TCU would finally take the lead for good in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Bears bullpen once again proved to be unreliable in the late innings of a game. A wild pitch allowed Tommy Sacco to score, followed by an RBI single from Kurtis Byrne, which would give the Horned Frogs a 4-2 lead that would clinch the victory for TCU.
What's next for TCU?
Following their disappointing loss to TCU to open their Big 12 Tournament, the Bears find themselves in the elimination bracket, where one more loss will likely end their season. The Bears will face off against Oklahoma State on Thursday morning at 9 a.m. Central with their season likely on the line.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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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.