Big 12 Baseball Championship: Day 2 Recap
The Big 12 Conference Tournament continued on Thursday, and two teams were sent packing. When the tournament started, almost nobody correctly predicted the first two teams eliminated. After two days of nothing but drama, the tournament is coming to a head as we enter the back half. Two teams are gone, and four more are on the chopping block heading into day three.
#5 Kansas State 6, #1 Texas 0
Once again, the Longhorns were stunned by a team from Kansas. After falling to the Jayhawks on day one, Texas came out flat and only mustered two hits in the game. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and the defense did the rest.
Two Kansas State pitchers only gave up one hit a piece, and combined for 12 strikeouts. They then scored five runs in the seventh inning for good measure, sending the top-seeded Longhorns back to Austin.
#2 Oklahoma State 3, #3 West Virginia 2
The Cowboys gifted their head coach Josh Holliday with his 400th win in his career as a head coach, but not without some drama. The Mountaineers fought back to tie the game in the sixth inning after Oklahoma State jumped out 2-0 in the first.
After retaking the lead in the eighth, West Virginia was down to its final strike before a double and two hit batters loaded the bases. However, a final strikeout sealed the deal to keep the Cowboys alive and send the Mountaineers back to Morgantown.
#4 TCU 14, #8 Kansas 4
For the second straight day, a team from Kansas got run-ruled by TCU. This time around, the game was the inverse of the game the day before. Both teams played fairly even until the Horned Frogs broke it open with a five spot in the sixth inning.
Kansas ran through their bullpen quickly as only one of their six pitchers was able to throw a full two innings. The Jayhawks will play an elimination game against Kansas State at 3 p.m. Friday, May 26, while TCU advances straight to the semifinal at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 27.
#6 Texas Tech 10, #7 Oklahoma 9
In a game that was more poor defense than it was good offense, the Red Raiders were one out away from going to the loser’s bracket before four consecutive singles walked it off after trailing by two runs. A total of 357 pitches between 10 total pitchers put a massive dent into the bullpens of both teams heading into the back half of the tournament.
The lack of depth for the Sooners was already causing problems and will not do any favors for them in their rematch with Oklahoma State at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 26. Texas Tech gets the much needed rest for a day as they advance to the semifinals, which will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 27.
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