May 25, 2003
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OKLAHOMA CITY - Curtis Thigpen connected on a 2-1 Tyler Bullock offering for a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th as No. 9 Texas knocked off No. 16 Baylor 10-8 here Sunday in the Championship Game of the 2003 Big 12 Conference Tournament at Bricktown Ballpark.
Baylor (41-21) suffers its first extra-inning loss in six such games this season. The Bears now await word from the NCAA Selection Committee as to where they will play in next weekend's NCAA Regionals.
The Bears led 6-1 going to the bottom of the fifth when Texas (43-17) erupted for three runs on four hits. The Longhorns added two more in the seventh to tie the game 6-6.
In the bottom of the eighth, Texas took the lead with two runs on a Zane Carlson wild pitch and an Omar Quintanilla sacrifice fly.
Baylor rallied in the top of the ninth, scoring two runs on one hit and two walks. Kyle Reynolds had an RBI groundout, followed by a Zach Dillon sacrifice fly to right-center.
However, the Bears found no way to stop Thigpen, who established a Big 12 Tournament record with five hits on the day. He also scored four times and made several key defensive plays at first base. With a runner at second and one out, Thigpen ended the second extra-inning championship game in the tournament's history with his fifth home run of the season.
The loss spoiled a 4-for-4, four run day by Mark Saccomanno, who joined Josh Ford, David Murphy, Steven White, Mark McCormick and Zane Carlson as Baylor's representatives on the all-tournament team.
White started and went 7.0 innings for Baylor; he was touched for seven runs on 11 hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Bullock (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing both runs in the 10th.
Baylor pounded 13 hits on the day, giving the Bears a school-record 764 on the season. The previous record was 759 established by the 1999 squad. The Bears also had 71 hits in the tournament, tying the Big 12 Tournament record.
The NCAA Tournament field of 64 teams will be announced live on ESPN2 Monday at 11:30 a.m. CT.
