May 4, 2003
Box Score
WACO, Texas - No. 20 Baylor run-ruled Kansas State for the second time in two days, finishing out a series sweep with a 12-2, eight-inning win Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.
Since losing the series opener to Kansas last weekend, the Bears (34-17, 14-10 Big 12) have won six straight games. Kansas State (12-33, 2-19 Big 12) has lost nine in a row, having been swept in back-to-back weekends by Texas and Baylor.
Baylor outscored KSU 33-4 on the weekend. The Bears got another excellent outing from their starting pitcher, as Mark McCormick (5-2) earned his first conference win. The freshman struck out five in five innings and allowed just two hits and two runs (one earned).
Ryan LaMotta pitched the final three shutout innings, giving up two hits and no walks while striking out four for his first collegiate save.
The Bears scored once in the first and twice more in the third, then broke the game open with a three spot in the fourth. Murphy's two-run triple upped the Bears' lead to 6-1 as Paul Witt and Chris Durbin came around to score.
After KSU scored once more in the fifth off McCormick, Baylor batted around and put up four runs in the seventh for a 10-2 lead, but with runners on second and third and a chance to run-rule the Wildcats, Josh Ford bounced out to the pitcher to end the inning.
The Bears did wrap up the game in the eighth, as Kyle Reynolds' two-run double down the first-base line scored Jared Clements and Trey Webb to up the Bears' lead to 10 runs. That ended the game, as dictated by the Big 12 Conference "mercy rule," which allows doubleheader games and get-away day games to be called after seven innings with one team leading by 10 or more runs.
Trey Webb led the Baylor attack, going 4-for-4 with a walk and scoring three times. David Murphy drove in four runs with a double and a triple, and Jared Clements added three hits.
Durbin scored three runs, giving him 77 for the season. That total ties the school record for runs in a season, set by Eric Nelson in 1999. His third-inning home run was the 39th of his career, moving the senior into a tie with Jason Jennings for the third-most in school history.
Murphy's two hits give him 97 on the year, moving into third place in the Baylor recordbooks. Charley Carter set that record in 1998 with 102 hits. The two safeties also extended his career-best hitting streak to 19 games, fifth-best in recent school history.
Starter Jared Brite (0-4) took the loss for KSU, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in two innings. Three other Wildcat pitchers followed, each giving up at least two runs.
The Bears moved into fifth place in the Big 12 after last night's win, and an Oklahoma State win Sunday would propel Baylor into fourth.
Baylor hosts Centenary Tuesday at 6 p.m., then takes next weekend off for finals before welcoming Southwest Texas to Waco in the Bears' final regular-season home game May 13.
