May 26, 2005
Box Score
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - A five-run third erased an early two-run deficit and Trey Taylor pitched into the ninth inning as No. 13 Baylor defeated Oklahoma State 8-3 Thursday in second-day action at the Big 12 Conference Tournament at SBC Bricktown Ballpark. Baylor (38-20) advances to the semifinals for the third consecutive year and wins its first two games for the first time since the 2000 team won its first three tournament games. Oklahoma State (34-24) faces Texas in an elimination game Friday.
Jeff Mandel led the Baylor offensive charge in just his 10th career start in batting order, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. He established career highs for doubles, total bases and RBI, and he posted the first multiple-hit game of his career.
Mandel, who had one RBI in 37 career at bats entering the game, sparked Baylor's five-run fifth with a bases-loaded three-run double off the top of the wall in left field. Earlier in the inning, Kevin Russo drew a bases-loaded walk, and Zach Dillon tied the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly.
The Bears added three runs in the top of the ninth. Paul Witt led off the inning with a single to left and Josh Ford followed with his second walk of the game. Russo then ripped an RBI double into right-center, and Ford then scored on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Mandel doubled to left-center with two outs, scoring Russo.
Oklahoma State managed an unearned run in the ninth, but could get no closer.
Taylor (6-5) allowed two runs on four consecutive two-out hits in the bottom of the first. After that, he settled into a groove and held the Cowboys to just three hits through the eighth inning. Taylor, who surrendered a season-high tying five earned runs in his start at Oklahoma State in March and in his start last weekend against Oklahoma State, got the leadoff batter in the ninth but left the game after an infield error and an infield single. Abe Woody entered and closed out the game.
One week after his shortest outing of the season, Taylor allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in 8.1 innings. It was the longest outing of his career and only the second time in his career he pitched into the ninth inning. Taylor, who defeated Texas Tech in the first round of last season's tournament, improves to 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 18.0 career innings at the Big 12 Tournament.
Michael Griffin and Witt each had two-hit days and the latter scored twice. Russo also scored twice and drove in two. Eight of Baylor's nine starters reached safely.
Baylor returns to play Saturday at 10 a.m. CDT against the winner of Friday's Texas-Oklahoma State game. The Bears' game will be televised live on FSN Southwest, channel 26 on Time-Warner Cable in Waco. Baylor is 4-1 all-time in semifinal games at the Big 12 Tournament.
NOTES: Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 29-19, including a 7-2 advantage in neutral-site meetings. ... Oklahoma State leads the series 17-14 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference. ... Baylor is 1-2 all-time against Oklahoma State at the Big 12 Tournament. The teams met in the inaugural event (1997) and in 2001, both times in the first round. ... Baylor's five-run third was its highest-scoring inning since a five-run seventh April 29, 2005, in a 6-1 win at home against Texas Tech. ... The Bears improve to 5-0 this season in neutral-site games, 10-16 when the opponent scores first and 6-6 when the opponent scores in the first inning. ... Thursday was the Bears' 14th win this season in which they trailed at some point. ... Baylor improves to 30-9 this season when the starting pitcher goes at least 5.0 innings. ... The Bears improve to 31-6 when scoring at least four runs, 24-2 when scoring at least five runs and 18-0 when scoring at least seven runs. ... Baylor improves to 25-4 when allowing three or fewer runs. ... Baylor is 31-3 when out-hitting the opponent. ... The Bears are 19-4 when leading after three innings, 21-4 after four, 23-2 after five, 30-2 after six, 31-2 after seven and 30-1 after eight innings or later. ... With five at bats, Griffin moved into sixth place all-time in NCAA Division I history for career at bats (he now has 1,022). ... Josh Ford saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end, going 0-for-2 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. However, he extended his streak of consecutive games reached base to 15 games. He has reached safely in 52 of his last 53 games and in 56 of Baylor's 58 games this season. ... Ford's hit-by-pitch was the 33rd of his career, passing Chris Durbin (2000-02) for second all-time at Baylor. The Bears as a team have now been hit 56 times this season, moving into third place in Baylor history. ... Chase Gerdes extended his career-long hitting streak to six games. ... Witt moved into third place all-time at Baylor with his 25th career sacrifice. ... Woody made his 86th career appearance, moving into sole possession of fourth place all-time at Baylor. ... Taylor's start was the 49th of his career, passing Kris Lambert (1994-97) for third all-time at Baylor. With his next start, he will join Steven White (59) and Josh Scott (50) as the only Baylor pitchers to start at least 50 career games. ... Taylor passed three former Bears and moved into seventh place in Baylor history for career innings pitched; he now has 283.1 career innings. ... Taylor also passed three former Bears and moved into seventh place on Baylor's career strikeout list; he now has 228 career strikeouts, one shy of sixth-place Justin Taylor (1999-02). ... Taylor joins Chad Hawkins (1999-00), Josh Scott (1998-01) and Andy Pape (2003-present) as the only Bears to ever record two career wins in Big 12 Tournament play.
