June 22, 2005
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Chance Wheeless homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning to give Texas a 4-3 victory over Baylor on Wednesday night and send the Longhorns into the championship round of the College World Series.
The Longhorns (54-16) tied the game at 3-all in the eighth when Nick Peoples ran over Baylor catcher Josh Ford in a violent collision at the plate to score on a sacrifice fly.
Wheeless, who'd made an error that helped Baylor take a 3-2 lead in the seventh, sent a long drive to right off reliever Ryan LaMotta.
Texas, unbeaten in three CWS games, will now play either Arizona State or Florida in the best-of-three championship series beginning Saturday at Rosenblatt Stadium.
Baylor (46-24), making its first CWS appearance since 1978, had reached Wednesday's play with a thrilling comeback win over Tulane on Tuesday night, rallying from a 7-0 deficit for an 8-7 victory.
This time it was the Bears who were eliminated with a crushing defeat. They had two runners on in the top of the ninth before Texas turned a double play on a fly ball.
In the eighth with Texas trailing 3-2, Peoples went from first to third when LaMotta made an errant pickoff throw.
Peoples raced home on Drew Stubbs' sacrifice fly to right, beating Seth Fortenberry's strong throw by barreling over Ford, who was to the left of the plate before the ball arrived.
With the ball loose, Peoples crawled and touched the plate and then slammed down his helmet.
In the seventh, Baylor's Kevin Russo scored from first after Fortenberry bunted the ball back to Texas starter Kenn Kasparek and his throw was missed by first baseman Wheeless for an error.
Fortenberry made third on the play, and one out later pinch-hitter Kevin Sevigny's RBI single put the Bears ahead 3-2.
J. Brent Cox (8-3) was the winner in relief. LaMotta (5-2) took the loss.
Baylor starter Mark McCormick, who lost to the Longhorns in the first round, allowed three hits and two runs in six innings, including a homer to Taylor Teagarden that put the Longhorns ahead 2-1 in the fifth.
Ford had homered to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth.
The 6-foot-10 Kasparek allowed four hits and three runs - two earned - in 6 1-3 innings.
Baylor swept a three-game series from the Longhorns in March, then beat them again last month at the Big 12 tournament. But Texas responded with a 5-1, first-round CWS win Saturday.
The Longhorns took a 1-0 lead in the third on a walk, infield out and RBI single by Peoples.
