April 29, 2006
Box Score
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Beamer Weems' seventh-inning sacrifice fly gave Baylor a 5-4 lead it never relinquished against Missouri in Saturday's Big 12 Conference tilt at Simmons Field. The Bears (27-16, 10-10) evened the series at one game apiece, bouncing back from a 7-0 loss Friday night. Baylor also stopped a six-game losing streak in Big 12 road games.
Weems' sacrifice fly was his fourth RBI of the day, a career high. He also had a two-out, bases-loaded triple in the second that broke a 1-1 tie. Weems had all of Baylor's RBI in the game as the Bears first run scored on an error.
The game was played amid miserable conditions with temperatures in the low 50s and a persistent rain over the final six innings. Those conditions led to control problems for both pitching staffs. Baylor hurlers issued 11 walks, tying the school record for bases on balls in a Big 12 game. Starter Cory VanAllen issued eight walks in 4.1 innings, twice his career high entering the day. Missouri (20-21, 8-12) pitchers also walked five batters.
Kevin Russo led off the seventh with a seventh with a double to right-center and then stole third. Weems followed with a line drive to center, and Russo slid safely at home as Missouri catcher J.C. Field could not handle the throw.
That broke a 4-4 tie and made a winner of Tim Matthews, who left the game after hitting the first batter in the bottom of the seventh. Jake Weghorst relieved Matthews and induced a fly out and an inning-ending double play.
Missouri made it interesting in the final two innings. Evan Frey doubled to left with one out in the eighth but was stranded at third when Nick Cassavechia struck out Brock Bond and got Zane Taylor to fly out. Cassavechia then worked through a two-out hit batter, a wild pitch and a walk for his fifth save of the season. Pinch hitter Hunter Mense popped out to Weems in shallow center to end the game.
VanAllen's downfall was control as he allowed four runs on just two hits with five strikeouts over 4.1 innings. With a 4-1 lead in the fifth and the rain intensifying, VanAllen walked the bases loaded. Reliever Drew Jeffcoat allowed a Derek Chambers RBI single up the middle that sneaked under Ben Booker's glove. After a sacrifice fly and a walk to reload the bases, Matthews walked in the tying run.
However, Matthews (5-4) earned the victory in relief, the second such win for the right-hander since moving to the bullpen last week. Matthews allowed two hits and a walk in 1.1 scoreless innings.
Weems finished 2-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly; in doing so, he established a Baylor single-season record with his 14th and 15th sacrifices of the season. Russo was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Kevin Sevigny's seventh-inning single extended his hitting streak in Big 12 play to 11 games.
Baylor and Missouri conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m. CDT. The Bears send right-hander Jeff Mandel (0-1, 5.06) to the mound, opposite Missouri southpaw Rick Zagone (3-2, 3.73).
NOTES: Baylor leads the all-time series 23-17, including an 8-6 advantage in games played at Columbia. The Bears are 19-16 against the Tigers since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997, including a 16-13 mark in regular-season meetings. Baylor is 21-16 against Missouri under head coach Steve Smith.
