April 9, 2006
Box Score
WACO, Texas - A six-run second inning propelled Baylor to an 11-2 victory over Oklahoma State in Sunday's Big 12 Conference series finale at Baylor Ballpark. With the win, the Bears (22-11, 7-5) swept the series against the Cowboys (18-11, 3-6). It was Baylor's first Big 12 sweep of the season and its first ever against the Cowboys.
Baylor now has swept every Big 12 team at least once except for Missouri. The Baylor-Missouri series is the only series in the Big 12 that has never featured a sweep.
The weekend series drew a total attendance of 10,516, the fourth-largest three-date total in Baylor Ballpark history. It ranks second among regular-season three-date series, the largest since the 2001 Texas Tech series drew 10,940.
Baylor got six runs on just three hits in the second, sending 11 batters to the plate in the frame. Oklahoma State pitchers issued two walks and hit three batters in the inning; both walks and the last hit batter came with the bases loaded. Beamer Weems also had a sacrifice fly, and Tim Jackson capped the inning with a two-run single.
Oklahoma State got a pair of runs back in the top of the fourth on a Corey Brown RBI triple and a Shelby Ford sacrifice fly. Jordy Mercer followed with a single before Baylor starter Tim Matthews retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced, allowing only a Deik Scram leadoff single in the sixth.
Matthews (3-3) surrendered two runs on five hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts in 7.0 innings to earn the victory. The sophomore right-hander had allowed 14 runs on 21 hits over 9.1 innings in his last two starts.
Seth Fortenberry provided the game's most dramatic play in the sixth, blasting a two-run inside-the-park homer off the centerfield wall. It was Baylor's first inside-the-park homer since David Murphy pulled the feat Feb. 16, 2003, against Louisiana-Lafayette at the Minute Maid Park College Classic in Houston. It was Baylor's first inside-the-park homer at Baylor Ballpark since Tim Hartshorn's against Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2001.
The Bears added two more runs in the seventh on a Chase Gerdes RBI double and an OSU throwing error. Ben Booker capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
OSU starter Charles Benoit (3-3) was saddled with the loss, allowing six runs on two hits, two walks, three hit batsmen and two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.
Fortenberry finished the day 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, Jackson was 4-for-5 with two RBI, and Ben Booker was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Baylor returns to action Tuesday, hosting fourth-ranked Rice for a 6 p.m. CDT first pitch at Baylor Ballpark.
NOTES: Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 29-22. Baylor leads the series 17-16 since the inception of the Big 12, including a 15-13 advantage in regular-season Big 12 meetings. Baylor has won four of the last five meetings and nine of the last 13. ... After not recording a multiple-hit game in his first 29 games, Booker has four straight multiple-hit games. Sunday was his first career three-hit outing. ... Dillon (five games), Booker (four), Kevin Sevigny (four), Fortenberry (three), Kevin Russo (three) and Weems (three) all extended hitting streaks. Matt Sodolak saw his three-game run end... Dillon has reached safely in 17 straight and in 53 of his last 54 contests. He also has reached safely in 24 consecutive Big 12 games. ... Fortenberry has hit safely in 10 consecutive Big 12 games. That is the longest conference hitting streak for a Baylor player since Josh Ford's 14-game run last season. ... Jackson's four-hit day was the first game with at least four hits by a Baylor player since Jeff Mandel had four hits against Oklahoma State in the second round of last year's Big 12 Tournament. ... Fortenberry's inside-the-park home run was the second at Baylor Ballpark this season. Pacific's Alex Zanini had an inside-the-park grand slam against Louisiana Tech during the Quala-T Imprints Baylor Classic.
