April 22, 2007
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WACO, Texas -- Beamer Weems' RBI single started a five-run seventh inning as Baylor rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat Missouri 8-3 in Sunday's Big 12 Conference series finale at Baylor Ballpark. Missouri (28-12, 9-6) claimed the series by virtue of winning the series' first two games. Baylor (22-19, 7-11) snapped a four-game home losing streak against Missouri.
The Baylor-Missouri series remains the only Big 12 series that has never been swept. The Bears also avoided only their second three-game sweep at Baylor Ballpark in the facilities nine-year history; UC Irvine accomplished the feat in 2004. Baylor has not been swept in a three-game Big 12 series at home since dropping three straight to Oklahoma State in 1998.
Weems came to the plate with runners at the corners and one out in the seventh and laced the first pitch he saw through the right side for an RBI single. Chase Gerdes scored on a wild pitch to push Baylor's lead to 5-3. Shaver Hansen, Matt Czimskey and Paul Miles capped the inning with successive RBI singles.
Missouri did not fade, though, loading the bases with two outs in the ninth. However, Baylor third baseman Raynor Campbell made a diving snag on Jacob Priday's liner to end the game.
Cassavechia (4-1) earned the victory, matching his career-long outing with 4.0 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Starter Kendal Volz allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
The key point in the game may have been the top of the seventh. Cassavechia, who had not issued a walk in 21.0 consecutive innings, walked Gary Arndt to leadoff the inning. After an Evan Frey single and a Brock Bond sacrifice bunt, Cassavechia intentionally walked Ryan Lollis to load the bases. The move worked as Cassavechia got Priday to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Stephan Holst (1-1), the fourth of five Missouri pitchers on the day, took the loss. He allowed three runs, one of which was earned, on two hits in one-third of an inning. Starter Ian Berger left the game with an injury after allowing a Gerdes bunt single to leadoff the fourth. Berger surrendered two runs on three hits and a walk with no strikeouts.
Missouri built a 3-0 lead with a run in the first and two more in the second; however, the damage could have been worse. The Tigers left the bases loaded in the first and stranded a runner at third in the second.
Volz, who was aided by Czimskey throwing out would-be base stealers in the fourth and fifth innings, did not allow a runner to reach scoring position after Frey's RBI double in the second. Missouri finished 2-for-10 with two outs and did not produce a two-out RBI after recording nine two-out RBI in the series' first two games.
Baylor pulled to within one run at 3-2 in the bottom of the second thanks to Hansen's two-run single. Gerdes had a bases-loaded RBI groundout in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.
Czimskey, who had never enjoyed a three-hit game prior to Saturday, produced another with a 3-for-4 effort. Hansen and Ben Booker added two hits each, while the former tallied three RBI. Weems and Dickerson scored twice. Eight of Baylor's nine starters reached base safely at least once.
Frey had half of Missouri's hits on the day, going 5-for-5. It was the first five-hit game of his career, and he became the fifth player to ever record a five-hit game at Baylor Ballpark.
Baylor returns to action Tuesday, traveling to San Marcos, Texas, for a 6:30 p.m. CDT first pitch at Texas State. The Bears also host Prairie View A&M for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch Wednesday; that game is a schedule addition to replace the March 13 game against Winthrop that was rained out.
NOTES: Baylor leads the all-time series 24-19, including an 11-9 edge in games played in Waco. The Bears lead the series 20-19 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference, including a 17-16 edge in regular-season meetings. ... Gerdes extended his hitting streak to nine games, breaking his previous career long (two other occasions). Gerdes also has hit safely in eight consecutive Big 12 games. ... Campbell (six games), Booker (four games), Dickerson (four games), Hansen (four games) and Czimskey (three games) also extended hitting streaks. ... Cassavechia has recorded at least two strikeouts in 10 consecutive outings. Sunday was the first three-walk outing of his career. It was only the third multiple-walk outing of Cassavechia's career; in two of those three games an intentional walk was involved. ... With seven saves and four wins, Cassavechia has participated in 50.0 percent of Baylor's wins this season; that is the highest percentage in the Big 12. ... Sunday was the 52nd relief appearance of Cassavechia's career; he is now tied with Mark Outlaw (1998-99) for eighth all-time at Baylor. It also was Cassavechia's 21st relief appearance in a Big 12 game, tying Outlaw for seventh on that list.
