May 21, 2009
Box Score | Quotes
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Baylor stranded nine base runners, including six in scoring position, in a 9-4 loss to 17th-ranked Kansas State in Thursday's pool-play action at the Big 12 Conference Championship. Eighth-seeded Baylor (28-24) is eliminated from title game contention with the loss. Fourth-seeded Kansas State (41-15-1) moved to 2-0 in pool play and will face top-seeded Texas at 12:30 p.m. Saturday for the right to play in Sunday's title game.
Justin Bloxom's two-run single in the top of the first set the tone as the Wildcats never trailed. Baylor had runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the inning and Aaron Miller at the plate against Big 12 Pitcher of the Year A.J. Morris. Miller, however, grounded into an inning-ending double play. That proved to be a recurring theme as the Bears put runners on base each inning but could not match Kansas State's offensive production.
Baylor scored in two innings, getting a run across in the third and three runs across in the seventh. Both times, Kansas State responded with at least one run in the next inning.
Morris (13-1) earned the victory and moved into a fifth-place tie on the all-time Big 12 single-season wins list. He allowed four runs on nine hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over 6.2 innings.
Starter Willie Kempf (4-5) took the loss for the Bears. He surrendered five runs - three earned - on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts over 4.0 innings.
Shaver Hansen's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the third cut Kansas State's lead to 2-1, but the Wildcats answered with three runs on two hits and a costly Baylor error in the top of the fourth. After Rob Vaughn's one-out RBI single, Dane Yelovich lay down a first-and-third bunt. Kempf fielded the ball and got Jordan Cruz in a rundown between third and home. However, Kempf's throw to third in attempt to get Cruz skipped away; both base runners scored on the play.
Jason King's two-out, two-run triple in the seventh pushed the Wildcats' lead to 7-1. Baylor rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning but missed an opportunity to get more. The Bears loaded the bases with no outs and the heart of the lineup coming to the plate. Baylor scored all three runs without a hit thanks to a pair of runs coming home on wild pitches and Aaron Miller's RBI groundout.
But Kansas State salted away the game with single spots in the eighth and ninth innings. One pitch after staying alive on a two-strike check swing, Adam Muenster delivered a sacrifice fly. Bloxom capped the scoring with a leadoff homer in the ninth.
Ben Booker, Dustin Dickerson and Joey Hainsfurther all had multiple-hit games for the Bears. Dickerson was 3-for-5 with a run scored, and Hainsfurther scored twice.
Baylor concludes pool play Saturday, facing fifth-seeded Kansas at 9 a.m. CDT.
