Baylor
Oklahoma State
Fritsch Leads Baseball to Sweep of OSU
5/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 23, 2010
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WACO, Texas - Craig Fritsch turned in the longest start of his career and posted a career-high-tying 10 strikeouts to lead Baylor to a 4-1 win over Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. With the win, Baylor completed its first Big 12 series sweep since April 6, 2008.
The Bears (31-21, 12-13 Big 12) also clinched the sixth seed in next week's Big 12 Conference Baseball Championship with their win. Oklahoma State (29-26, 8-19 Big 12) saw its season come to an end with the loss.
Fritsch started off the game by striking out the side in the first inning, and he struck out at least one batter in every inning until he turned the ball over to Joey Hainsfurther with two outs in the seventh. With the potential tying run at the plate, Hainsfurther got Kevin David to fly out to end the inning.
"Oklahoma State had a couple of opportunities to put some runs on the board, which would have been big, but (Fritsch) was able to strand some runners," head coach Steve Smith said. "He was able to compete really well. It was probably the best that I've seen him throw in a starting role. I thought he was really good."
Baylor took an early 2-0 lead when Cal Towey connected on his third homer of the season to drive in Raynor Campbell in the second inning. Fritsch and Oklahoma State starter Andrew Heaney matched each other with zeroes in the third and fourth innings.
Fritsch got some help from his defense in the fourth after OSU started the inning with back-to-back singles. Max Muncy fielded David's bunt and fired to third to get the lead runner, and Fritsch followed with a strikeout before Muncy fielded a sharp grounder for the third out of the inning.
OSU got on the board in the fifth when Fritsch issued a leadoff walk and Tom Belza knocked a RBI triple off the wall in right field. With the potential tying run at third and no outs in the inning, Fritsch fielded a bunt and held the runner at third before firing to first to get an out, and then he got consecutive strikeouts to escape the inning with the Bears leading 2-1.
Jake Miller wasted no time extending the Bears' lead back to two runs with a leadoff homer in the bottom half of the inning, but Baylor missed an opportunity to break the game open by stranding two runners in scoring position.
Fritsch retired the side in order in the sixth and then got the first two outs in the seventh before David's two-out double ended a string of eight straight retired and chased him from the game.
Fritsch (1-3) went 6.2 innings, which was one out short of the longest outing of his career, and allowed one run on five hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts to get his first win of the season.
Heaney (5-4) suffered the loss after surrendering three runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings.
Hainsfurther retired the side in order in the eighth, and the Bears got an insurance run in the bottom half when Gregg Glime and Raynor Campbell singled and Glime scored on a wild pitch to extend Baylor's lead to 4-1.
OSU brought the potential tying run to the plate with two outs in the ninth after a pair of singles, but Brooks Pinckard moved from center field to the mound to get the last lost and notch his 10th save of the season.
Towey, Logan Vick, Campbell and Miller had two hits apiece for the Bears, while Belza had two of the Cowboys' seven hits and their only RBI.
Baylor returns to action at the Big 12 Championship on Wednesday at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The sixth-seeded Bears will take on Kansas State on Wednesday, Oklahoma on Friday and Kansas on Saturday. Game times will be released shortly.
