Baylor
Oklahoma
Baseball Knocks Off No. 12 OU, 8-3
5/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 28, 2010
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OKLAHOMA CITY - Baylor erased an early 1-0 deficit with a five-run, two-out rally in the third inning, and Craig Fritsch and Logan Verrett combined to hold No. 12 Oklahoma to three runs as the Bears clinched a spot in Sunday's Big 12 Championship title game with an 8-3 win over the Sooners on Friday night at Bricktown Ballpark.
The Bears (33-21) still have one more game in pool play - against Kansas at 7:30 p.m. Saturday - but both Baylor and Texas A&M have clinched their respective pools, setting up a Battle of the Brazos in Sunday's title game.
"Tomorrow's game is probably the most fun game I'll ever coach," head coach Steve Smith said. "It is kind of like Christmas where you get to be the nice guy. Some guys are going to play tomorrow that haven't played in so long that they are going to love this. It is going to be cool."
Fritsch (2-3) allowed three runs on six hits with six walks and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings to get the win. Verrett, who was working in relief after his start on Wednesday ended after 1.0 inning due to an extensive rain delay, took care of the rest, holding Oklahoma (43-15) to just three hits with six strikeouts in 4.0 shutout innings to get the save.
The Sooners took their only lead of the game in the top of the third, when Garrett Buechele singled and came around to score on a two-out wild pitch, but Fritsch got a flyout to end the inning and strand another runner on third.
The Bears' rally got started with one out in the third when Josh Turley drew a walk, and Landis Ware followed with a single for Baylor's first hit of the game. OU starter Zach Neal struck out Logan Vick for the second out of the inning, but he hit Brooks Pinckard with a two-strike pitch to load the bases.
Raynor Campbell followed with a two-run single to shallow center field, Cal Towey drove in another run with a single, and Max Muncy delivered a two-run double to give the Bears a 5-1 lead.
Fritsch worked around a two-out triple in a scoreless fourth inning, but Tyler Ogle delivered a two-out, two-run homer in the fifth to cut the Baylor lead in half at 5-3. However, Fritsch got Cody Reine on a called third strike on his last pitch of the day before turning the ball over to Verrett.
Baylor added an insurance run in the sixth when Josh Ludy delivered a two-out, pinch-hit double to score Joey Hainsfurther; it was Ludy's team-leading fifth pinch hit of the season.
The Sooners' biggest threat against Verrett came in the seventh, when two singles brought the potential tying run to the plate with one out, but Verrett got a fielder's choice grounder and a strikeout to get out of the inning unscathed.
The Bears scored the final runs of the game in the bottom half of the seventh when Vick walked, Campbell doubled and Cal Towey brought them both home to score with a two-out double, giving the Bears an 8-3 advantage. All 11 runs in the game scored with two outs.
Verrett retired the side in order in the eighth, and then retired each of the last three batters to strand Danny Black at third base after he led off the ninth inning with a triple. Black was the seventh Sooner base runner to be stranded in scoring position.
Campbell and Towey each went 2-for-3 with a double for Baylor's only multi-hit games. Campbell drove in a pair of runs and scored twice, while Towey scored once and collected three RBI. Muncy added a double and two runs for the Bears.
Max White went 3-for-5 with a run and two stolen bases, and Buechele went 2-for-5 for the Sooners. Neal (8-3) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits in 3.0 innings.
Baylor takes on Kansas at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the final game of pool play action, and the Bears close out the Big 12 Championship when they take on Texas A&M at 1 p.m. Sunday in the title game, which will be televised on FSN. The Bears will be making their sixth appearance in a Big 12 tournament title game.
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