Baylor
Oklahoma State
Baylor Bats Continue to Roll in 16-11 Win
4/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 2003
STILLWATER, Okla. - Baylor scored seven runs in the eighth inning to break a 9-9 tie en route to a 16-11 win over Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
The Bears (25-13, 8-6 Big 12) led 9-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, before OSU (22-11, 7-4 Big 12) rallied for five runs to tie the game off Baylor starter Abe Woody and reliever Ryan LaMotta (6-1). LaMotta picked up the win when the Bears came back with a seven-spot in the eighth.
Oklahoma State drew first blood in the game, scoring three times in the bottom of the first. Rightfielder Lyndsey Simmons led off with a grounder to shortstop and reached on a throwing error by Trey Webb. Centerfielder Jose Virgil followed with a two-run homer on an 0-2 pitch, making the score 2-0 after just two batters. A single, two straight walks (on just eight pitches) and a fielder's choice led to OSU's third run.
The Bears manufactured a run in the second to cut the OSU lead to 3-1. Mark Saccomanno led off the frame with a double, took third on a flyout and scored on a groundout by Reid Brees.
The Cowboys got that run back in the fourth. Woody hit the first batter, eight-hole hitter Scott Kirby; that runner took second on a sacrifice and scored on a two-out single by Virgil.
David Murphy's three-run homer in the fifth made up that defecit, tying the game at 4-4. The blast, Murphy's fifth of the year, came after Paul Witt and Chris Durbin had led off the inning with back-to-back singles.
The Bears scored three more runs in the sixth, but ran themselves out of a bigger inning. With runners on first and second, two runs in and nobody out, Witt (the runner at second) tried to steal third. He was thrown out, and the third baseman Fields's throw to first caught Durbin too far from the bag, where he too was tagged out for a double play, clearing the bases.
Murphy and Ford followed with singles, and Griffin's double plated Murphy to build the Bears' lead to 7-4, but Saccomanno grounded out to end the inning.
Paul Witt's second home run of the year added to the Baylor lead in the seventh, driving in two runs after two outs for a 9-4 margin.
OSU greeted Woody with a home run by Fields and a double by first baseman John Urick to start the seventh, prompting head coach Steve Smith to bring in LaMotta from the pen. The reliever walked the first batter he faced, then gave up two more singles as the Cowboys tied the game at 9-9. Simmons' single to right drove in the tying runs, but the rightfielder was gunned down at second by Murphy to end the frame with the score tied.
The Bears quickly responded, scoring seven runs in the top of the eighth on a double, two bunt hits, two intentional walks, four unintentional walks, a hit batsman and an error. After a dropped foul popup extended Durbin's at-bat, the senior knocked out a two-RBI double to left field. Webb, Witt and Saccomanno each drove in runs with bases-loaded walks, while Griffin picked up an RBI when he was hit by a pitch with the bases juiced. The seven-run frame tied Baylor's largest-scoring inning of the season and gave the Bears a 16-9 lead.
LaMotta, Tyler Bullock and Zane Carlson finished out the game on the mound for the Bears. Virgil's two-out double scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth as the Cowboys cut the final score to 16-11.
Durbin finished the day 5-for-5 with a double, a walk, four RBI and two runs scored. Griffin recorded three hits for the second day in a row. Murphy also had three hits and drove in three runs, while Witt drove in three and scored three times.
In his first collegiate start, Woody lasted a season-best six innings, striking out five. The redshirt freshman walked three and allowed eight hits.
OSU starter Spencer Grogan gave up six runs (five earned) in five innings, but did not get a decision. Reliever Shane Hawk (6-1) suffered his first loss of the season after allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits in two innings of work.
The Bears will go for their second conference sweep of the year Sunday at 2 p.m.
NOTES: As best as records indicate, Baylor's back-to-back conference games scoring 15 or more runs was a feat that the Bears had not achieved since 1939, when Baylor beat Rice 16-1 and 16-4 in consecutive Southwest Conference games.
