Baylor
Kansas State
Baseball Run-Rules KSU in Series Opener, 11-1
5/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 3, 2003
WACO, Texas - Baylor batted around in the first inning, scoring eight times, and rode that lead to an 11-1, seven-inning win Saturday afternoon over Kansas State in the first game of a doubleheader at Baylor Ballpark.
The Bears (32-17, 12-10 Big 12) scored all eight first-inning runs off KSU starter Jonathan Gutierrez (0-2). Only one of those seven runs was earned after an error by the Wildcats (12-31, 2-17 Big 12) allowed David Murphy to each with one out in the inning.
Josh Ford followed with a single, and Michael Griffin doubled in both runners. Mark Saccomanno grounded out for what should have been the third out of the inning, but each of the next seven batters recorded hits against Gutierrez and reliever Andrew Ehling. The Bears recorded eight runs on nine hits in the frame, both season-highs for a single inning.
With the lead, Baylor starter Steven White (6-3) cruised, striking out nine batters and picking up the seven-inning complete game. White walked just one and gave up one run on seven hits.
The Bears added two more runs in the second, and after KSU third baseman Zach Saunders homered to right in the fourth for the Wildcats' only run, Baylor pushed across one more run in the fifth to make the final score 11-1.
Five Bears finished the day with two hits apiece. Griffin drove in three runs on his two hits, including his team-leading 21st double of the year, and Paul Witt drove in two with a double and a triple.
KSU catcher Josh Heinrich went 3-for-3, recording nearly half his team's hits.
The senior pitcher won his 25th career game, fourth-best in the Baylor recordbooks, and moved into third place in career strikeouts with 291, passing Kip Wells and Josh Scott. White needs just one strikeout to tie Kris Lambert for second on the career charts; Jason Jennings holds the school record with 377.
The game was called after seven innings as dictated by the Big 12 Conference "mercy rule," which allows doubleheader games and get-away day games to be called after seven innings with one team leading by 10 or more runs.
Both teams meet again Saturday in game two of the doubleheader at 5:40 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader was caused by storms that moved through the area Friday night, postponing the series opener.
