April 26, 2008

Recap | Box Score

Baylor head coach Steve Smith:

On trying to come back from losing the first game in extra innings:

"I don't think what happened in the first game had anything to do with Shawn Tolleson. He was hitting bodies, and he was hitting bats. Two hit batters, two walks, and four hits accounted for seven runs. He's a freshman, and he's learning. He's had some good games, but they haven't been against Nebraska, they haven't been against (Texas) A&M, and they haven't been against the really good offensive clubs in the league. The record doesn't show Nebraska to be a good offensive club, but they're good in my book because they compete with two strikes. They force you to get them out in(side) with two strikes."

On Brooks Kimmey's two-run, pinch-hit homer that tied the first game in the ninth:

"That guy actually gave us a chance; that was huge. We can't afford to make foolish mistakes. We don't make the bona fide error too often; we make the goofy one. You throw to the cutoff man who can't throw to the middle infielder who is covering the bag to get the tag and end the inning. They do the right thing by going to second, drawing the throw, and they're willing to give up the out right there. We don't get that out, we wind up giving up that run, and now that's two runs instead of one."

On using Willie Kempf in a relief role in the first game:

"We were in a game. We had a chance. It probably wasn't fair to him, even though he knew about it and it wasn't like he had it sprung on him, because he clearly wasn't comfortable in the role. Maybe if he gets some more opportunities he'll get comfortable."

Baylor junior OF Ben Booker:

On losing both games:

"When we lose the first game of a doubleheader in extra innings it's pretty tough, especially when they come out and put up a seven-spot in the first. As a team we haven't been playing well at all. We're either pitching but not hitting, or we're hitting and not pitching. Today it was just everything. We had 11 hits today in two games, which is awful. It's in our team's head right now, and the team just has to talk to each other and get the frustration out among the group. We can't take it on the field with us like we've been doing."

On the lack of offensive production:

"I feel bad for the pitchers, because if they're not on, it looks like right now we don't even have a chance. We've got to step it up and find what the deal is hitting-wise. All of our pitchers have been competing big-time, and the whole offense is letting them down."

Baylor junior C Brooks Kimmey:

On his two-run homer that tied the first game with one-out in the bottom of the ninth:

"Whenever you're pinch-hitting you try to get a pitch early in the count. I usually don't like to swing at the first pitch, but I was ready to swing and he threw me a fastball for a ball, so I was pretty glad that I'd seen a fastball and I still wasn't down a strike. The next pitch was a pretty good pitch; something kind of down and in that I could get turned on and get the head out. I put a good swing on it and it went over, so it was pretty exciting."

On falling behind 7-0 before coming to bat in the second game:

"It's tough when the other team puts up a seven-spot in the first inning. Thad Weber's a great pitcher. It seems like all of their guys have been there 10 years. I remember watching Jake Opitz when I was in high school when I'd come to watch Baylor games. They've got a veteran club, we're young, and everybody's talented in this league. We have a lot of talent, and so does everybody else, but a lot of them have more experience. It's tough with us trying to grow into our talent and compete at this level."