Friday Big 12 Baseball Six-Pack: Oklahoma Upsets Texas While West Virginia Takes Game One Against TCU
Is there anything better than cold beer and baseball? It’s a combination that is hard to beat during the season. No matter what kind of beer you drink (or how many), let’s take a look at some of the best action on the Big 12 baseball diamond from Friday with a nice six pack.
Best Game
Oklahoma at #14 Texas
If you like a good old fashioned pitching battle, then this was the game for you. Braxton Douthit got the start for the Sooners while Lucas Gordon started for the Longhorns. Both pitchers had an excellent game and either team could have won this one. Douthit walked in a run to put Texas on top 1-0 in the second inning and neither team scored again until Oklahoma’s Caden Powell knocked in a run in the fifth inning to tie the game at one.
The Sooners would take the lead in the eighth inning thanks to a bases loaded walk and that ended up being the run that won the game for Oklahoma.
I expected a lot more sparks in this game but both offenses were really cooled down by some great pitching. Oklahoma now has a chance to take the series on Saturday, but this now means Texas would have to win back-to-back games just to win the series.
Best Win
Kansas State over UC Irvine
We head out west as Kansas State took on UC Irvine on Friday night. The Wildcats put up a run in the first inning and then Nick Goodwin’s two-run blast gave Kansas State an early 3-0 lead. UC Irvine ended up tying the game in the fifth inning, but Kalen Culpepper’s solo home run put Kansas State back on top in the seventh. The Wildcats would add a pair of insurance runs in the ninth as they took game one with a 6 to 3 victory. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but this was actually a big win for Kansas State to start their weekend off right.
Worst Loss
Baylor
The Bears went to Lubbock on Friday night and got absolutely embarrassed. Blake Helton got the start for Baylor and gave up seven earned runs in just a little over three innings. This game was never close as Texas Tech scored ten runs on the evening and Baylor only got one run on the board. It was a rough night for the Bears, and they definitely need a bounce back performance on Saturday.
Friday MVP
Oklahoma State 1B David Mendham
David had a great game against Kansas on Friday night as he drove in four runs. He brought in a pair of runs in the sixth inning before hitting a two-run blast in the eighth.
Pitcher of the Day
Texas Tech LHP Mason Molina
There were some great pitching performances on Friday night in the Big 12 but nobody was better than Mason Molina. He gave up just one hit and didn’t allow a single run in seven innings of work on the mound and struck out 12 batters. It was one of the best pitching performances I have seen all year in the Big 12.
Best Home Run
West Virginia 3B Sam White
Sam hit a monster three-run bomb in the fourth inning against TCU to give West Virginia a 5-1 lead. That ended up being enough to take down the Horned Frogs in Morgantown on Friday night.
Full Scoreboard
Oklahoma: 2, #14 Texas: 1
#16 Texas Tech: 10, Baylor: 1
Oklahoma State: 15, Kansas: 10
West Virginia: 5, TCU: 4
Kansas State: 6, UC Irvine: 3
