Postseason baseball is finally here as the Field of 64 is set. Day two of NCAA Baseball Regional action took place on Saturday, with great baseball from early morning until late at night. There were six Big 12 teams in action on Saturday, and here are my six thoughts from the conference on opening day.
Oklahoma State Escapes
Going up against a team like Alabama State, I didn’t expect many problems for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys jumped out to a 6-0 lead thanks to a Colin Brueggmann grand slam and a fielding error. But things quickly started falling apart as the Hornets came stinging their way back and eventually tied the game in the eighth.
Heading into extras, both teams traded a run in the tenth, and it was Kollin Ritchie who hit a solo blast in the eleventh to help the Cowboys back on top to win the game.
Related: Top 6 Takeaways From Day 1 of the NCAA Baseball Tournament Regionals
Arizona State Slams Past South Dakota State
It’s not often you see a 17-run blowout in a regional game, but that’s exactly what took place in Lincoln for the elimination matchup.
The Sun Devils had a memorable fifth inning, scoring 11 runs and never losing control. It started with a Nu’u Contrades grand slam, and with the help of a few walks and another grand slam by Austen Rolling, this game was all but over. I can’t say that I have ever seen two grand slams in the same game.
West Virginia’s failed comeback
With a 6-0 lead over West Virginia in the second inning, it was going to take a lot for Kentucky to blow that kind of lead. But as we all know, no lead is safe when it comes to postseason baseball.
By the time the fifth inning rolled around, West. Virginia managed to tie the game, but Kentucky separated itself once again thanks to a big hit by Owen Jenkins.
Yet the Mountaineers wouldn’t go away easily. In the seventh inning, Tyrus Hall tied the game back up at 8 before the Wildcats were able to put a pair of runs on the board to seal the deal in the eighth. As great as the bats were for the Mountaineers, the pitching staff didn’t have its best day.
Hawks Over Hogs
One of the most anticipated matchups out of any regional on Saturday took place in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks hosted the Razorbacks, and Saturday’s game lived up to the hype.
As usual, it was Tyson LeBlanc for Kansas who led the way. LeBlanc brought the first run across for the Jayhawks and then tied the game at three with his two-run bomb in the fifth.
From there, Kansas’ pitching stepped up, and Tyson Owens drew a walk to score a run before Augusto Mungarrieta gave the Jayhawks some insurance with a solo home run in the eighth.
The Slipper Still Fits
As happy as I am for UCF to be in the postseason, it’s hard to like their opponent on Saturday with Milwaukee. The Panthers are arguably the best story in college baseball right now after a big win over Auburn on Friday, before putting a beatdown on UCF on Saturday.
Unfortunately, I don’t have much to take away from this game, because the Knights got their butt kicked and it wasn’t even close. It was 9-0 in the fifth inning, and while UCF put up five runs in the sixth, they still felt miles away from ever taking the lead.
Sometimes it’s about who is hot, and right now, Milwaukee is on fire. This UCF team is good enough to make it out of this regional, but I will be very interested to see how they respond after a bad loss like this.
Mid-Game Meltdown
For the first few innings of the Cincinnati/Mississippi State game, it was a total battle. Both teams struggled to score runs, and after four innings, the game was still tied at one. But then the Bulldogs caught fire and piled on seven runs between the fifth and sixth innings.
It seemed like every time I looked up, another run was scored, and by the end of the sixth, the Bulldogs were up 10-1. The Bearcats made a small push, but by then, it was too little too late.
