![John Spikerman is greeted after a score as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) play the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) in Bedlam baseball on May 19, 2023 at L Dale Mitchell Park in Norman, Okla. [Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman]](https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/USATSI_20706064-scaled.jpg)
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 Sunday with a nice six pack.
Best Game
#22 Oklahoma at Texas Tech
Even though Oklahoma won the series on Saturday, there was plenty of late game drama in Lubbock on Sunday. Oklahoma got on the board first with a two-run homer from Michael Snyder.
Texas Tech would score later in the first inning, but the Sooners started to pile on early. John Spikerman went deep with a two-run shot and Oklahoma added another pair of runs in the fourth inning to make it a 6-1 game.
Thanks to a couple of errors by Oklahoma, Texas Tech scored three runs in the fifth inning to pull within two.
But the Sooners separated themselves once again thanks to Easton Carmichael’s two-run home run to put them up by four.
After that is where things started to get interesting. The Red Raiders scored a run in the seventh inning and in the ninth inning, Gavin Kash hit a solo shot to pull closer. Landon Stripling brought in a run in the ninth as well and all of a sudden it was a one-run ballgame.
With the tying run on third and with two outs, Oklahoma’s Malachi Witherspoon came up with the big save in a key moment. With the win, the Sooners complete the sweep over Texas Tech and remain in first place.
Best Win
Cincinnati over West Virginia
I could have gone with several teams here, but I wanted to focus on Cincinnati after their big series win against West Virginia on Sunday. The Bearcats got off to a hot start by scoring four runs in the first inning.
And while West Virginia made a small comeback, Alec Jones blasted a three-run bomb to make it a 7-2 ballgame.
The Bearcats would add an insurance run in the seventh, but they didn’t really need it as they went on to win 8-2. It was a big win for Cincinnati and after being picked to finish last back in the preseason, head coach Jordan Bischel has this team in sixth place with a 13-11 record in Big 12 play. This team has a real shot at making the postseason if they can keep it up.
Worst Loss
Baylor and Texas Tech
What a completely disappointing weekend for both teams. They both played at home against quality opponents and got swept. Baylor got swept by TCU and have now lost eight straight conference games after getting off to a 9-7 start.
Meanwhile Texas Tech hasn’t done much better. After getting swept by Oklahoma, they have now lost six straight conference games and have fallen to 12-15 on the season. At this point I would say Baylor’s postseason hopes are slim and Texas Tech is hanging around the bubble. Neither team is in a great position with only a couple of opportunities left.
Sunday MVP
TCU Catcher Karson Bowen
Karson had a big game against Baylor knocking in four runs on the day including this two-run shot in the first inning. He played a crucial role in TCU’s sweep over Baylor.
Pitcher of the Day
Oklahoma State RHP Carson Benge
Carson was money on Sunday afternoon against the Longhorns. He pitched almost seven innings and only allowed two hits and one run against a great Texas lineup. And he hit a home run.
Best Home Run
Oklahoma DH Easton Carmichael
Easton blasted a two-run shot in the sixth inning that gave the Sooners some wiggle room against Texas Tech. And they needed every run they could get on Sunday.
Full Scoreboard
#14 Oklahoma State: 7, Texas: 2
#22 Oklahoma: 8, Texas Tech: 7
Kansas State: 4, Kansas: 2
Cincinnati: 8, West Virginia: 2
TCU: 10, Baylor: 6
UCF at Houston (Cancelled)
