Big 12 Baseball Sunday Six-Pack: Texas Tech Sweeps West Virginia While Texas Beats 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 Sunday with a nice six pack.
Best Game
TCU at Texas
A lot of times we see these crazy high scoring games in the Big 12 and I am ok with that, but I do enjoy the occasional pitching battle between two teams. That is what happened down in Austin between TCU and Texas.
TCU scored their one and only run of the game in the second inning thanks to a wild pitch to take a 1-0 lead.
But Texas responded quickly later in the inning when first baseman Casey Borba knocked in two runs with his double to left center. That put Texas on top 2-1.
I was expecting these two teams to go back and forth throughout the game and instead neither team ended up scoring another run after the second inning. The Longhorns only used two pitchers in this game with Lebarron Johnson Jr. and Gage Boehm. Between the two, they only gave up three hits, which is impressive.
As for TCU, they used several arms to slow down Texas but unfortunately their offense couldn’t get the job done. With the win, Texas took the rubber match and the series. I said coming into this weekend that this was a postseason type matchup and Texas came out on top. People may be upset with head coach David Pierce, but the man is still in contention for a Big 12 title.
Best Win
Texas Tech over #22 West Virginia
Due to some bad weather on Saturday, Texas Tech and West Virginia had to play a doubleheader on Sunday to close out the weekend. And after taking game one on Friday night, the Red Raiders ended up winning both games on Sunday to complete the sweep. While they may have not put up some crazy numbers at the plate, I was extremely impressed with their starting pitchers on Sunday. Mac Heuer and Kyle Robinson pitched a combined 12 innings and gave up just three runs against a good West Virginia lineup. Those two played a huge role in Texas Tech’s victories and this could be a series we look back on for the Red Raiders when it comes to making the postseason.
Worst Loss
TCU
I could easily put West Virginia here or even Baylor but I am going to go with TCU. Why? Because they NEEDED this series against Texas this weekend. With only three Big 12 series left on their schedule, the opportunities for the Horned Frogs are running out and here we are going into the final weekend of April, and they are 8-13 in Big 12 play. That simply isn’t going to cut it when it comes to making the postseason. The margin for error for this team is already small and this weekend just made it even smaller.
Sunday MVP
Kansas 1B Ben Hartl
Ben had a big day in Waco finishing with a team high five RBIs in the Jayhawks big win over Baylor including this grand slam.
Pitcher of the Day
Texas Tech RHP Kyle Robinson
Kyle pitched a gem against a good West Virginia team on Sunday. He went seven innings and only gave up a single run. Kyle also managed to strike out nine batters during his time on the mound. Also, Kyle threw well over 100 pitches which is something you don’t see very often.
Best Home Run
Houston C Jonathan French
Jonathan’s solo blast in the eighth inning gave Houston the lead and helped the Cougars avoid the sweep against Cincinnati.
Full Scoreboard
#15 Oklahoma State: 6, Kansas State: 4
Texas Tech: 6, #22 West Virginia: 4 (game one)
Texas Tech: 3, #22 West Virginia: 1 (game two)
Texas: 2, TCU: 1
UCF: 23, Central Michigan: 3
Kansas: 12, Baylor: 2
Houston: 8, Cincinnati: 5
