Big 12 Baseball Saturday Six-Pack: West Virginia Shocks Oklahoma
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 Saturday with a nice six pack.
Best Game
Kansas State at Houston
After taking game one on Friday night, Kansas State had an opportunity to take the series on Saturday in Houston. The Wildcats got on the board first as Kaelen Culpepper and Nick English got things started early.
Justin Murray ended up trying the game at two for Houston in the fifth before teammate Harold Coll brought in two more to take the lead.
But the cardiac Cats wouldn’t go away. In the eighth inning, Kansas State put up a four spot to capture the lead. Danniel Riveria advanced on a wild pitch and then a throwing error tied the game at five. Then it was Chuck Ingram who came up with the key hit to give Kansas State a 6-5 lead and the game.
Best Win
West Virginia
The Mountaineers came into Saturday down a game to the seventeenth ranked Oklahoma Sooners on the road. Due to potential weather issues on Sunday, they decided to play a doubleheader on Saturday.
West Virginia took game one 9-5 thanks to some great offense but mostly due to Derek Clark on the mound. Clark pitched a complete game and that was key because West Virginia got to save a lot of their arms for the second game of the day.
In the rubber match, a lot of the same happened. The Mountaineers scored eight runs and they were backed by some great pitching between Tyler Switalski and David Hagaman. Between the two games, West Virginia only gave up eight runs against a good Oklahoma offense and that is why they took both games and the series on Saturday. It was a huge upset and I wonder if this will get West Virginia in a gear to start turning things around.
Worst Loss
BYU
The Cougars pulled off the upset in game one on Thursday before falling in a close one on Friday night. In the series finale on Saturday, BYU had a complete meltdown both offensively and defensively. The Cougars were only able to get two hits and scored just one run. Meanwhile, the five pitchers they used struggled on the mound as they gave up a whopping ten runs on the day. BYU had a chance to get another key series win under their belt and instead they completely pulled a no show on Saturday.
Saturday MVP
Texas 1B Jared Thomas
Jared had a big day for Texas in a game they desperately needed to win. He hit a solo blast in the second inning before hammering another one in the eighth. Jared finished the day with two homers and four RBIs.
Pitcher of the Day
Oklahoma State RHP Brian Holiday
Brian is no stranger to this award and once again he was dominant. He pitched a complete game and struck out 14 batters while giving up just two runs. That is very impressive considering the competition he was facing.
Best Home Run
West Virginia 1B Grant Hussey
Grant’s three-run homer helped West Virginia take an early lead in the series finale against Oklahoma. The Mountaineers ended up taking game three and the series.
Full Scoreboard
UCF: 6, Kansas: 2 (game one)
UCF: 4, Kansas: 1 (game two)
Cincinnati: 13, Saint Louis: 4
Texas Tech: 10, BYU: 1
Texas: 10, Baylor: 2
Kansas State: 6, Houston: 5
Oklahoma State: 6, #18 TCU: 2
West Virginia: 9, #17 Oklahoma: 5 (game two)
West Virginia: 8, #17 Oklahoma: 3 (game two)
