Here is your Big 12 Recap for February 19th.
#1 Texas 6 New Mexico 2
Gonzaga 10 Missouri 6
TUCSON, Ariz.- – For the first time since 2006, the Missouri baseball team dropped its season opener, falling to Gonzaga by a score of 10-6 in the start of play at the Collegiate Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz.
Prior to Friday’s loss, the Tigers had won four-straight opening day games and six of their last seven.
"We got to play," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "We got a lot of people involved and we know what things we need to focus on. There were a few situations where if we can make the play, runs don’t score."
Gonzaga put the first two runs on the board in the top of the first inning, then added a run with a second inning home run by Cameron Edman.
Texas Tech 8 Jacksonville State 3
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech’s own version of the Killer B’s came up big on Opening Day as junior right-hander Chad Bettis pitched seven strong innings and freshman right fielder Barrett Barnes drove in six runs to lead the Red Raiders to an 8-3 win over Jacksonville State in front of 2,243 fans at Dan Law Field.
With the win, Texas Tech improves to 1-0 on the season and will resume play tomorrow afternoon against the Michigan Wolverines in what will be the fourth game of the Red Raider Classic. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Bettis set the tone early for the contest as he retired the first 13 Gamecock hitters he faced and that helped give the offense some breathing room as Tech staked an 8-0 lead during that stretch. Jacksonville State finally managed its first hit of the night off of Bettis with a leadoff double by Kyle Bluestein in the top of the sixth. In all Bettis, allowed just one run on four hits and struckout four over seven innings of work to pick up his first win of the season.
Barnes’ Red Raider debut was a special one as the Sugarland, Texas, native drove in the first run of the season for the Red Raiders in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to left that plated Joey Kenworthy, who drew a one-out walk. Junior catcher Jeremy Mayo followed Barnes’ lead and drove in two more runs with a single down the third base line to give Tech the early 3-0 lead.
Kansas State 11 Delaware 5
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Daniel Dellasega’s bases-loaded double highlighted a five-run ninth inning explosion as Kansas State topped Delaware, 11-5, Friday afternoon in the 2010 season-opener at Riley Park in the opening game of The Citadel Memorial Challenge.
The Wildcats, who led throughout the contest, saw a 6-2 lead evaporate in the seventh inning when the Blue Hens scored three times to pull within one run. But, in the ninth, freshman Blair DeBord coaxed a pinch-hit walk to begin a rally that included Dellasega’s line-drive double into the left-field corner that put the game out of reach.
"We had a huge at-bat to begin the inning from Blair DeBord," said head coach Brad Hill. "He fouled off four or five pitches before drawing a walk. That helped to get us started and create some pressure. And then we have Daniel Dellasega come through with a huge hit to give us more of a comfortable lead."
Baylor 9 Duke 3
WACO, Texas – Shawn Tolleson struck out 11 batters and allowed just three runs in 6.0 innings to pick up the win as Baylor baseball opened the 2010 season with a 9-3 win over Duke Friday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.
Tolleson allowed three runs on three hits in the first inning, but held the Blue Devils scoreless on two hits over the next five frames. The Baylor offense quickly answered with two runs in the bottom of the first.
True freshman Max Muncy hit a two-out single on the first pitch he saw, and Dan Evatt brought him home with a RBI double. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Evatt scored when Duke starter Eric Pfisterer was called for a balk.
Both starters settled in and held the opposing offenses scoreless over the next two innings before the Bears plated the tying run in the bottom of the fourth. Evatt drew a leadoff walk, Cal Towey laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Gregg Glime delivered a RBI single.
Georgia 7 Baylor 5
WACO, Texas – Baylor rallied from four runs down once, but needing a second rally, the Bears stranded the potential tying run on second base in the ninth, as No. 21 Georgia held on for a 7-5 win Friday night at Baylor Ballpark.
Johnathan Taylor delivered a pair of two-run singles, the first of which came in the fifth inning and capped a four-run outburst. Baylor starting pitcher Logan Verrett was perfect through the first four frames, but Georgia took advantage of an error and four hits to take a 4-0 lead in the fifth.
Georgia starting pitcher Justin Grimm was nearly as good through the first four frames, holding the Bears scoreless on two hits, but like Verrett, he ran into trouble in the fifth. Landis Ware led off with a single, stole second base and advanced to third on a flyout.
Texas A&M 11 Seton Hall 2
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Barret Loux struck out eight over five strong innings and Brodie Greene drove in a career-high four runs to lead the Texas A&M baseball team to an 11-2 win over Seton Hall in the 2010 season opener Friday night before 5,284 fans at Olsen Field.
The Aggies took a 4-2 lead into the last of the seventh before touching up the Pirate bullpen for two in that frame and five more in the eighth. The story of the night for the A&M offense was clutch hitting, as nine of 11 runs, eight of 11 hits and six of seven RBIs came with two outs.
"It was a very good game," A&M coach Rob Childress said. "We got off to a very good start, and Barret allowed us to do that. Once we got rolling offensively, it was a lot of fun to watch. We scored nine of our 11 runs tonight with two outs, and that’s just guys coming up with big hits. We played good defense behind our pitchers and were able to play a lot of guys late. Overall it was a great night."
Seton Hall took advantage of a miscue in the third and played that into an early 1-0 lead on a run-scoring single by leadoff hitter Will Walsh.
Fresno State 7 Nebraska 5
FRESNO, Calif. – Jordan Ribera’s two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth capped a four-run inning, giving Fresno State an improbable 7-5 victory over Nebraska Friday in the season opener for both teams.
The Bulldogs trailed 5-3 before scoring four times in the ninth off of reliever Mike Nesseth (0-1), getting a two-run double from Brennan Gowens before Ribera sent Nesseth’s next offering over the fence in right center for the game winner.
One-out walks to Garrett Weber and Danny Muno started the uprising before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Nesseth struck out Dusty Robinson for the second out, but could not finish the save, as Gowens sent a 2-2 pitch into the gap in left center.
It was just the fifth time in the last eight years that Nebraska took a lead into the ninth and didn’t win.
“Our pitching was very good against a very good hitting team until the end,” Nebraska Coach Mike Anderson said. “We have to finish. That is the bottom line. It is game one and there is a lot of season left. We will get better, but I thought that Jordan (Roualdes) and Casey (Hauptman) did a great job for us.”
Kansas vs. Eastern Michigan – PPD to Sunday
