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
#25 Cincinnati at UNLV
The Bearcats found themselves down 5-0 after the first inning and managed to climb back in the game by the time the third inning rolled around. Cal Sefcik homered, and Quinton Caats drove in a run to pull Cincinnati within one.
UNLV would add a run in the fourth, but Cincinnati managed to tie the game in the fifth after a sac-fly from Tommy O’Connor.
The Rebs would take another lead in the eighth inning, but the Bearcats wouldn’t back down easily. Down by two going into the ninth inning, Tommy O’Connor drove in a run with his RBI triple before Laden Brooks tied the game with his RBI double.
But it was Jack Natali who came up with this big hit to give Cincinnati the lead and the pitching staff managed to hang on for the 10-9 comeback victory.
Best Win
Kansas State over #22 TCU
Just when you think it’s too good to be true, the Kansas State Wildcats keep on winning big games. On Sunday against TCU, the Wildcats put up ten runs and gave up just two. They had a big fifth inning putting up a four-spot highlighted by a couple of mistakes from TCU along with Maximus Martin’s two-run RBI double.
Kansas State would add some insurance runs in the seventh thanks to more errors from TCU but also thanks to Micah Dean’s big hit.
Between the mistakes from TCU and the pitching from Lincoln Sheffield, Kansas State won this game with ease to cap off a great weekend where they went 3-0 including two wins over ranked teams.
Worst Loss
Texas Tech
After a terrible start to the season, the Red Raiders came back home to Lubbock and the struggles continued. Against UC Irvine, Tech took an early 3-0 lead and gave it up by the time the second inning came around. While it ended up being a high scoring game, Tech never could settle down on the mound as they gave up 11 runs on Sunday. And speaking of giving up runs, the Red Raiders gave up a total of 29 runs over the weekend. Now sitting at 1-5, this team has to find a way to get more from their pitching staff.
Sunday MVP
Kansas SS Sawyer Smith
Sawyer put on a Texas sized performance in the Lone Star State on Sunday. Against Tarleton State, he crushed two home runs and had a team high 5 RBIs. Smith helped the Jayhawks complete the sweep over Texans over the weekend.
Pitcher of the Day
Kansas State LHP Lincoln Sheffield
Lincoln put on an absolute show in Arlington against one of the best offenses in the Big 12. Sheffield pitched seven innings and gave up just three hits and one run against the Horned Frogs. He also managed to strike out eight batters during his time on the mound. Lincoln is just one of many pitchers from Kansas State that have really impressed me this weekend.
Best Home Run
Houston Second Baseman Connor McGinnis
Connor’s two-run blast helped the Cougars take down Cal on the road on Sunday afternoon. His home run put Houston up by three in the ninth inning which helped secure the series win.
Full Scoreboard
#19 Oklahoma State: 19, UT Arlington: 4
Kansas State: 10, #22 TCU: 2
#25 Cincinnati: 10, UNLV: 9
Kansas: 11, Tarleton State: 7
Arizona: 12, San Diego: 6
West Virginia: 5, Lipscomb: 0
West Virginia: 4, Lipscomb: 2
Arizona State: 9, Oral Roberts: 2
Houston: 7, Cal: 4
UC Irvine: 11, Texas Tech: 10
Bryant: 5, UCF: 3
Gonzaga: 8, Baylor: 7
UC San Diego: 9, Utah: 8
