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Missed Opportunities Cost Bears in 7-6 Loss to Texas
April 14, 2006
No. 24 Baylor and No. 8 Texas added to their recent list of classic meetings in Thursday night's Big 12 Conference series opener at Baylor Ballpark with a four-hour, 30-minute marathon. In the end, Hunter Harris' pinch-hit RBI single in the top of the 13th inning gave the Longhorns (25-12, 10-2) a 7-6 victory over the Bears (22-13, 7-6) in the series opener. It was the longest game between the two teams since a 16-inning, 3-2 Texas victory in Waco in 1991. A crowd of 5,313 attended the game, the second-largest crowd in Baylor Ballpark history and the facility's second sellout. Bradley Suttle led off the 13th with a single up the middle, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a passed ball. After an infield single by Preston Clark on which Suttle held at third, Harris slapped a 1-2 Nick Cassavechia offering into right for the go-ahead run. Texas reliever Austin Wood retired Baylor in order in the bottom of the inning to close the game. Wood (4-1) earned the victory, holding the Bears scoreless on two hit and three walks with seven strikeouts over 4.1 innings, working out of several jams in the process. Baylor had several opportunities to win. After Tim Jackson's one-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth tied the game and put runners on the corners, Kevin Sevigny popped out and Chase Gerdes was called out on strikes to end the inning. In the 12th, the Bears loaded the bases with one out, but Wood struck out Kevin Russo and Matt Sodolak to end the threat. The Bears left 17 runners on base and were victimized by a 3-for-22 night with runners in scoring position. Cassavechia (3-3) was tagged with the loss, allowing one unearned run on five hits with three strikeouts over 4.0 innings.
Zach Dillon led the Bears at the plate, going 3-for-6 with a walk and two runs scored. Beamer Weems tied a school record with four walks on the night. Sodolak added three hits in seven at bats. Ben Booker, Jackson and Sevigny had two hits each. Baylor and Texas continue the series Saturday at Disch-Falk Field in Austin; first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT. The Bears send southpaw Cory VanAllen (4-3, 3.94) to the mound, opposite Longhorn right-hander Adrian Alaniz (5-1, 2.98). Both remaining games in the series will be televised live nationally on CSTV. The game will be aired live in the Waco are on Time Warner Cable Channel 16. |
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