Big 12 Baseball Championship: Day Two Recap

Four more games were played on Wednesday at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship in Arlington. West Virginia and Texas are first two teams eliminated from the tournament.

Oklahoma pitcher Braden Davis pitched a complete game shutout in Wednesday's game at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship / X: @OU_Baseball

Phillips Big 12 Baseball Championship - Wednesday's Games

1. Game Five –No. 6 Kansas State 8 – No. 3 West Virginia 3
2. Game Six – No. 1 Oklahoma 4 - No. 9 TCU 0
3. Game Seven –No. 5 Cincinnati 8 - No. 3 Texas 7
4. Game Eight – No. 2 Oklahoma State 7 - No. 10 Texas Tech 2

Postseason baseball continued on Wednesday at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship in Arlington. The week started with the top ten teams from the facing off in a new format double-elimination tournament. After Wednesday’s games, we are down to eight teams, as No. 4 West Virginia and No. 3 Texas were eliminated.

Through eight games, the lower-seeded team has won six of them.

Game Five –No. 6 Kansas State 8 – No. 3 West Virginia 3

No. 3 West Virginia (33-22) didn’t waste any time getting the game started early Wednesday morning. To start the game, JJ Wetherholt singled, Logan Sauve singled; Reed Chumley was hit by a pitch; Brodie Kresser singled bringing two home; and then Sam White hit a sacrifice fly bringing a third home. Cats fans were nervous, thinking they were in for a long morning.

But No. 6 Kansas State (32-23) had their own weapon that the Mountaineers did not anticipate. Owen Boerema threw the first complete game in a conference tournament in Kansas State history. He threw 131 pitches including ten strikeouts, only two walks, seven hits, and four runs, three of which were the first three batters he faced.

The Cats would go on a tear in the fourth inning. Thirteen batters would come to the plate. They’d get seven hits and four runs. Had they not stranded three, the damage could have been worse.

Kansas State improved to 2-0 against West Virginia at the Big 12 Championship.

Winning pitcher: - Owen Boerema (6-3); Losing pitcher – Hambleton Oliver (2-2).

Next up: Kansas State meets TCU at 9 a.m. on Thursday in an elimination game. West Virginia was the first team eliminated from this year’s tournament.  

Game Six – No. 1 Oklahoma 4 - No. 9 TCU 0

As TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos said postgame “Braden Davis was really good. Yeah, that was the name of the game. Braden Davis was awesome.”

Saarloos was talking about the starting pitcher for No. 1 Oklahoma (35-18). Davis through a complete-game shutout, the first time that had been done in the Big 12 Championship in nine years.

For a complete recap of this game, read our article here.

Oklahoma is now 44-43 all-time at the Big 12 Championship. TCU fell to 27-14. The Sooners are now 1-2 against the Horned Frogs at the Big 12 Championship.

Winning pitcher – Braden Davis (9-3), Losing pitcher – Payton Tolle (7-4).

Next up: TCU plays Kansas State on Thursday at 9 a.m. in an elimination game. Following that game, Oklahoma plays Kansas in the winners’ bracket.

Game Seven –No. 5 Cincinnati 8 - No. 3 Texas 7

No. 3 Texas (35-22) had never played No. 5 Cincinnati (32-24) before Wednesday night. The two teams did not play in the regular season, Cincinnati’s first in the Big 12. With Texas heading to the SEC this summer, this elimination game would be the only time they’d meet as conference opponents.

The Bearcats scored a run in the 1st  and 2nd innings before Texas took the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the 4th. Cincinnati would add two more in the 6th and then a four-spot in the 8th. Texas entered the bottom of the 8th inning down 8-3. They were able to add four more runs, making the 9th a tense-filled inning. Cincinnati would hold on for the win, sending the Longhorns home.

For the second straight year, Texas went 0-2 in the Big 12 Championship. Texas will leave the conference with a 45-40 all-time record in the tournament.

Winning pitcher – Carson Marsh (5-2); Losing pitcher – Gage Boehm (5-3).

Next up: Cincinnati meets Texas Tech at 4 p.m. on Thursday in an elimination game. Texas was the second team eliminated from this year’s tournament.  

Game Eight – No. 2 Oklahoma State 7 - No. 10 Texas Tech 2

In Wednesday’s night cap, No. 2 Oklahoma State (37-16) struck first with two first inning runs. They would add two more before No. 10 Texas Tech (32-25) would get on the board in the 7th. Throughout the game, OSU would load the bases, but wasn't able to take advantage of it until the bottom of the 7th when they scored three runs off of two walks and a hit by pitch.

The two teams combined to go 1-for-21 (.048) with runners in scoring position.

Winning pitcher – Carson Benge (3-1); Losing pitcher – Zach Erdman (0-1).

Next up: Texas Tech plays Cincinnati on Thursday at 4 p.m. in an elimination game. Oklahoma State plays UCF on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in a winners’ bracket game.

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