K-State Jumps Out Early to Defeat No. 25 Baylor, 6-2
May 23, 2002 | Baseball
May 23, 2002
Arlington, Texas - Senior left-handed pitcher Brock Smith allowed just two hits in 7-2/3 innings with a career-high seven strikeouts and outfielder Nick Sorensen collected a team-best three RBIs, as Kansas State posted a 6-2 victory over No. 25 Baylor in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament played Thursday morning at the Ballpark in Arlington. The loss eliminated the Bears from the tournament.
With the win, Kansas State collected its first postseason win since a 14-11 victory over Kansas in the second round of the 1995 Big Eight Tournament on May 20 in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Wildcats improved to 29-24 on the season and await the loser of Thursday's game between second-seeded Nebraska and third-seeded Texas Tech on Friday at 4 p.m. The team lost 5-4 to the Red Raiders in 12 innings on Wednesday.
Baylor ends its season at 34-24 after losing for the third time in four meetings with Kansas State this season. The Wildcats came into the season with just two victories and on an 11-game skid against the Bears in 15 total meetings.
"This is a proud moment for our program," said Wildcat head coach Mike Clark. "These guys are special kids. They have played hard all season long. We finished fifth in the regular season and we have competed hard against two great ball clubs. This is a historic moment for K-State. This is our first tournament win (since the 1995 Big Eight Tournament). This is huge for K-Staters everywhere and our program."
After threatening with a runner on third in the top of the first inning, Kansas State scored the game's first run in the second inning, as third baseman Ty Soto advanced home on catcher Ryan Baldwin's sacrifice fly to left field. Soto led off the inning with a single to left-center then moved to second base on a wild pitch then to third on a ground out by first baseman Brett Williams.
Holding a 1-0 lead, Kansas State struck for more in the top of the fourth inning, as the Wildcats scored three runs on three hits. Junior outfielder Pat Maloney led off the inning with a single past the shortstop then moved to second after designated hitter Tim Doty was hit with a pitch from Baylor starter Justin Taylor with no outs. After Soto moved the runners on a sacrifice bunt, Williams drew a walk after falling behind 0-2 in the count to load the bases. Catcher Ryan Baldwin looped a single to shallow right field on the next at-bat to score Maloney followed by outfielder Nick Sorensen's two-RBI double down the line that fell just out of the reach of the fielder. However, with runners on second and third and just one out, second baseman Brandon Taylor lined into a double play to end the inning.
Kansas State added a single run in top of the sixth inning to push its lead to 5-0, as Doty scored from third base on a two-out single to left field by Sorensen. Doty led off the inning by reaching on an error by the third baseman then moved to third base on a single by Williams to right field. Wildcat starter Brock Smith was spectacular on the mound until he lost a little control in the bottom of the sixth inning, as he gave up a lead-off walk to outfielder Tim Hartshorn, and then after a fly-ball out, one to designated hitter Jared Clements. However, he quickly ended the threat, getting first baseman Mike Huggins to fly-out to center field and outfielder David Murphy to line out to shortstop Osmar Castillo.
The Wildcats added another run in the top of the seventh for a 6-0 advantage, as Maloney scored from second base on Doty's single to center field. Maloney reached on an errant throw by the third baseman with two outs then moved to second on a wild pitch. The team had a chance to add more runs after the Doty single and a base-knock by Soto, however, Williams struck out looking to end the inning on new Bear pitcher Kyle Edens.
Baylor finally ended the shutout in the seventh inning, as outfielder Chris Durbin drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded. The Bears loaded the bases as third baseman Michael Griffin was hit by pitch before the second out on a strikeout and back-to-back singles by second baseman Eric Errante and shortstop Trey Webb. However, with the bases loaded, Clements lined into an inning-ending force-out at second base.
The Bears continued their impressive hitting in the eighth, as Murphy drilled a triple to dead-center field with one out. Murphy then cut the lead to 6-2, as he came home on Griffin's sacrifice fly to center field. With two outs, catcher Josh Ford chased Smith from the mound with a double to the gap in left-center field. New pitcher James Brazeal allowed pinch hitter Ross Bennett a single to right field that moved the runner to third and then fell behind Webb 2-0, but got a fly-out to end the threat.
After a scoreless top of the ninth inning, the Bears threatened one last time against the Wildcats, as Durbin drew a four-pitch walk with one out, however pinch hitter Paul Richmond hit into a game-ending double play to give the Wildcats their first postseason win in Big 12 history.
Sorensen led three Wildcats with two hits on the day, as he posted a 2-for-4 afternoon with a team-high three RBIs. Soto and Castillo also had a pair of hits, while Baldwin made the most of his 1-for-3 effort with two RBIs. Maloney, who went just 1-for-5 on the day, did extend his streak of reaching base to 31 games, while Williams, Doty and Soto extended their hitting streaks. Williams has a season-tying nine-game hitting streak, while Soto and Doty are now at seven games.
Webb, Ford and Errante had two hits apiece to lead Baylor, while Griffin and Durbin each tallied one RBI.
Smith evened his record to 6-6 on the season in the win, as he allowed just two runs (both earned) on nine hits with a career-tying seven strikeouts and three walks in 7-2/3 innings pitched. After starting the season with a 1-4 record, Smith has won five of his last seven starts, including key victories over Missouri and Kansas and twice over Baylor.
Baylor starter Justin Taylor, who earned the victory in Bears' win over the Wildcats in Manhattan on April 28, took the loss and fell to 8-2 on the season. He allowed six runs (four earned) on 10 hits with three strikeouts and one walk in 6-2/3 innings of work.
