Big 12 Tourney, Day 4: Rally to Sunday's Championship

Staff and Wire Reports

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City hosts the Big 12 tournament's last four games before Sunday's championship.

Baylor v. Kansas

Shaver Hansen went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs as Baylor jumped to an early lead and beat Kansas 8-4 Saturday at the Big 12 baseball tournament.

Baylor (29-24) scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the second on Hansen's 3-run home run and never trailed.

Kansas (37-22) closed the gap in the third inning when Tony Thompson belted a grand-slam home run, but couldn't muster any more runs down the stretch.

Craig Fritsch (4-5), who relieved Baylor starter Jon Ringenberg in the fourth frame, picked up the win. Fritsch allowed two hits and no runs, struck out two and walked three in three innings of work. Kendal Volz allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings for the save.

Lee Ridenhour (6-3) gave up three runs on four hits and struck out one in one inning of work for the loss.

Texas v. Kansas State

A pair of RBI singles by Brandon Loy provided the difference as defending champion Texas advanced to the Big 12 title game by beating Kansas State 4-2.

Loy put the top-seeded Longhorns (40-13-1) ahead 3-2 with a two-out single up the middle in the sixth inning Saturday. Travis Tucker then came in to score on Loy's infield single with the bases loaded in the eighth to provide a two-run cushion.

Taylor Jungmann (7-3) gave up only five hits in 7 2-3 innings for Texas, and Austin Wood got the final four outs for his 14th save.

Kansas State reliever Matt Applegate (2-2) faced only one batter, but took the loss after walking Brandon Belt to start the sixth inning. Belt would score the go-ahead run on Loy's first single.

The Wildcats (41-16-1) scored on Carter Jurica's groundout and an error in the fifth inning.

Missouri v. Oklahoma

Kyle Mach and Steve Gray each drove in two runs and Brad Buehler got out of a ninth-inning jam as Missouri beat Oklahoma 5-4 Saturday at the Big 12 tournament.

Mach's single in the sixth inning off Sooners starter Garrett Richards (8-4) put the Tigers ahead 4-3, and Gray followed with his second run-scoring groundout of the game.

Oklahoma (41-18) got within one in the seventh when shortstop Michael Liberto's errant relay throw allowed Matt Harughty to score on Aaron Baker's double.

The Sooners then put the tying run on third base with nobody out in the ninth before Phil McCormick struck out Baker and Buehler got Big 12 player of the year J.T. wise to ground into a game-ending double play.

Nick Tepesch (6-4) got the win after giving up two earned runs in seven innings.

The Tigers (34-24) would play in the conference title game if Texas A&M beat Texas Tech later Saturday.

Texas A&M v. Texas Tech

Luke Anders homered and Brooks Raley drove in three runs as Texas A&M spoiled Texas Tech's bid for a berth in the Big 12 championship game by beating the Red Raiders 11-4.

The Aggies' bats came alive a little too late to earn a shot at the conference title. After opening the tournament with a 5-2 loss to Missouri, A&M (36-22) came back with a 17-15 defeat of Oklahoma and another offensive outburst against Tech (25-32) in a rain-delayed game that didn't end until early Sunday morning.

Anders got it going with a solo homer off Tech starter Miles Morgan (2-6) in the first inning and an RBI single in the second. Raley added a two-run single in the third as the Aggies' lead grew to 9-2.

Ross Hales (6-2) held onto the lead by giving up four runs in 5 2-3 innings, and Kyle Thebeau closed out the game by retiring 11 of the next 12 batters to earn his second save.

More on News9.com:

• Check the schedule and results to find the upcoming matchups.
• Find out where to park, where to eat and where the Bricktown Ballpark is located.
• Big 12 Tourney, Day 1: Texas Upset, OU Gets 'W'
• Big 12 Tourney, Day 2: Upset Texas Takes on Kansas
• Big 12 Tourney, Day 3: Red Raiders, Aggies Try to Stay Alive