April 19, 2003
WACO, Texas - A day after the 16th-ranked Baylor pitching staff quieted the bats of No. 23 Missouri, the Tigers broke out in a record-setting way, registering a 23-18 win before a regional FOX Sports Net television audience Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. The win snaps a four-game losing streak for the Tigers, who will leave Waco tomorrow no lower than fifth place in the conference standings.
The 23 runs were not the most this season for Mizzou; that came in a 30-0 win over Division II Truman State on March 6. It was the most runs against a Division I opponent since a 24-5 win over Iowa in 1997, and the most in a conference game since a 24-23 win over Oklahoma State in the final season of the Big Eight in 1996.
It was quite a bizarre game: Baylor, which had an 8-5 lead after the first inning, had hits and runs from each player in the order by the fifth inning yet trailed by four runs; The Tigers exceeded their season average of 9 runs per game - which ranks Mizzou among the top 10 teams in the country - by the third inning. The only innings in which the Tigers did not score at least two runs came when they were held scoreless in the fourth, eighth, and in the ninth, when they were retired in order for the only time in the game.
The game was dramatic until the final out, when Chris Durbin, the 10th batter in the Bear ninth, grounded out to freshman 3B Zane Taylor (Kirksville, Mo.) to end, at 3 hours and 48 minutes, the longest game of the season for Mizzou (26-12, 10-6). Baylor scored seven runs in the final two innings to close what had been a 23-11 lead through seven.
Missouri was 22-for-45 (.489) against Baylor pitching and had another 14 baserunners reach via walk or hit batsman. BU (27-15, 9-8) tied a school record by hitting five Tiger batters. Both teams batted around twice: Baylor in the first and ninth, and Mizzou in the fifth and sixth.
Offensive stars for Mizzou included senior OF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.), who in batting 4-for-5, reached base six out of his seven plate appearances; he scored three times. Junior 1B Cody Ehlers (Stillwater, Okla.) was 4-for-6 with four RBI and three runs scored; junior SS Ian Kinsler (Tucson, Ariz.) was 2-for-4 with five RBI and four runs scored; and freshman DH James Boone (Clinton, Okla.) continued his strong weekend with a 4-for-6 outing with an RBI and three runs scored.
"With the way the wind was blowing, my goodness, it was just one of those games where you couldn't get comfortable," Head Coach Tim Jamieson said. "There was no way we could take our starters out. Our position players did a great job of not letting up. The wind is supposed to turn around tomorrow, and I know [Baylor] Coach Smith and myself are going to be very happy about that."
The Tigers took advantage of a shaky start by Baylor RHP Abe Woody, as the Bear freshman hit the first three batters of the game to load the bases. Ehlers laced a flare just out of the reach of SS Trey Webb to score Tingler, and junior OF Kyle Johnson (Omaha, Neb.) then blasted a 2-2 pitch over the wall in right-center for a grand slam. It was the second homer - also a grand slam - of the season for Johnson.
Baylor, however, batted around in the bottom half of the first to take an 8-5 lead. Chris Durbin led off with a walk against Tiger sophomore Garrett Broshuis (Advance, Mo.), and David Murphy hit a fielders-choice grounder to first to erase Durbin, yet Josh Ford followed with a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left-center. Broshuis allowed singles to the next four batters before striking out Webb looking. Durbin then capped the strange start to the game by hitting a two-run homer to left in his first official at-bat and second plate appearance of the inning.
Mizzou came back in the second to tie the game with the help of a two-run homer by Ehlers. The Tigers also got a solo shot from junior C Brad Flanders (Smithville, Mo.) in the third off loser Sean Walker (5-4).
Junior RHP Andy Shipman (Bellevue, Neb.), who came in to get the final out of the first in relief of Broshuis, then held the Bears scoreless in the second and third, and was one pitch away from the first 1-2-3 inning of the game before Mark Saccomanno hit a solo shot just inside the left-field foul pole for his seventh homer of the season and a 10-9 Mizzou lead.
Shipman (5-2) scattered six hits over four innings, allowing three runs and striking out three. It was his fourth straight win over his last 10 appearances. Junior Mark Alexander (Independence, Mo.) was brought for Shipman, and needed just one pitch to induce a forceout at second of Josh Ford and get Mizzou out of the fifth with a 14-11 advantage. Alexander was equally impressive, throwing three innings of hitless relief before allowing a pair of runs in the eighth.
Although Alexander had approached his pitch limit, Ehlers moved from first to pitch the ninth in an effort to keep the bullpen relatively intact for Sunday's rubber game; instead, sophomore closer Travis Wendte (Moore, Okla.) was brought in to mop up after the Bears batted around with Ehlers allowing five runs on six hits and a walk. Wendte needed six pitches to get Durbin to ground out to Taylor.
The rubber game of the series will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. Junior Derek Roper (Elk City, Okla.) will toe the rubber for the Tigers with his 3-1 record against a Baylor starter to be announced.