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| Photo courtesy of Baylor Baseball |
Fifth-ranked Baylor baseball earned their first Big 12 Championship title in program history after defeating No. 6 TCU, 6-5 in Oklahoma City. After going 0-6 in previous title games, the Bears notched an 11-inning victory, slashing their prior losing record in championship play. In a remarkable fashion, the Bears transformed their record from 16-17 in April to 36-19 heading into the NCAA tournament. Hot on the tail of their 22 victories out of the last 25 games, today’s momentum favored an underdog green-and-gold team whose third-year head coach Steve Rodriguez clearly struck a collective chord in his team.
The Bears scored first in the first inning following Davis Wendzel’s three-run homer to hold the lead through the eighth. TCU fought back with a two-run homerun before the Bears tied it up in a last ditch effort at the bottom of the ninth. With two outs on the board, Richard Cunningham’s single saved Baylor from an early ride home, evening out the score at 4-4. A few extra innings were added as TCU once again stole the lead with a two out single of their own. Baylor didn’t give up yet and found themselves in deja vu position, Andy Thomas’ walk with two outs capping the score at 5-5. At the bottom of the 11th inning, Shea Langelier’s two out single saved the day, finalizing the 6-5 score and launching Baylor into history books as the 2018 Big 12 Champions.
