Is there anything better than cold beer and baseball? It’s a combination that is hard to beat during the season. No matter what kind of beer you drink (or how many), let’s take a look at some of the best action on the Big 12 baseball diamond from Friday with a nice six pack.
Best Game and Best Win
Arizona
We saw three Big 12 teams face three top five teams on Friday and Arizona was the only one to walk away with a win. The Wildcats took down #1 Texas A&M in Houston on Friday night and what a game it was. I don’t normally combine best game and best win but it was hard not to after watching this one. It started off as a classic pitching duel between A&M’s Ryan Prager and Arizona’s Collin McKinney.
Eventually Wyatt Henseler broke the tie with his two-run blast for the Aggies in the fifth inning.
But Arizona responded in the very next inning thanks to Aaron Walton with a solo shot to make it a one-run game.
Fast forward to the top of the ninth inning and the Wildcats were still down by one. Easton Breyfogle slaps a chopper, and the tying run comes across.
Brendan Summerhill was next up to bat and his single to third base ended up brining in the go ahead run for the Wildcats.
Then it was up to Casey Hints to slam the door shut and he did just that as Arizona takes down the top ranked Aggies 3-2. What a way to start the weekend for the Wildcats!
Worst Loss
UCF
It’s one thing to get beat badly but it’s even worse when you take one on the chin against your in-state rival. UCF went to Tampa to take on USF on Friday night and it went about as bad as bad can get. The Bulls took a 7-0 lead in the third inning and never looked back. While the Knights would get a few on the board later in the game, USF put up a five spot in the seventh inning to complete the run rule. It was a terrible loss for UCF who now will have to win back-to-back games to take the series.
Friday MVP
Utah SS Core Jackson
Jackson had a great game on Friday night out on the west coast. He had three doubles against Cal Baptist and finished the game with a team high five RBIs in Utah’s 13-5 victory.
Pitcher of the Day
West Virginia LHP Griffin Kirn
We had some great performances to start the weekend, but none were better than Griffin Kirn from West Virginia. Against Queens, Griffin went eight innings and gave up just a single run. He also managed to strike out ten batter during his time on the mound.
Best Home Run
Texas Tech OF Damian Bravo
Damian’s home run in the ninth inning tied the game at five and it started Texas Tech’s six run ninth inning against Illinois out in Las Vegas.
Full Scoreboard
Arizona: 3, #1 Texas A&M: 2
#2 LSU: 8, Kansas State: 5
#3 Tennessee: 5, Oklahoma State: 2
#9 Oregon State: 4, Baylor: 3
#25 TCU: 5, #22 Southern Miss: 2
#23 Cincinnati: 5, UC San Diego: 2
Texas Tech: 10, Illinois: 6
West Virginia: 7, Queens (NC): 1
BYU: 13, Gonzaga: 6
Minnesota: 7, Arizona State: 6
Omaha: 9, Kansas: 5
USF: 13, UCF: 3
Utah: 13, California Baptist: 5
UT Arlington: 7, Houston: 4
