Around the Big 12: Sun Devils Move Into Second
Josiah Cromwick broke the game open with a three-run double in the seventh, and Arizona State won its third straight Big 12 series, beating Baylor 8-6 on Sunday in Waco, Texas.
The win saw the Sun Devils move into second place in the Big 12, three games back of West Virginia. The Mountaineers can clinch the regular season title this weekend if they sweep Kansas State and Arizona State does not sweep Houston. West Virginia can also win the title by bettering ASU’s weekend result if Kansas, Arizona and TCU all fail to sweep their series.
Related: Mountaineers Win Series With Red Raiders
Brandon Compton drove in two runs for the Sun Devils with a three-hit game. Baylor made the game interesting by getting a home run and a two-run double off the bench from Gavin Brzozowski, but Carlon Cole set the Bears down in order in the ninth to seal the win.
The Sun Devils will not play a midweek game and are idle until hosting Houston. Baylor will host Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday.
Read More: Sun Devils Move Into Second
Bearcats Sweep Jayhawks
Derrick Pitts slammed a three-run home run and Landyn Vidourek drove in three runs as Cincinnati completed a three-game sweep of Kansas on Sunday in Lawrence, Kan, besting the Jayhawks 13-4.
The Jayhawks likely saw their Big 12 title hopes evaporate after giving up 31 runs to the Bearcats over the weekend. Kansas entered the weekend two games behind West Virginia, but saw the Arizona State Sun Devils move into second and now sit four games out of first. The Jayhawks must get help from rival Kansas State, as they must better West Virginia’s weekend result to stay in the race.
Related: What If West Virginia Doesn’t Host?
Kannon Carr held Cincinnati in check for five innings, but the Jayhawks’ bullpen fell apart once he left. Kansas used four pitchers to get through the sixth and seventh innings, surrendering eight runs in the process.
Kellen O’Connor held Kansas to two runs in six innings to get the win. Brady Ballinger homered for the Jayhawks, but Kansas couldn’t get much going otherwise. The Bearcats will travel to Oral Roberts on Tuesday, while the Jayhawks visit Missouri on Tuesday.
Cougars Push Utes to Brink of Elimination
Tyler Cox tripled and drove in three runs and Xavier Perez homered, as Houston completed a three-game sweep of Utah with a 10-4 win at home.
Related: Ryan Bergert Called Up to Padres
The Cougars can clinch a spot in the Big 12 tournament by matching or bettering the results of two of Central Florida, BYU and Utah. The Utes have lost six in a row and need to win at least three of their final six games to have any chance at the tournament.
Core Jackson homered for Utah, but Easton Jones allowed four runs in the fifth inning. That extinguished any chance of a Utah win. Brandon Bishop added three hits and three runs for Houston.
Houston will host Texas A&M on Tuesday. Utah will host Utah Valley on Tuesday.
Frogs Salvage Finale With Arizona
Karson Bowen drove in five runs from the leadoff spot and Colton Griffin doubled three times as TCU won the series finale with Arizona, winning 13-6 on Sunday in Tucson, Ariz.
Related: WVU-Marshall a One-Way Obsession
Mason Brassfield picked up his fifth win for TCU, going 5.1 innings and allowing three runs. Mason White’s first-inning triple was Arizona’s only extra-base hit of the game. The Wildcats’ series win left both teams in a tie for third place with Kansas. Arizona will visit Grand Canyon on Tuesday, while TCU will not play a midweek game before facing Cincinnati.
Cowboys Finish Sweep of Knights
Colin Brueggeman homered and drove in four runs, and Oklahoma State got the weekend it needed. The Cowboys claimed a 10-6 win over Central Florida in Stillwater, Okla., boosting their record above .500.
Oklahoma State would be eligible for an at-large bid if it wins three of its final six games. Oklahoma State has now won four straight Big 12 games.
Sean Youngerman struck out six over five innings, earning his third win of the year. Central Florida got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Matthew Brown got Braden Calise to hit into a double play to end the game.
Oklahoma State is idle until it travels to Baylor. UCF will visit Missouri State on Tuesday before traveling to Texas Tech.
Wildcats Win Series With BYU
Maximus Martin drove in four runs and homered in a four-hit game, as Kansas State took the rubber match on Saturday, beating BYU 13-4 in Provo.
The Wildcats sit five games out of first place, but can vault back into the race against West Virginia. BYU precariously holds the final Big 12 tournament spot, mainly because UCF and Utah both got swept.
Lincoln Sheffield struck out six and made it into the sixth inning to earn the win. James Guyette shut the door with 3.1 scoreless innings to earn the save.
BYU will visit Wichita State on Tuesday.
