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
UCF vs Byrant
I put the Knights on upset alert this weekend and they most certainly got all they could handle on Friday night. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but UCF answered back with two runs of their own in the second inning.
Bryant responded with a pair of homers in back-to-back innings and yet again, the Knights answered the call. Andrew Williamson and Kendrey Maduro came up with a pair of key hits to pull UCF right back in it.
The Bulldogs would extend their lead in the sixth and things were clam for a bit. But things quickly picked up in the ninth inning. Down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth, a bases loaded walk brought in a run and then Edian Espinal became the hero with his two RBI single to walk it off.
Best Win
Kansas State over #5 Arkansas
What a fantastic start to the weekend in Arlington for Kansas State. After a rough weekend in South Carolina last week, this was the perfect way to get back in the win column against a top five Arkansas team. Thanks to a pair of RBI singles from Kennedy and Inoue, the Wildcats took a 2-0 in the fourth inning.
Arkansas ended up trying the game in the sixth with a couple of home runs, but it was Micah Dean who came up with the big hit with his RBI double in the seventh.
But I have to give credit to Jacob Frost and Blake Dean. Those two pitched extremely well against a talented Arkansas lineup.
Worst Loss
Arizona State
I could have gone with Texas Tech since they fell to 0-4 on the season but I couldn’t help but pick Arizona State considering the way they lost to Oral Roberts on Friday night. The Sun Devils had a two-run lead heading into the ninth inning and completely blew it as the Golden Eagles scored three runs to take the lead. Arizona State nearly pulled off a walk off home run, but the ball fell just a little short.
Friday MVP
Utah OF Kaden Carpenter
Kaden had quite the evening out on the west coast on Friday. Against San Diego State, he went four for four at the plate along with a team high four RBIs. Every time he went to the plate, he produced, and he played a crucial role in Utah’s win over the Aztecs.
Pitcher of the Day
Baylor LHP Ethan Calder
Once again, Baylor’s Friday night starter Ethan Calder takes the award for pitcher of the day. On opening day, Ethan went five innings and struck out 13 batters. On Friday, he made his second start of the season and pitched seven innings and only gave up four hits and zero runs. Ethan is off to a tremendous start to the year, and he is certainly someone to keep an eye on every single time he takes the mound.
Best Home Run
TCU First Baseman Isaac Cadena
Isaac’s two-run blast in the ninth inning provided some key insurance runs for the Horned Frogs in their win over Michigan on Friday in Arlington.
Full Scoreboard
Kansas State: 3, #5 Arkansas: 2
#22 TCU: 10, Michigan; 4
#25 Cincinnati: 6, UNLV: 0
Arizona: 11, San Diego: 0
UCF: 7, Byrant: 6
Baylor: 4, Gonzaga: 0
BYU: 7, Cal State Northridge: 3
Utah: 8, San Diego State: 0
Houston: 6, Cal: 4
Oral Roberts: 8, Arizona State: 7
UC Irvine: 6, Texas Tech: 4
