Big 12 tournament recap: Day 4

After their performance Saturday at the Big 12 Championship, I’m starting to run out of adjectives to describe these Cowboys. Here’s what you missed:

Pokes Beat Texas Twice, Earn Berth To Championship Sunday

OSU came into Saturday knowing it would need two wins against Texas to advance to Sunday’s championship game. It was a pitcher’s duel early, as freshman Thomas Hatch held the Longhorns to a run and four hits in 4.1 innings. But OSU didn’t get a hit off UT’s Nathan Thornhill until the 5th, and it looked like the Cowboys would be shut out against Texas for the second time in three days. Donnie Walton and Tanner Krietemeier had other ideas though.

Walton had an RBI single in the 8th to tie the game, and TK followed with a single of his own to give OSU the lead. Brendan McCurry came on to record his 18th save of the season, giving OSU the 3-1 win and setting up the rematch against the Longhorns.

Game two would prove more difficult because Mother Nature decided to participate. The Cowboys were up 3-1 in the 4th thanks to home runs from Conor Costello and Bryan Case before rain forced the tarp on the field. Play wouldn’t resume for two and a half hours.

Once the game restarted, Texas scored two runs to tie it, and took a 4-3 lead in the 6th. But in the 8th, Krietemeier hit a two-run single with the bases loaded to give the lead back to OSU, and Costello added a sac fly to push the lead to 6-4. Mark Robinette pitched the final three innings, and though Texas got three runners on base in the 9th, couldn’t score, giving the Cowboys the win and the trip to Sunday’s championship game.

He left Friday’s game early and spent Saturday in a walking boot. Not good.

Scout at the #Big12 tournament told me #OKState's Zach Fish left tonight's game with a painful ankle injury. Hopefully power man Fish is OK.

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) May 24, 2014

Highlights from the first Texas game.

#Big12BSB: Highlights from @OSUBaseball's win over @Texas_Baseball: http://t.co/heD77KB7iu Stay tuned for game two at 4:15 pm CT.

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 24, 2014

And the second.

#Big12BSB: Photos and video from @OSUBaseball's victory over Texas:
PHOTO: http://t.co/LYiDttmQMk
VIDEO: http://t.co/HM06MuouI9

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 25, 2014

What a shot.

The sun sets behind the Bricktown Ballpark during a #okstate Big12 tournament game. By Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman pic.twitter.com/qVMXuzzJss

— Oklahoman Photo Dept (@NewsOKPhoto) May 25, 2014

TCU Continues To Roll, Cruises Into Championship Game

TCU has made this tournament look easy to this point. Saturday gave the Horned Frogs a rematch with Baylor after Wednesday’s 8-5 TCU win, and it was more of the same as TCU went on to win 4-1. The offense came from Kevin Cron, who went 3-5 with a run and two RBIs. Two relief pitchers threw the final 4.1 innings for TCU, allowing just three hits and no runs to Baylor. The win puts the Horned Frogs in their first Big 12 Championship game.

Championship Preview

Sunday’s Big 12 Championship is set for 4:30 p.m. and will air on Fox Sports 1. It will be a battle of two of the hottest teams in the country – TCU has won 26 of its past 29 games, while OSU is 26-6 in its past 32.

The game will be just the fifth time the top two seeds meet for the Big 12 Championship, as OSU looks for its first title since 2004, while the Horned Frogs are playing for their first Big 12 title.

For the Cowboys, expect Jon Perrin to start. OSU’s best starter this year pitched Thursday, allowing one run on five hits in 6.1 innings against Texas. He threw 92 pitches and has gotten two days of rest, so he should be throwing his best stuff Sunday. On TCU’s side, conference pitcher of the year Preston Morrison will likely be the guy. He also pitched Thursday, throwing a complete game against West Virginia. Morrison allowed two runs on seven hits while throwing 108 pitches, so he too should be good to go.

With two of the conference’s best pitchers on the mound, whoever gets the timely hits will come out on top. Rest could also be a factor – OSU has played five games in the past four days, while TCU played only three. Either way, expect this to be one of the better games played all season. Both teams know a win could mean a national seed and the ability to host a Super Regional, so these players will leave everything they have left on the field today.