The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Missouri
Baseball claims fourth Big 12 tournament crown
05.24.2009 | Baseball
May 24, 2009
Box Score | Video highlights |
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The No. 5 Texas Longhorns broke open a 1-1 tie with 11 runs in the home half of the fourth inning and coasted to a 12-7 win over the No. 24 Missouri Tigers in the title game of the 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.
The win gave Texas its second consecutive Big 12 Championship title and fourth overall, tying Nebraska for the most among league members. Prior to this season, the Longhorns won Big 12 tournament titles in 2002, 2003 and 2008. The 2009 Longhorns became the fourth team to win the league's regular-season and tournament crowns in the same year, joining the Nebraska in 2001, Texas in 2002 and Nebraska in 2005.
With the score tied 1-1, Texas sent 15 batters to the plate in the fourth inning. Brandon Belt was hit by a pitch as the inning got off to an auspicious start. Michael Torres followed with a single through the right side to chase Missouri starter Scooter Hicks from the game with runners on the corners. Cameron Rupp drew a walk from reliever Ian Berger to fill the pasture with Longhorns. Loy busted the tie with a single through the left side of the infield to plate two. Kevin Keyes drew a walk and the bases were pushing maximum density again.
With bases loaded and Texas up 4-1 and still no outs in the fourth, Ryan Clubb took the mound for Missouri, but was unable to coagulate the bleeding. Preston Clark pounded a single to rightfield to drive in Rupp and Russell Moldenhauer logged a pinch-hit sacrifice fly to push the lead to 6-1. A balk moved both runners into scoring position and Connor Rowe drew a walk to reload the bases.
Phil McCormick relieved Clubb, but the rally continued for Texas. Travis Tucker was hit by pitch to push Keyes across. McCormick was able to retire Clark at home on a fielder's choice grounder by Belt to record the second out, but Torres drew a bases-loaded walk to score Rowe and give Texas a 8-1 lead. The death blow was dealt when Rupp hit his first career grand slam, a titanic shot to dead centerfield to give Texas a 12-1 advantage.
Missouri (34-25) took the early lead scoring just the eighth run the Horns had yielded all year in the first inning. Austin Holt was hit by a pitch to start the game and moved to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by Clark, the UT catcher. Greg Folgia singled to leftfield to plate Holt for the 1-0 lead.
Texas (41-13-1) got an equalizer in the bottom of the third when Clark hit a leadoff dinger to leftfield.
The Tigers trimmed the lead to 12-4 with three runs in the fifth with an RBI triple by Holt, an RBI single by Ryan Lollis and a sacrifice fly by Folgia.
Missouri mounted a final rally in the ninth that came up short. The inning featured an RBI grounder by Folgia, a bases-loaded walk by Aaron Senne and a sacrifice fly by Kyle Mach.
Rupp led the Horns at the plate with four RBI. Loy and Clark both went 2-for-4 with four RBI.
Austin Dicharry (7-2) earned the win in relief of Brandon Workman. He allowed three runs, two earned, on two hits and two walks over 2.0 innings.
The Longhorns put three players on the All-Tournament Team, including Loy who was also tabbed Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Loy was the all-tournament shortstop and was joined by Belt at first base and Chance Ruffin as starting pitcher. Loy hit .643 with three runs and six RBI in the tournament. Belt hit .500 with nine runs, two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. Ruffin pitched the only complete-game of the tournament in UT's 9-3 win over Kansas.
The Longhorns will resume play at next weekend's NCAA Regional. UFCU Disch-Falk Field was selected as a regional site on Sunday and the remainder of the tournament field will be announced on ESPN at 11:30 a.m. Central on Monday.
2009 PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
1B - Brandon Belt, Texas
2B - Joey Hainsfurther, Baylor
SS - Brandon Loy, Texas
3B - Tony Thompson, Kansas
C- J.T. Wise, Oklahoma
OF - Ryan Lollis, Missouri
OF - Jamie Johnson, Oklahoma
OF - Kyle Colligan, Texas A&M
DH - Dustin Dickerson, Baylor
SP - Chance Ruffin, Texas
SP - Andrew Doyle, Oklahoma
RP - Craig Fritsch, Baylor
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Brandon Loy, Texas
