Ninth Inning Run Gives #25 KU a 6-5 Win Over #18 Baylor
March 18, 2006
WACO, Texas –
A ninth inning RBI single by sophomore John Allman broke a 5-5 tie and led No. 25 Kansas to a 6-5 victory over No. 18 Baylor Saturday afternoon in Waco, Texas. With the win KU improves to 16-7 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Senior Don Czyz pitched the final 2.2 innings without allowing a run to improve his record to 3-0 on the season and lower his ERA to 0.36. Dallas, Texas, native Ricky Fairchild started for KU and threw 6.1 innings, striking out four and giving up five runs in the no-decision.
Junior Kyle Murphy led off the game with a single up the middle. A wild throw on a pick off attempt allowed Murphy to advance to third base. Senior Gus Milner produced a two-out single to bring Murphy home and record his team-best 29th RBI.
Baylor tallied four runs off four hits to take a 4-1 lead after one inning. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with no outs. BU scored its first run on a ground out and its second on a sacrifice fly. The Bears then strung together a pair of two-out RBI doubles to cap the inning.
After Jared Schweitzer walked and Milner doubled, Allman recorded a single to right field on a 0-2 pitch to bring Schweitzer home and send Milner to third. Sophomore Erik Morrison then gave KU its first lead of the game with a high arcing three-run homer to left field to put KU up 5-4. The home run was Morrison’s team-high sixth of the season.
The Bears were threatening to tie the game with runners on first and third with two outs in the fifth inning. As BU’s Ben Booker took off for second base KU catcher Dylan Parzyk faked a throw towards second, causing Matt Sodolak to break for home. Parzyk threw to Morrison at third base who chased Sodolak down for the third out of the inning.
The Bears tied the game in the sixth inning on a ground out off the bat of Kevin Russo. Fairchild struck out Seth Fortenberry to end the frame.
With a runner on first base and one out in the seventh inning, Czyz was called upon to replaced Fairchild. After walking the first batter, Czyz got the next two Bears to fly out and ground out.
In the eighth inning, Czyz gave up a double and two walks to load the bases with two outs. KU got out of the jam with a weak pop up to shortstop Ritchie Price.
Back-to-back singles by Price and Schweitzer setup Allman’s game-winning single in the ninth.
Milner tied a career-high with four hits (4-for-5). Murphy, Schweitzer, Allman and Morrison all had two hits each. KU out-hit BU 13 to 11.
The final game of the three-game series will start at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Game Notes: The win was KU’s first against Baylor since April 25, 2003 and first ever in Waco … Erik Morrison (5-games), John Allman (4-games) and Jared Schweitzer (3-games) all extended hitting streaks … Don Czyz made his 105th career appearance … The win was KU’s 11th come-from-behind victory of the season … John Allman recorded his third game-winning RBI of the year … KU is 5-1 when sophomore Erik Morrison hits a home run … It marked the third time this season KU played error-free.
