Big 12 Baseball Tournament: Day Two Recap

The second day of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship was played on Thursday, and all top-four seeds have advanced to the semi-finals, but it wasn't without a scare.

#14 BYU-1, #4 Arizona-4

The BYU Cougars stunned the Arizona State Sun Devils yesterday, advancing to play the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats would not be rusty, however, as they would start the game off with back-to-back homeruns that would hit off of each foul pole, respectively.

Arizona would get a gem from Owen Kramowski, going six innings pitched, allowing no runs, four hits, and striking out eight Cougars. The Wildcats would get an insurance run in the fifth inning. For a second, it looked like BYU would show life as they scored a run in the eighth inning, but that was all they could muster, and Arizona would respond with a run of their own in the same inning.

The Wildcats would close it out 4-1, and advance to play the winner West Virginia.

#8 Cincinnati - 3, #1 West Virginia - 10

All eyes were on the Mountaineers in this one. After getting swept by Kansas in the final weekend of the season, but still winning the conference championship, there were question marks about if this West Virginia team was for real or not.

After a rocky start, spurred by the lethal bats of the Bearcats, UC would strike first for a run in the first inning of the game. For the first three innings of the game, it looked like we were in for a pitcher's duel, before the Mountaineers would break open the floodgates. Striking for four runs in the fourth inning, with station-to-station hitting, WVU would take a 5-1 lead and not look back after that point.

Griffin Kirn was exceptional for West Virginia, throwing a complete game, allowing three runs on eight hits and striking out nine. His perfomance allows the Mountaineers to have every other arm available at their disposal for potentially the final two games.

With a win, West Virginia and Arizona will play at 4:00 p.m. CT with a trip to the conference championship on the line.

#7 Oklahoma State - 6, #2 Kansas - 7

Two red-hot teams, meeting in the quarter finals of the tournament, would not disappoint for viewing.

Dom Voegle, the Jayhawks ace, would continue his pattern of inconsistency. Going just four innings, allowing six runs on five hits and striking out four. Oklahoma State got hot at the start of the game but would not strike again for another run the rest of the game.

Kansas would respond, and who else would it be but Brady Ballinger? The Jayhawks' big-bopper would hit a three-run home run in the 7th to tie the game at 6. Kansas would win the game on a walk-off bloop hit, advancing them to face TCU.

#11 Houston - 1, #3 TCU - 7

Two words sum this game up. Ejection and Errors.

A fire was lit under the Horned Frogs after Colton Griffin was ejected early in the game, and the Houston Cougars could not get out of their own way, making three errors leading to TCU runs. Tommy LaPour also continues to be masterful, going over six innings pitched of shutout baseball.

For a full breakdown of the game, click here.

TCU and Kansas will meet for the fourth time this season, with a trip to the Big 12 championship on the line.

What will Day Three have in store for us? All top-four seeds will be facing off, with rested arms, so fans are in for a treat.