Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Bounced from Big 12 Tourney
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
May 20, 1999
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.-- Missouri designated hitter Jake Epstein singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning to lead the Tigers to a 8-7 victory and to end the longest game in the history of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference baseball tournament at Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark Thursday.
Epstein's RBI blow ended the tourney for Texas Tech, which dropped two straight games after winning the 1998 postseason meet and losing 19-17 to Oklahoma in the inaugural Big 12 tourney in 1997.
Missouri (36-18) kept its hopes alive for a possible NCAA automatic bid that awaits the Phillips 66 Big 12 tourney winner Monday. Texas Tech (40-15) returns to Lubbock to host a NCAA Regional tournament on Friday-Sunday, May 28-30.
The first 27 games in Big 12 tourney history were regulation, nine-inning contests before Thursday's extra-inning affair. Tech rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh inning to knot the game at 7-7, and then neither team scored in the next four innings.
Tigers' relief standout Chris George (4-3), who missed most of the first half of the year with injuries, went 5 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of lefty Jody Harris to gain the win. George allowed just two hits, no runs, walked one, and struck out eight.
Brandon Roberson, Tech's bullpen ace, took the loss to fall to 2-3. Roberson gave up seven hits in 6 1/3 innings and surrendered Epstein's winning hit. Third baseman Aaron Wilson was 4-for-6 with two RBI to lead Missouri's 16-hit onslaught while Epstein went 4-for-7 with three RBI. Tech, which managed nine hits over the 12 innings, got a trio of singles from rightfielder Chris Sampson.
Red Raiders' catcher Josh Bard launched his 13th homer while Tech's Chaz Eguiren belted his seventh homer to help Tech overcome a 7-4 lead at one point. Tech had won at least one game in the previous two Big 12 tournaments.
