Big 12 Baseball Championship, Game 6: K-State 13, Baylor 9

Wow. It's really the only word for this game. Say it slowly. "Wo-o-o-o-w." Savor it.

The funny thing is, the game started calmly. Max Garner retired the first seven Wildcats he faced, while Levi MaVorhis retired the Bears in order in the first. Almost unheard-of behavior in the Big 12.

Baylor's Nathan Orf was the first baserunner, ripping a double over Tanner Witt's head to lead off the bottom of the second. After MaVorhis plunked Cal Towey on a full count pitch and gave up a bunt single to Jake Miller, Grayson Porter ripped a long fly to deep center. Jared King managed to flag it down, but all three runners advanced. Steve DalPorto then singled to drive in a second run before MaVorhis was able to halt the damage.

Baylor unloaded again in the third, scoring a run before chasing MaVorhis; off Landon Busch DalPorto struck again, ripping a 2-run single to right to make it 5-0.

In the fourth, K-State finally got a hit after three innings which only produced a single baserunner. With nobody out, Tanner Witt, Shane Conlon, and Jared King ripped consecutive singles to get the Cats on the board. Jon Davis then blasted a double to deep center, scoring Conlon; King had to hold up at third as there was question as to whether Orf would make the catch. Suddenly Max Garner, who'd retired nine of the first ten hitters, was on his way to the locker room. After Mitch Meyer went down swinging, Blair DeBord grounded out to short, scoring King; Davis then scored on a wild pitch to bring the Wildcats back within a run.

Baylor promptly got two back. Adam Toth singled and Logan Brown reached on an error. After Lawton Langford sacrificed the runners over, Orf was walked intentionally; that was followed by an unintentional walk to Lowey which forced in a run and a sac fly by Miller which added another; Baylor led 7-4.

King singled to lead off the sixth, and moved to third two batters later on Meyer's double. DeBord grounded out to short, scoring King and cutting the lead to two. R.J. Santigate drew a walk as Crayton Bare suddenly lost the ability to throw the baseball anywhere but the dirt, and then Lance Miles singled up the middle to plate Meyer.

And then, suddenly, K-State had the lead when Ross Kivett doubled into the right-center gap to clear the bases. Witt lined out to second to end the inning after that, but the damage was done for the moment.

Baylor got it back in the bottom of the inning, though. With Brown on third with two out, a horribly timed passed ball allowed him to score. Then in the eighth, Baylor loaded the bases with one out and scored the go-ahead run when Gerardo Esquivel plunked Towey with a pitch.

The Wildcats weren't giving up. With one out, Witt singled and then moved into scoring position when Conlon drew a walk, and on to third when King was unintentionally walked on four pitches. That led to Jon Davis with another clutch hit, smashing a single through the hole into right field to score Witt and Conlon, giving the Cats the lead. Meyer fouled out, then DeBord was hit by a pitch to reload the sacks; Santigate chopped a ball off the plate and everyone was safe, King scoring. Miles singled up the middle, plating Davis and DeBord. Finally, Kivett -- who started the inning crushing a ball to center which was hauled in by Brown -- crushed a ball to center which was hauled in by Brown to end the inning. Five runs had crossed the plate, and the Cats somehow found themselves with a four-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth.

Esquivel walked DalPorto to start the bottom of the ninth, but he was erased on a 6-3 double play, and then Esquivel got Toth swinging to finally put an end to the shenanigans. The RallyCats had pulled off another one.

Tomorrow, Baylor meets Texas Tech for no reason whatsoever at 9am CT; the Cats play Oklahoma at 12:30 with the winner advancing to the Big 12 Championship Game.