Texas manufactured a run in the first, then exploded for four runs in the second. Co-Big 12 Player of the Year celebrated that honor by lining a 3-run homer to right. Baylor bounced back in the third, as their first four hitters of the inning scored -- the first on a solo homer over the LF bullpen by SS Beamer Weems and the final three on Seth Fortenberry's homer over Bricktown Ballpark's green monster RF fence.

Texas just matched Baylor's four-spot and raised them three more, sending 12 batters to the plate in the top of the 4th.

One of the big themes in the press conferences yesterday was the tie-breaker system being used this year. The top team from each division advances to Sunday’s final. If two teams are tied for first at the end of pool play Saturday, head-to-head result is the first tie-breaker. Normal stuff, huh? But if there are three teams tied for first, the highest seed advances. At least three coaches yesterday made the point that this second tie-breaker really puts the lower seeds in a must-win situation from the very first day. Steve Smith practically declared his team “eliminated” after yesterday’s opening game loss. Missouri’s Tim Jamieson told us that he wasn’t a mathematician, but that he couldn’t figure out any way that his team could lose the first game and still play on Sunday. OSU’s Frank Anderson noted that his team losing wasn’t so critical, as his club will win any three-way ties in its division. The alternative to such a tie-breaker is to use something such as run differential to break three-way ties. One coach credited Texas coach Augie Garrido for spearheading the move to adopt the current system, and Garrido himself said that he wanted no part of a run-differential tie-breaker because “that makes you play the game the way it shouldn’t be played.” Smart man, especially because his Longhorns are seeded #1.