Kodiak Quick did all he could to keep the runs away Wednesday — forced 13 ground balls, struck out eight batters, walked none and pitched masterfully into the 10th inning against Baylor, the co-Big 12 Conference baseball champion.

But the Kansas University junior was matched pitch for pitch by three Baylor hurlers with professional futures ahead of them.

But the Bears’ 2-1 victory in 10 innings at SBC Bricktown Ballpark was decided by a Baylor hitter with a .155 average drilling a home run in the second inning and the No. 7 hitter lining a game-winning single that was fair by about three feet.

Not only was Quick denied the win, but also the outing might have been his last of the season, unless KU can bounce back this morning against Texas in the double-elimination tournament.

“If I’m sitting in his dugout,” Baylor coach Steve Smith said, “I’d say he pitched way too good of a game to lose.”

He’s probably right. But the problem for Quick was, Baylor pitched just as well; Kansas only made it to second base three times all game.

“We knew it was going to be a low-scoring game when walked into the ballpark today,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “We thought we’d have to win 3-2 or 2-1 because of how good Baylor’s pitching is. It turned out to be one of the best pitching matchups we’ve seen all season.”

Kansas University's Ritchie Price beats the throw back to first base before the ball gets to Baylor first baseman Jeff Mandel on a pickoff attempt in the third inning. The Jayhawks lost their first game at the Big 12 Conference baseball tournament, 2-1 in 10 innings, Wednesday in Oklahoma City. KU will face Texas at 10 this morning in an elimination game.

A misfortune in the first inning might have had most fans thinking the game was all but over.

That’s when KU outfielder A.J. Van Slyke drilled ballyhooed Baylor starter Mark McCormick, whose fastball has been clocked as fast as 98 mph, in the throwing hand with a sharp ground ball, taking him out of the game just two outs into it. Van Slyke advanced to second when McCormick threw the ball away at first base.

The Bears went to reliever Ryan LaMotta, and Van Slyke immediately scored on a single by Gus Milner.

It seemed like a nice break for KU. But LaMotta recovered and baffled KU for 8 1/3 innings before giving way to closer Abe Woody in the 10th, who equally was effective.

Turns out, with the Bears’ depth on the mound, they didn’t miss a beat.

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“When LaMotta came out of the bullpen, he was so tough on us with that changeup the last time we faced him, my assistant coach in the dugout said, ‘That might not be very good news for us that McCormick’s out of the ballgame,'” Price said. “It’s not often you say that about a guy that’s going to be a first-rounder, but LaMotta was really special.”

It was obvious, though, that KU thought it was Quick’s game to win or lose. Closer Don Czyz warmed up in the bullpen off and on for the last couple of innings, but Quick didn’t come out until the bottom of the 10th, after Josh Ford doubled and Zach Dillon singled through the hole on the left side.

Baylor's Josh Ford, right, and Zach Dillon celebrate after Ford scored the game-winning run against Kansas on a hit by Paul Witt in the 10th inning.

“There was fatigue setting in,” Quick said, “but I threw a slider to Ford, and he made a good swing. Then I was trying to get a ground ball, but it found a hole. … Instead of fatigue, I just left a couple of pitches up.”

Czyz came in and struck out Kevin Sevigny for the first out, then intentionally walked Seth Fortenberry to load the bases before Paul Witt knocked a single to left to win the game.

A pitching effort like Quick’s that goes for nothing is a stinger, but there’s no time to mope. KU will play Texas in an elimination game at 10 a.m. today, trying to prolong its season a little longer.

“The one thing this team’s done all year,” Price said, “is when we lose, we bounce back the next day and play like a professional. We try to preach that — to be mature, play every day and respect the game.

“I think we’ll play as well (today) as we did (Wednesday) defensively, and hopefully we’ll get the bats going a little bit.”