"It wasn't a bad Saturday for all Missouri Tigers.

Former All-American Aaron Crow delivered two strong innings for the Royals in a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers that clinched the campus title in front of 6,511 on a gorgeous afternoon at Surprise Stadium.

OK, it's not the Border War, which didn't go so well Saturday for Crow's Tigers in a 77-56 loss to Kansas. But, hey, it's still marked a nice spring debut for the Royals' first-round pick in last year's draft.

"There were a lot of people in the stands," Crow said. "It was a lot better than doing it on the back fields. It got me pumped up a little bit."

Crow allowed just one hit while striking out three in a brisk 23-pitch performance that included 17 strikes. The stadium radar clocked his fastball at 95-97 mph.

The victory enabled the Royals to win two of the three games in the spring-opening series between the two co-tenants at the Surprise Recreation Campus. The two clubs don't play one another again this spring in Arizona.

Crow was the Big 12 pitcher of the year in 2008 after going 13-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 15 starts for Missouri. He was drafted later that year by Washington but failed to reach an agreement.

That sent him back into last year's draft, and the Royals plucked him with the 12th overall pick. He signed too late to pitch in the minors, but his contract guaranteed him an invitation to big-league camp."