By Matt Larsen
Sports Writer
It was a long night for Baylor pitching as Texas State smacked 16 hits off of seven different Bears pitchers to defeat Baylor, 13-2, Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark.
“When you’re this early in the year, your starter goes down and then you’re behind like we were, it makes for a tough day,” head coach Steve Smith said. “I didn’t think we necessarily played poorly, but we definitely pitched poorly and in baseball that’s 80 percent of the game.”
The Bears actually struck first in the bottom of the first with quick work on the base paths by junior center fielder Brooks Pinckard.
The leadoff hitter bunted his way on before stealing second and third bases to set up the opportunity to advance home on a pass ball by Texas State starting pitcher Travis Ballew.
“Coach Smith was pretty much telling me to bunt and make them make a play, that’s what I did,” Pinckard said. “[I] got a good jump, got to second, got to third. I’m just trying to get a little spark on the team.”
The Bobcats wasted no time answering.
They got to Baylor starting pitcher Tyler Bremer in the next inning as the middle of the order knocked three singles and a double into the outfield to bring in three runs.
It didn’t get better for the junior in the third as he gave up a double and two walks to load the bases before giving way to sophomore lefty Josh Turley.
Turley struck out one, but gave up a base-clearing double to Cory Falvey as Pinckard dove for the looper in shallow center but missed the grab.
“[We] didn’t make the big time plays when we needed to,” Pinckard said. “Including me in the outfield. I should have caught that ball.”
Cody Gambill drove one more run home to bring it to 7-1 before Turley brought the four-run Bobcat inning to a close.
Turley kept them quiet in the fourth, but Turley’s successors, freshmen Trae Davis and Doug Ashby, gave up two runs apiece in the fifth and sixth.
Texas State did its final damage in the seventh against sophomore Steve DalPorto.
The right-hander who typically plays infield got Kyle Kubitza to ground into a double play, but gave up a 2-RBI double to the next batter, designated hitter Jeff McVaney. A flyout to left field ended the inning at 13-1.
The Bears brought one more across in the eighth as Nate Goodwin drove home Dan Evatt with a single.
The new, wood-imitating bats had brought fewer hits and shorter games for the Bears until tonight.
The more than three-hour affair will be forgotten as soon as possible for all Bears involved.
“To give up sixteen hits with the bat they are swinging this year, you pitched bad,” Smith said. “We don’t speak of this one again.”
In addition to Pinckard’s two hits and two walks, junior catcher Josh Ludy managed a pair of hits of his own but admits there is not much to take away from a game like this.
“Definitely a disappointing game,” he said. “But we’ve just got to try to flush it and step up this weekend.”
