Late-game heroics push Bears past fellow Baptists 9-5

#26 pitcher Josh Michalec delivers a pitch during Baylor's game against University of Texas-Arlington. Baylor baseball leads University of Texas-Arlington 7-3 in the top of the 7th inning at the Baylor Ballpark on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Travis Taylor | Lariat Photographer

#26 pitcher Josh Michalec delivers a pitch during Baylor's game against University of Texas-Arlington. Baylor baseball leads University of Texas-Arlington 7-3 in the top of the 7th inning at the Baylor Ballpark on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Travis Taylor | Lariat Photographer
#26 pitcher Josh Michalec delivers a pitch during Baylor’s game against University of Texas-Arlington. Baylor baseball leads University of Texas-Arlington 7-3 in the top of the 7th inning at the Baylor Ballpark on Tuesday, April 9, 2013.
Travis Taylor | Lariat Photographer
By Daniel Hill
Sports Writer

The Baylor baseball team earned a come-from-behind 9-5 road victory over the Dallas Baptist Patriots on Tuesday night at Patriot Field. The Bears have now won six straight games against DBU.

The win bumps Baylor’s overall record to 21-20 and gives Baylor momentum heading into this weekend’s showdown series against the Texas Longhorns at Baylor Ballpark.

Freshman left-handed pitcher Sterling Wynn started on the mound for the Bears. Wynn had been battling through a blister on his finger but now is back healthy for the Bears. Wynn went three innings and gave up two runs on three hits. The Patriots scored two runs off of a triple. Wynn walked three batters and struck out five.

In the top of the third, Baylor woke up on offense and put a run on the board. Senior third baseman Cal Towey got a base hit off of a hit-and-run to put runners on first and third for the Bears. Junior first baseman Grayson Porter drove in the Bears’ first run of the day with a RBI groundout.

In the bottom of the fourth, Baylor tied the game at 2-2 after junior catcher Nate Goodwin drove in a run with a double.

After Wynn, sophomore right-hander Sean Spicer took over for the Bears. Spicer went two and two-thirds innings and allowed three runs on three hits. Spicer gave up a walk, had a hit-by-pitch, balked and then gave up a single to give the Patriots a 3-2 lead.

Baylor took the lead in the bottom of the fifth after Towey led off the inning with a double, and then senior shortstop Jake Miller singled. Sophomore infielder Duncan Wendel delivered with a RBI single, and then Adam Toth drove in a run with a fielder’s choice ground ball.

Junior left-handed pitcher Doug Ashby came on to get the final out in the sixth inning. Ashby had a wild pitch that allowed Dallas Baptist to take a 5-4 lead into the seventh inning.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Joe Kirkland pitched a scoreless frame for Baylor in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In the top of the eighth, Baylor tied the game at 5-5 when, with the bases loaded, Towey drew a walk to bring in the tying run.

Then in the top of the ninth, Baylor broke the game open for good with a four-run offensive explosion. Miller started the inning with a single to right field and then stole second base to get into scoring position. Toth then lined a hard single to third, and then the next batter, Goodwin, reached on an error that allowed Miller to score and give the Bears a 6-5 lead. Junior second baseman Lawton Langford helped tack on more insurance runs as he crushed a double to earn two RBIs and give Baylor an 8-5 lead. Baylor put one more on the board when senior right fielder Nathan Orf had a RBI single.

Senior lefty Crayton Bare pitched the eighth and ninth innings to earn the win for the Bears and Bare did not allow any runs.

Orf was 2-5 on the night with one run scored and one RBI. Towey was 2-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Miller was 2-4 with two runs scored and also had two stolen bases.