By Marquis Cooley | Sports Editor
While the sting of Baylor’s upset in the opening weekend of March Madness was at the forefront of most Baylor fans’ minds, there were multiple Baylor Athletics programs that were able to find success the past few days, so here’s a quick rundown in case you missed it.
WTEN pushes win streak to seven
No. 26 Baylor women’s tennis seemed to have found their stride picking up two more conference wins over No. 20 Iowa State University and West Virginia University to improve to 13-4 and 4-0 in conference play.
The Bears snapped the Cyclones’ 23-match home win streak with a 4-3 victory on Friday to hand them their first loss of the season. Baylor continued their momentum with a 5-2 win on the road against the Mountaineers on Sunday.
Baylor will remain on the road with matches at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University next weekend.
MTEN swept by Michigan
No. 6 Baylor men’s tennis suffered just their second loss of the season against No. 12 University of Michigan on Sunday afternoon. The Bears were unable to win a point for the first time this season, losing 4-0.
Next up, the Bears will play their last non-conference matchup of the season, this time against Texas Christian University on the road at the Friedman Tennis Center in Fort Worth. It will be the second to last of a six-match road stretch for Baylor.
T&F records 22 top-three finishes at TCU Invitational
Baylor track and field officially opened its outdoor season on Friday and Saturday at the TCU Invitational in Fort Worth. Senior sprinter Caira Pettway walked away with three gold medals, earning them in the 4×100, long jump and 100-meter dash.
Redshirt senior sprinter Alexis Duncan made her Baylor debut in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, taking home a gold medal. Senior sprinter Matthew Moorer and junior sprinter Mariah Ayers took first place in the men’s and women’s 400 meters while freshman hurdler Jasmine Gryne won the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Senior sprinter Isaiah Cunningham won the eighth and final gold medal for the Bears in the men’s 200 meters.
No. 1 Baylor acrobatics and tumbling kept its streak alive with a 284.460-280.685 win over No. 4 Quinnipiac University on Saturday. The Bears overtook the Bobcats in every event except the pyramid to improve to 5-0.
Baylor will take to the road again at 6 p.m. on Friday for a meet against Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.
Softball takes series against McNeese State
Baylor softball took two of three in its series with McNeese State on Friday and Saturday. The three-game slate started on Friday night when the Bears took down the Cowgirls 5-2 at Getterman Stadium.
Game two began at noon on Saturday in a hard-fought 5-4 win for the Cowgirls. After giving up one in the top of the first, Baylor responded with a four-run rally including an RBI-double from Aliyah Binford, but gave up four runs at the top of the fifth and couldn’t bounce back.
In the series finale, Binford pitched six no-hit innings until allowing a single before retiring the next three to secure the series win as Baylor took game three 3-0. The Bears (15-10) continue their homestand on Tuesday. Tarleton State University (17-8) comes to Getterman stadium for another doubleheader at 5 p.m. CT and 7:30 p.m. CT.
Baseball avoids sweep from TCU
Photo courtesy of Baylor Athletics
Baylor baseball dropped its conference-opening series to No. 21 Texas Christian University, two games to one. The opening game of the series saw a 3-0 loss in a cold-hitting performance from Baylor, which only posted two hits. It was another quality Friday night start for senior LHP Tyler Thomas (3-2), who allowed two runs on six hits in six innings of action.
The Bears suffered a heart-breaking 11-9 loss in extra innings Saturday. Baylor recorded a season-high 17 hits to go with three home runs, led by Tre Richardson’s career-tying, four-hit effort. After leading 8-5 heading into the ninth frame, the Bears fumbled away the lead and lost in the 11th inning.
Baylor baseball salvaged the series with a 7-3 success Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. It was a resilient effort, where TCU had chances to creep back into the contest but were shut down time after time.
Before returning to conference play, Baylor stays home for a midweek clash against the University of Texas at San Antonio, first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. The contest can be watched on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
MBB’s title defense ends in round of 32
After cruising by No. 16-seeded Norfolk State University, 85-49 on Thursday, first-seeded Baylor men’s basketball’s title defense came to a close as the team fell in heartbreaking fashion to eighth-seeded University of North Carolina in overtime, 93-86. After clawing their way back from a 25-point deficit, the Bears seemed to run out of steam in the extra period of play, preventing them from completing the historic comeback.
Grace Everett | Photographer
After an offensive explosion in which they erupted for 34 points in the third quarter of their first round matchup against No. 15-seeded University of Hawaii at Manoa, it came as quite the shock that second-seeded Baylor women’s basketball could never quite get it going in their second-round game with No. 10-seeded University of South Dakota. The Bears were held to a season-low 47 points, suffering their earliest exit in the NCAA Tournament since a second-round loss to sixth-seeded University of Pittsburgh in 2008.
