By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
Baylor baseball looked to break a four-game skid in Lawrence, Kan., against University of Kansas, but the Bears were outscored 30-14 over the weekend and fell in all three games to the Jayhawks at Hoglund Ballpark.
Head coach Mitch Thompson still awaits his first road win since taking over in the offseason, as Baylor (9-19, 2-7 Big 12) struggled to find production from its bats and pitching arms.
The Bears readied for the final game of the series on Sunday and fifth-year senior right-handed pitcher Blake Helton took the mound. Kansas started off by scoring in the bottom of the first with a two-out RBI double, but Baylor soon responded.
The green and gold had its chance in the top of the second. A pair of hits along with a groundout followed by a single plated a pair of runs and the Bears took a 2-1 lead.
Helton gave up one more run in the third inning, which tied the game back up. He ended his day after throwing 3.0 innings, allowing two earned runs, five hits and two walks while striking out one batter.
In the bottom of the fourth after Helton walked a batter, freshman left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder came in and got the Bears out of the inning unharmed with the score still tied 2-2. The game wouldn’t stay tied much longer as freshman infielder Kolby Branch smashed his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot, over the left-field fence.
Baylor stayed ahead 3-2 until the bottom of the sixth inning when Calder allowed a two-out RBI single. The game was tied up once more, but again the Bears answered the call. Sophomore infielder Hunter Teplanszky drilled a two-out RBI double to right-center field as junior left-handed pitcher and outfielder Kobe Andrade came in to score.
Leading 4-3, Calder returned to the mound for his fourth inning of work. The first batter he faced busted a solo home run and the game was once again tied up. Calder recorded one more out before being replaced by junior right-handed pitcher Hambleton Oliver.
The Baylor bats didn’t convert in the top of the eighth inning and Oliver returned to the mound in the bottom of the inning tied 4-4. The first batter he faced spanked another home run out of the ballpark and Oliver (2-3) was given the loss as the Bears dropped the final game of the series 5-4.
“Tough one to end up losing,” Thompson said. “We competed hard, played pretty good baseball, just frustrating not to come out on top. I liked the effort from the fellas and we’re going to keep trying to bounce back and working hard, but it’s obviously a punch in the gut and tough one to swallow today.”
The Bears will be back in action Tuesday evening against Stephen F. Austin University. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark.
