By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
Baylor baseball found itself in a sticky situation after allowing at least one run in each of the first five innings of Tuesday’s match against UTSA. The UTSA bats capitalized on every opportunity, and the Bears struggled to find a rhythm late, as they fell 9-7 at Baylor Ballpark.
Head coach Mitch Thompson and the Bears (8-16, 3-6 Big 12) vaulted themselves into a solid spot after plating five runs in the bottom of the second inning to counteract consistent Roadrunner (13-12, 2-1 AAC) offense. However, as the game hit the later innings, Baylor was only able to find two hits in the final five frames.
“We did have one big inning, but we have to scratch a run here and scratch a run there. That’s what’s frustrating,” Thompson said. “We didn’t pitch well enough and didn’t score enough. We put up three zeros on the night, and they hit every mistake we threw up there, and they hit them hard.”
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UTSA saw its first four batters reach base to plate two runs in the first, then added one run in each of the next three innings to counter Baylor’s five-run first, which knotted the game up 5-5. The Bears went on to plate their final two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as redshirt junior right fielder Enzo Apodaca and junior designated hitter Wesley Jordan recorded base hits and scored to lead off the frame. Following the two hits, Baylor found just two more the rest of the game.
Apodaca finished the day 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, earning his eighth multi-hit game and marking the fourth time this season in which he has reached base four or more times. Jordan also recorded a two-hit game, going 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Junior catcher Cortlan Castle was the only other Bear with two hits, as he went 2-for-3 on the night.
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Baylor churned through six pitchers, who combined to allow 15 hits, marking the third straight game the squad allowed 11 or more. It also walked four batters. Senior right-handed pitcher Grant Golomb (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs and recording just two outs in the top of the seventh inning, which ultimately gave UTSA the lead and victory.
“The runs in the first inning count just as much as the runs in the seventh or eighth inning to take the lead,” Thompson said. “We can’t be OK with just giving up one here and one there. If we can get out of it, get out of it. We have to be better at that.”
In freshman right-handed pitcher Tanner Duke’s fourth start of the season, he allowed three runs across 2.0 innings of work. The backend of the Baylor bullpen featured the only relievers to throw scoreless frames, as senior left-handed pitcher Kobe Andrade threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Drew Leach threw a scoreless ninth.
The Bears will open their first-ever three-game series with Cincinnati (15-11, 3-3) as Big 12 foes at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Baylor Ballpark.
