By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Baylor rolled into Round Rock on cloud nine after scoring 41 runs in through its first four games.
The Bears (4-3) were met with a rude awakening as they lost 5-1 to No. 18 Southern Miss (6-1) to finish the weekend at the Round Rock Classic without a win.
The defeat to the Golden Eagles came after back-to-back heartbreakers. Baylor lost to No. 8 Oregon State on Friday night 3-1 behind a two-run ninth for the Beavers and 17 strikeouts from starting pitcher Dax Whitney. The Bears fell to a Purdue walk-off single on Saturday.
“Friday night, we got pitched incredibly tough. Yesterday, we didn’t have the bullpen, we didn’t pitch quite well enough,” head coach Mitch Thompson said. “Today, it was offensively, so it’s a little bit of everything.”
Baylor posed its biggest threat in the third, with three walks to load the bases. Redshirt freshman Hunter Snow got nailed by a pitch to drive in freshman outfielder Brady Janusek for the Bears’ only run on Sunday.
“They gave us some opportunities with some walks and hit by pitches,” Thompson said. “They gave us traffic, but we couldn’t get the big hit in.”
The lineup finished with only three hits. Two came off the bat of redshirt sophomore catcher Brayden Buchanan, including the first base hit, which came in the bottom of the fourth.
The Baylor bats struggled to find an effective approach at the plate, striking out 42 times throughout the weekend, including seven times looking against the Golden Eagles.
Senior right-handed pitcher Cade Hansen allowed three runs in four frames against Southern Miss. The Bears remained in the game until the ninth, when the Golden Eagles struck for two more runs off senior right-hander Grayson Murry, driving baserunners put on by junior right-handed pitcher Luke DeVasher.
“I thought our pitching staff and the bullpen did a nice job of keeping us in the game, giving us an opportunity to maybe make a comeback,” Thompson said. “In the ninth, they finally expanded it a little bit and opened the door a little too far.”
Starting pitching proved to be the bright spot for the Bears in Round Rock. Senior left-handers Stefan Stahl and Ethan Calder combined for nine scoreless innings across the first two days. The two starters totaled eight punchouts while walking only three.
The bullpen did not see the same fate. Five Baylor relievers allowed runs across Friday and Saturday. Sunday was the exception as three of the Bears’ four relief pitchers were not credited with a run given up.
Baylor returns home to face off against Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
