By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Baylor found itself in a familiar position Friday, down 3-1 in the top of the eighth to another ranked opponent. On the mound for No. 25 Ole Miss was Hudson Calhoun, who had already gone 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
“We were down a few runs,” redshirt freshman outfielder Hunter Snow said. “They got a guy throwing 95 on the mound, so you got to catch up to it somehow.”
On the first pitch he saw, Snow launched a ball into the Crawford Boxes past left field at Daikin Park, taking a 4-3 lead and sending the Baylor fans into a frenzy.
“I was just thinking, ‘Get the head of the barrel out,’” Snow said. “That’s what I did, and the ball freaking flew, man.”
Redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong drove in the winning run in the 10th to secure the statement win for Baylor (6-5) over Ole Miss (10-2). The Bears earned their eighth ranked win under head coach Mitch Thompson to open their weekend at the Bruce Bolt College Classic.
“It’s a big-time win for us. It was a frustrating day,” Thompson said. “That’s what I loved about them, they didn’t quit.”
The offense looked to have fallen silent against a staunch pitching staff once again, failing to score in six straight innings after taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
Baylor struggled to put the ball in play throughout the game, striking out 19 times against four Rebel pitchers. Ole Miss’ starting pitcher, Hunter Elliott, recorded a career-high 11 punchouts.
All the Bears needed to pull off the upset was some timely hitting. Along with Snow’s three-run shot, junior catcher JJ Kennett tied the game at five in the ninth with an RBI single and Armstrong drove in the winning run in extra innings.
“We’ve been fighting, fighting, fighting,” Thompson said. “They’ve been beating us all day long.”
Baylor got over the edge in a tightly contested game. The team struggled to come up clutch last weekend in Round Rock, falling to then-No. 7 Oregon State 3-1 and Purdue 6-5. The Bears broke the narrative to take down the Rebels.
Senior left-handed pitcher Stefan Stahl was dealing in his second start of the season. He threw a career-best eight strikeouts across four innings and allowed a lone run. Stahl credited pitching coach Sean Snedeker with setting him up for success.
“I trust Sned so much on pitch calling,” Stahl said. “If he thinks I got it and I got it, it gives me the confidence to execute that pitch.”
Fifth-year right-hander Caleb Bunch shut the door on Ole Miss out of the bullpen. Bunch dealt two scoreless innings and capped off the save with a strikeout and a celebration with his teammates.
“We’re one of 12 out of 300 teams to play in a big-league ballpark this weekend,” Snow said. “We’re very fortunate. It’s a great atmosphere.”
The Friday-night upset proved to be the highlight for the Bears as they finished 1-2 on the weekend following losses to No. 3 Texas and UTSA.
“These tournaments aren’t easy, it’s a battle,” Thompson said. “These guys got a lot of fight in them.”
Baylor returns to the diamond at 6 p.m. Tuesday to take on Tarleton State at the Tarleton Baseball Complex in Stephenville. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
