By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
After allowing two runs in the top of the 12th inning, Baylor found itself with its back against the wall. Redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong answered right back as he launched his second home run of the game to tie the game 9-9 in the bottom of the 12th.
“Obviously you think about it, but you have to try not to do too much and stay within yourself,” Armstrong said. “The only way to do that is to get a pitch that you can hit, and that’s what I got.”
Redshirt freshman third baseman Brytton Clements followed up with a single to right field. He hustled to advance to third on a wild pitch, setting up freshman designated hitter Dylan Perez.
“When they called that timeout, JJ [Kennett] came over and was like, ‘Hey, with God, you fear nothing,” Perez said. “That was a really good reminder to me, and I thanked him for it. It just kept me grounded.”
Perez lined a ball into left-center field to walk it off for Baylor on his fifth career base hit and got mobbed by an ecstatic swarm of his teammates.
“God’s timing’s always perfect, so I don’t think I would have been ready until today to handle it,” Perez said. “Today was the day.”
Perez’s walk off capped off a four-hour, 42-minute thriller that saw 19 total pitchers, multiple reviews and stoppages as well as a couple of F-bombs from the Roadrunner dugout. Baylor (21-15, 8-7 Big 12) got the job done against UTSA (25-12, 8-4 American) with a 10-9 victory.
“You’re asking a lot to stay hooked up for five hours,” head coach Mitch Thompson said. “The guys stayed in there, and they fought real hard, and it’s a great win.”
It was a long first inning for both teams, taking 32 minutes and seeing four pitchers. The Roadrunners scored first on a double steal when junior catcher JJ Kennett’s throw found its way into center field. A fielding error by Clements gave UTSA a 2-0 lead.
The early deficit did not deter the Baylor bats. The Roadrunner starting pitcher, Christian Okerholm, only faced the first three batters. After forcing redshirt junior shortstop Travis Sanders to ground out, Okerholm hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and allowed a walk before being removed.
Armstrong brought in the Bears’ first run on an RBI single. UTSA’s second pitcher, Ryan Self, only faced one more batter before being taken out.
Christopher Gutierrez did not fare well in the first either. He allowed back-to-back RBI doubles to put Baylor ahead 4-2.
“That’s not how you want to start a baseball game, and we know that,” Armstrong said. “As the game went on, we just kept fighting.”
The Bears put up two more runs with a Sanders sacrifice fly to right field in the second and an Armstrong solo home run in the third.
The Roadrunners would not go away. A sacrifice fly in the top of the third made it a 6-3 Baylor lead heading into a chaotic fifth inning.
UTSA closed the deficit to 6-5 with a two-run single from Christian Hallmark. Multiple close calls from the home plate umpire sent the Roadrunner dugout into a collective uproar, putting a negative note on the inning.
Following the Hallmark single, Jacob Silva hit a routine pop up to Sanders, who dropped the ball after it hit his glove. It was initially called an error on Sanders, but Baylor’s protest led to the call being overturned to an infield fly and Hallmark being called out at second base. The decision lit up UTSA, which had two coaches and Silva express their displeasure with the umpiring crew.
“On Tuesday nights where we’re throwing a lot of guys, [for] both teams, it’s really hard to lock in,” Perez said. “There have been multiple guys that stepped up today to lead the team.”
The Bears tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with a line drive into center field from freshman Brady Janusek that drove in Sanders from second base.
The Roadrunner offense remained a threat to the Baylor arms. UTSA led off the eighth inning with back-to-back walks. The Roadrunners loaded the bases on an errant throw from fifth-year right-hander Caleb Bunch that pulled Armstrong off first base.
UTSA’s Caden Miller launched a fly ball to deep center to score a run and make it a 7-6 game. Drew Detlefsen ripped a hard ground ball past Clements to tie the contest.
“Props to the opponent, UTSA, they’re a great team. They fought,” Perez said. “And obviously props to all our guys, we had so many other guys step up tonight.”
Both teams went scoreless through the next three frames until Detlefsen singled up the middle, giving the Roadrunners an 8-7 lead in the top of the 12th. They tacked on another run with a based-loaded walk.
Baylor brought in 10 pitchers against UTSA. Freshman right-hander Caldwell McFaddin went the longest with 2.1 innings, allowing one run in extra innings.
“Caldwell McFaddin coming in and getting to pitch, and it’s not like you’re facing chopped liver over there,” Thompson said. “He took it, and he went right at him.”
The Bears return to action against TCU at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Baylor Ballpark. All three weekend games in the series will be streamed on ESPN+.
