By Tyler Alley
Sports Editor
Baylor baseball swept its opening weekend series against Oral Roberts, capped off by a 8-1 win Sunday as part of an afternoon doubleheader.
“It’s definitely a nice start,” sophomore starting pitcher Brad Kuntz said. “Can’t ask for anything better. We just have to take it one game at a time. we have a big week ahead of us.”
Kuntz allowed only two hits, a walk and one earned run in five innings pitched, along with six strikeouts. He did not allow a runner on base until the fourth inning.
“I thought for Brad Kuntz, first time out there, that was pretty good,” head coach Steve Smith said.
Junior first baseman Max Muncy went 3 for 4 with three runs batted in.
“I think you can count on Max taking his at-bats pretty serious,” Smith said. “He’s pretty hooked up. Obviously he’s not an unknown commodity. They pitched around him the first [at bat] he had this year. The thing that made it so good for him was having [Josh] Ludy behind him this weekend and Josh really swinging the bat good. That will make pitching to Max a little more disconcerting.”
Ludy, senior catcher, had two hits and two runs batted in the second game of the doubleheader.
“Any time that I’m behind Max, I want to be hot,” Ludy said. “That way they’re going to pitch to him more obviously. He’s a phenomenal hitter so any time they pitch to him, it’s going to help us out more. It’s my job to make sure they pitch to him.”
The Bears got on the scoreboard first with a three-run 3rd inning. Muncy hit an RBI single to left, and Ludy brought in two more runs with a double.
Baylor would tack on four more runs in the 4th inning. Sophomore second baseman Lawton Langford started the rally with an RBI double that shot through the third baseman’s legs. Junior third baseman Cal Towey hit an RBI groundout before Muncy added two more runs with a double.
The Baylor bullpen allowed only one hit in four innings of work in the game.
Baylor won the first game of its doubleheader 3-2, scoring the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Ludy led the Bears’ offense in that game with two runs batted in.
Ludy said he could feel the physical effects of a doubleheader late in the second game.
“It probably hit me about the eight inning,” Ludy said. “I could start to feel it quite a bit and legs were not wanting to move too much but we were able to get through it.”
Senior relief pitcher Joey Hainsfurther earned the win in that game.
Baylor (3-0) next plays TCU at 4:05 p.m. Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark.
