Rigney Exits With Injury, Baylor Blown Out By Texas 20-1

AUSTIN, Texas – Baylor baseball (20-18, 4-9) was blown out by No. 10 Texas (28-13, 6-7) on Friday night by a score of 20-1.

The final score was ugly, but losing the game wasn’t the worst thing that happened tonight to the Bears. It was losing starting pitcher, Will Rigney, to injury. 

Prior to Rigney’s injury, the atmosphere at UFCU Disch-Faulk Field was electric. There were only a few empty seats in the crowd and the excitement was palpable. The game started with Tre Richardson lining the first pitch he saw right into the Texas second basemen’s mitt. The Bears went down 1, 2, 3 but it looked like they were going to be able to hang with the No.10 overall team in the country. 

Will Rigney looked brilliant in the bottom of the first. But the overall tide of the game quickly changed in the second inning. After Rigney threw his thirteenth pitch of the game, he immediately motioned to the bench. Harrison Caley, Coach Rodriguez, and the Baylor trainer went out to meet Rigney on the mound. It didn’t look good, he left the game and quickly walked into the dugout. 

Baylor Athletics

Regardless of how bad the scoreboard looked, losing Rigney for the foreseeable future is considerably worse than any single loss could have meant for this team, especially considering his injury history. It was just an awful blow for this Baylor team that hasn’t caught many breaks all season.

Once Rigney was forced to exit, Jake Jackson entered in relief. What once looked like a promising game, immediately went haywire. Jackson allowed 10 earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched. 

What was so unfortunate was that the offense was hitting the ball pretty well against one of the best pitchers in the country, Pete Hansen. The Bears racked up five hits during Hansen’s five innings, led by Richardson who went 2-3 with an RBI during that span. But without Rigney on the mound leading the charge, the team never stood a chance. 

Jake Jackson, Chandler Freeman, and Hambleton Oliver allowed a combined 19 earned runs in relief. The three relievers gave up five home runs and twenty base hits to the Longhorns. 

Obviously, the most important thing moving forward is Rigney’s health. All season this Baylor team has been able to bounce back after tough losses, but tomorrow is going to be especially difficult.

Final: Texas 20 - Baylor 1

W: Pete Hansen (7-1) L: Will Rigney (2-2) 

WHAT’S NEXT

Baylor baseball (20-18, 4-9) continues their series against Texas (28-13, 7-6) tomorrow at 1:00 P.M. at UFCU Dish Faulk Field.