Baylor Baseball Swept by Texas, Blown Out 13-4 in Finale
AUSTIN, Texas – Baylor baseball (20-20, 4-11) was blown out by No. 10 Texas (30-13, 9-6) again on Sunday afternoon to allow the Longhorns to complete the sweep.
No one was expecting the Bears to storm into Austin and sweep the Longhorns. However, there was some optimism that after the recent play of both teams, Baylor could make the series competitive and walk away with at least a win, or possibly even two.
But that would not be the case. The green and gold came out on Sunday with another uninspiring performance.
Early on, the Bears had the opportunity to have a big first inning but they walked away with only one run. Texas’ starter, Lucas Gordon, had not shown he could consistently hit the strike zone at the start. He nailed both Jared McKenzie and Chase Wehsener with wild pitches. Wehsener was hit on the hand and would have to leave the game after the top of the first. It was another injury that this Baylor team cannot afford.
Antonio Valdez returned to the lineup on Sunday and got the start at DH. With Valdez at the plate, a passed ball allowed Jack Pineda to score from third to give Baylor the 1-0 lead. Valdez went on to walk to keep the bases loaded. With Gordon still not showing he could throw a strike, and with two outs, Harrison Caley swung at the first pitch he saw and grounded out to third to end the inning.
Tyler Thomas returned to the mound today for his first start since April 8th against West Virginia. It wasn’t ideal that his first game back was against one of the best lineups in the country though. Ivan Melendez, the nation’s leader in home runs, took advantage of Thomas not being able to hit his sports by crushing a two-run homer over the left-field wall. Murphy Stehly, the nation’s leader in hits, followed with another home run to give the Longhorns back-to-back jacks and a 3-1 lead after the first.
Thomas showed clear signs of discomfort on the mound and his day was finished after one inning. There weren’t many expectations for Thomas to go deep into the game on Sunday, but leaving after one inning is, undoubtedly, a cause for concern.
It was a weekend that could not have gone any worse for the Bears. Rigney and Thomas both exited their starts after one inning with injuries. Without those two for the rest of the season, you can essentially kiss any chances of the post-season goodbye.
Adam Muirhead and Matt Voelker, who have been the Bears' most reliable guys out of the pen in recent weeks allowed a combined 7 earned runs in 5 IPs. The Longhorns hit five home runs on the afternoon and fourteen throughout the series.
The Bears scored a run earlier in the sixth inning and were trailing 9-4, but they had another big opportunity to cut into the lead. Beau Wimpee struck out after being up 3-0 in the count and Pineda flew out to the warning track with the bases loaded to end the inning. Texas was then able to cruise the rest of the afternoon.
The Bears were 3-23 with runners in scoring position throughout the series and also left the bases loaded three times today. Better hitting in these situations would certainly have helped them cut into the series long 46-9 deficit the team racked up by the end of today’s game.
You would think that this team would have played with some more urgency considering there was so much at stake postseason-wise, but after Tyler Thomas ended the afternoon prematurely, there simply wasn’t enough energy to regroup.
Today was a microcosm of the entire season. The offense did not hit well with people in scoring position, the bottom of the order swung early and often against pitchers who were struggling to throw strikes, and the bullpen handed out 10+ walks. Unfortunately at this point in the season, I think it’s safe to assume this team is who they are.
Final: Texas 13 - Baylor 4
W: Lucas Gordon (4-1) L: Tyler Thomas (4-4)
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor baseball (20-20, 4-11) returns to Baylor Ballpark to face Incarnate Word (16-19) on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 P.M.