Baylor Baseball Wins First Series of Season after Comeback Victory over Kansas State, 8-4
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (8-12, 2-1) defeated Kansas State (13-7, 1-2), 8-4, after an eight-run sixth inning helped propel the Bears to a come-from-behind victory on Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.
The sixth inning featured seven hits, ten runners aboard and RBI singles from sophomore catcher Cortlan Castle, sophomore 3B Hunter Teplanszky, junior DH Hunter Simmons and redshirt freshman RF Gavin Brzozowski.
The Bears picked up their first series win of the season to open Big 12 play.
Junior RHP Will Rigney entered in relief of starter Cam Caley and dominated the Wildcat offense in the middle innings. The 6-foot-6 Waco Midway product pitched three perfect innings and struck out six batters on 33 pitches.
“Will Rigney changed the entire temperature of our dugout,” coach Mitch Thompson said after the game. “His energy. His competitiveness. It changed the temperature. It gave us all a little boost where ‘Hey man, we can come back.’ I remember saying to the dugout one time, ‘You see that guy out there pitching? We need to score him some runs.’ And then the floodgates opened, and we got those runs across.”
Rigney has recorded 18 outs on the season; 13 of them have been strikeouts.
Junior reliever Hambleton Oliver closed out the game with three scoreless frames of his own, only allowing one hit and striking out two on 40 pitches.
“How big was Hambleton Oliver there at the end? Coming in with two on and nobody out, here we go,” Thompson said. “But he came in and pitched like the great veteran that he is.”
Defensive miscues and command issues ultimately plagued Caley throughout his start on Sunday. The junior lefty allowed the leadoff runner to reach base in each of the four innings he started.
Caley finished surrendering four runs, two earned runs, five hits and two walks in three innings pitched.
Final: Baylor 8 - Kansas State 4
W: Will Rigney (2-0) L: Ty Ruhl (0-2) S: Hambleton Oliver (1)
POTG: Will Rigney: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 6 K, 33 pitches
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor baseball (8-12) will finish its 14-game homestand against Sam Houston (12-8) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Baylor Ballpark.