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Baylor Baseball Rallies Late to Walk-Off No. 19 Texas, 10-9
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (13-22, 5-9) walked off No. 19 Texas (25-12, 7-4), 10-9, in front of the largest crowd of the season Saturday at Baylor Ballpark.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, sophomore 3B Hunter Teplanszky lined a 2-RBI single over the head of the UT second baseman to give the Bears the come-from-behind walk-off win.
“That’s every kid’s dream,” Teplanszky said after his game-winning hit.
“You sit back in the backyard in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, and you’ve got to win a baseball game. That’s the way I looked at it. This is the moment you dream of, and there was really no pressure. I just took the same approach I did all game, and I’m going to get my pitch and execute it.”
Entering the ninth, Baylor trailed 9-5 and hadn’t scored a run since the first inning.
The Bears' rally started when junior RF Cole Tremain singled through the left side with one out in the frame.
The following four batters reached base via free passes, freshman CF Caleb Bergman hit into an RBI fielder’s choice to cut the Texas lead to 9-8 and junior LF Cole Posey drew a walk to set the stage for Teplanszky.
“This game is a game where you’ve got to get 27 outs. It’s never over until it’s over,” coach Mitch Thompson said after the victory. “You can’t run out the clock. You can’t take a knee. That’s what makes it beautiful. Big, big time [win].”
A combined nine runs were scored in Saturday’s 43-minute first inning. Some spotty defense from the Bears in the top of the frame led to four quick runs for the Longhorns.
With two outs in the bottom of the first, sophomore 2B Austin Stracener drew a walk with the bases loaded. Junior C Harrison Caley followed with a 2-RBI single through the left side, and Bergman lined an RBI single into center field to put Baylor up 5-4.
Mason Marriott couldn’t get past the third inning in his fifth Big 12 start of the season. The sophomore righty threw 2.2 innings and surrendered five runs, six hits and four walks on 69 pitches.
Freshman lefty and Austin native Ethan Calder entered in place of Marriott in the third and was great in relief. Calder allowed two runs in 4.1 innings of work.
“Ethan Calder threw great. He kept us in the game, kept us right there, and gave us a chance, and we came through,” Thompson said.
Sophomore Gabe Craig allowed two runs in the eighth to extend UT’s lead to 9-5.
Final: Baylor 10 - Texas 9
W: Cole Stasio (3-2) L: Zane Morehouse (4-2)
POTG: Hunter Teplanszky 3-6, R, 2 RBI
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor baseball (13-22, 5-9) will look to win the series against No. 19 Texas (25-12, 7-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.