Baylor Baseball Eliminated from Big 12 Tournament Contention, Falls to TCU, 2-1

Baylor Athletics

Baylor will officially not make the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in program history.

ARLINGTON, Texas – Baylor baseball (16-34, 6-17) was narrowly defeated by TCU (29-21, 10-10), 2-1, Saturday night at Globe Life Field.

A day after breaking the BU single-season record in losses, the Bears fell again to the Horned Frogs to officially eliminate themselves from Big 12 Tournament contention for the first time in program history.

“It’s extremely disappointing [to miss the Big 12 Tournament],” coach Mitch Thompson said after the loss. “I was here when the Big 12 started, and I know that this was the program that had [never missed]. It’s extremely disappointing.”

With the season on the line, the Bears' pitching was phenomenal and limited TCU to six hits and two runs, but the BU offense was kept in check once again and totaled just four hits.

Despite the limited opportunities offensively, the Bears had the bases loaded with two outs in the eighth inning, but junior Casey Sunseri, in a pinch-hit opportunity, checked his swing and hit a dribbler back to the pitcher’s mound to end the inning.

Baylor Athletics

Sophomore RHP Mason Marriott started Saturday and gave up two earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.

“We didn’t swing the bats well enough early in the game,” Thompson said. “We had opportunities later but just couldn’t get the big hit.”

Mason Marriott started for the Bears and gave Thompson all he could have asked for on the mound. The sophomore righty limited TCU’s potent lineup to two runs and three hits in 4.2 frames.

Both the Horned Frogs runs came via the free pass, however.

“Mason Marriott was pretty good for us,” Thompson said. “The only regret is how they scored their two runs and how we hit them, walked them, moved them up and they moved them in.”

Baylor failed to pick up a hit until the fifth inning when sophomore C Cort Castle lined a single through the right side.

TCU’s starter, Kole Klecker, didn’t surrender a run until the seventh. 

Junior LF Hunter Simmons smoked a ground-rule double to lead off the frame and scored on an RBI groundout from junior RF Cole Tremain.

Baylor Athletics

Baylor’s offense was 0-for-11 with runners on and 0-for-11 with RISP.

With the tying run at first base later in the inning, junior CF Daniel Altman crushed a ball, but the Horned Frogs RF, Austin Davis, made a crashing catch into the wall to rob Altman of a game-tying extra-base hit.

Junior Grant Golomb kept Baylor in the game with 2.1 scoreless innings of work out of the bullpen.

Veteran reliever Hambleton Oliver entered in the eighth with runners on the corners and no outs but managed to escape the jam unscathed to keep the game at 2-1.

Castle lined a one-out single through the left side in the ninth but was left stranded at first to end the game.

Final: TCU 2 - Baylor 1

W: Kole Klecker (8-4) L: Mason Marriott (1-7) S: Garrett Wright (3)

WHAT’S NEXT

Baylor baseball (16-34, 6-17) will finish its series against TCU (29-21, 10-10) Sunday at 1 p.m. at Lupton Stadium.