Marriott Tosses Gem but Baylor Baseball Falls to Nebraska on Opening Day, 4-1
Arlington, Texas – Baylor baseball (0-1) fell, 4-1, in its season opener to Nebraska (1-0) in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown on Friday afternoon at Globe Life Field.
Starter Mason Marriott (Jr.) opened the year with the best game of his career in a Baylor uniform. After a tumultuous first couple of seasons in Waco, the junior righty’s command was as sharp as it’s ever been en route to a career-high 10-strikeout performance against the Cornhuskers.
Both offenses were held in check for much of the contest, and the game was tied at one apiece heading into the eighth inning before Nebraska was able to plate three runs across the final two frames to put the game out of reach.
“I’m disappointed with the loss, but at the same time, the effort, the competitiveness, and the way we played the game, there’s nothing to be disappointed about,” head coach Mitch Thompson said after the loss.
Baylor outhit Nebraska, 7-to-5, but the Bears offense was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position and 2-for-13 with runners on base. McLennan transfer center fielder Ty Johnson (Jr.) and Missouri State transfer second baseman Mason Greer (Sr.) both had multi-hit performances in their BU debuts.
“It looked like a first-day offensive performance,” Thompson said postgame. “I give Nebraska a lot of credit. I think they pitched us really well and tough. Their guys located their stuff. They had multiple pitches. … We just couldn’t get the hits when we had the opportunities, but they didn’t give us many opportunities. We have to fight and get some of those, but it looked like an early season game.”
Nebraska’s first hit of the afternoon was a bloop single over the head of Will Pendergrass (Jr.) at first base in the top of the sixth inning. With a runner on second base and two outs, Lamar transfer right-handed pitcher Patrick Hail (Jr.) entered for Marriott, who came into Friday’s game with a pitch limit of around 70.
Hail immediately surrendered the go-ahead RBI double to Nebraska’s shortstop and three-hole hitter, Dylan Carrey (So.), to give the Cornhuskers a 1-0 lead. Marriott finished the contest surrendering just one earned run, one hit and two walks on 82 pitches across 5.2 innings of work.
“[Getting ahead of hitters] helps a lot,” Marriott said after the loss. “Coach [Leverton] and I worked on it all year – getting ahead of hitters – so I’m never pitching from behind, and I’m in attack mode the entire time.”
The Bears responded courtesy of an RBI double into the right-center field gap by designated hitter Hunter Simmons (Sr.) to tie the game at one apiece in the bottom of the sixth. Johnson scored the tying run after lining a single through the left side earlier in the frame.
In the eighth, with two outs and a runner on second base, righty Stephen Sepulveda (Fr.) entered from the bullpen to make his collegiate debut in a high-leverage situation against Carry – the Cornhuskers' best hitter. Carry pulled a ball into shallow left field that Wesley Jordan (Jr.) was unable to make a play on, giving Nebraska a 2-1 lead.
Sepulveda went back out for the ninth, but the Cornhuskers extended their lead with a home run from pinch-hitter Garrett Anglim (Jr.).
“For a first-time out, it’s a tough deal, but we put [Sepulveda] in that spot,” Thompson said after the loss. “He’s earned that opportunity. We expect big things out of Stephen. I think what you’ll see is he gets better after this. You can imagine, as a freshman on Opening Day in a Major League ballpark, that the heart’s pumping pretty well. I think he’ll be better for it.”
Later in the inning, Sepulveda picked up a strikeout for what should have been the final out, but the ball went to the backstop, and catcher Harrison Caley (Sr.) was unable to connect with Pendergrass at first base to get the runner out. The Cornhuskers took advantage of the defensive miscue and added another run to put the game out of reach.
Final: Nebraska 4 - Baylor 1
W: Tucker Timmerman (1-0) L: Ethan Calder (0-1) S: Casey Daiss (1)
POTG: Mason Marriott (ER, R, H, 2 BB, 10 K, 5.2 IP, 82 pitches)
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor baseball (0-1) will face Oregon (0-0) next in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Globe Life Field.