Baylor Baseball Drops Third Straight Big 12 Game, Loses Series Opener to Cincy, 8-3

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (8-17, 3-7) dropped its third straight Big 12 game and the series opener to Cincinnati (16-11, 4-3), 8-3, Thursday night at Baylor Ballpark.

In seven of Baylor’s 10 conference games so far, the Bears have been held to three or fewer runs. Tonight’s loss and last Friday’s 4-3 extra-innings victory over Texas were the only two times Baylor has reached double-digit hits in Big 12 play. All three of BU’s runs came in the ninth inning.

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In seven of BU’s 10 conference games so far, the Bears have been held to three or fewer runs.

Right-handed pitcher Seth Logue (Sr.), who had logged over 20 innings already this year and had an 11.95 ERA, entered the contest in the second for the Bearcats. Logue completely shut down Baylor’s batting order, fanning eight and allowing just four base knocks across 6.1 frames.

“At the end of the day, it’s a loss,” head coach Mitch Thompson said after the loss. “It’s about scoring more runs than the other guys, and we didn’t do that. They beat us tonight, and I give them credit.”

Lefty Mason Green (Fr.) started the game on the bump for the Bears. After two clean innings of work, Green ran into some trouble in the third inning when UC center fielder Dalton Pearson (Sr.) poked a weak-hit double down the first-base line. Later in the frame, the freshman lefty didn’t get the benefit of what would have been a third-strike call to end the inning and walked the Bearcats lead-off hitter.

“I thought Mason Green threw the ball well,” Thompson said. “Especially early, he was outstanding – striking out the side in the first inning. [Over] four innings, he gave up three hits, but the one big one was a three-run bomb, and he struck out six.”

With runners on first and second base with two outs, third baseman Kerrington Kross (Jr.) crushed a three-run homer well over the right field wall to give Cincinnati the early 3-0 lead. Green’s day was finished after four innings, striking out a career-high six batters and allowing three earned runs and three hits.

Right-handed pitcher Patrick Hail (RJr.) wasn’t as solid as he normally is out of the bullpen. He surrendered six base knocks and three earned runs in just over two innings on the mound. The Bearcats extended their lead to 6-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

In the ninth, Baylor finally scratched some runs across after third baseman Hunter Teplansky (Jr.) and second baseman Daniel Altman (Sr.) delivered RBI hits in the inning.

Final: Cincinnati  8, Baylor 3

W: Seth Logue (1-3) L: Mason Green (1-3)

POTG: Wesley Jordan (3-for-4)

WHAT’S NEXT

Baylor baseball (8-17, 3-7) will continue its series against the Cincinnati Bearcats (16-11, 4-3) on Friday at Baylor Ballpark. The first pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.