Marriott Deals, Bats Lead Baylor Baseball Past BYU in Series Opener, 9-2
PROVO, Utah – Baylor baseball (14-18, 6-7) extended its conference winning streak to three games with a 9-2 victory over BYU (14-16, 6-10) in the series opener Thursday night at Miller Park.
In the win, the Bears batting order collected 14 hits – a season-high in Big 12 play. Right fielder Enzo Apodaca (RJr.) scored two runs and went 3-for-6 at the plate. Second baseman Daniel Altman (Sr.) also had a multi-hit performance, highlighted by a two-run double against the left-field wall in the sixth inning.
Right-handed pitcher Mason Marriott (Jr.) delivered another solid outing. After a brief injury scare in the bottom of the third, the Tomball native toughed it out, tossing five frames and fanning four while allowing just three hits and two earned runs on 90 pitches.
“Marriott settled down, and he started throwing that slider, and his fastball stayed good,” head coach Mitch Thompson said postgame. “He showed a lot of courage getting through five innings – it was big-time.”
Outfielders Apodaca and Ty Johnson (Jr.) picked up back-to-back base knocks to open the contest. Later in the inning, Altman plated Apodaca with an RBI groundout.
The Cougars rebounded with solo home runs in the first and second innings off Marriott. Entering Thursday, the junior righty had surrendered just two long balls on the season.
“I tried to have confidence in myself,” Marriott said. “We’re in Utah; the ball is going to fly. I tried to move on and not live in the past, and I kept going on with the next batter and stayed within myself.”
Baylor regained the lead with a three-spot in the third, spotlighted by a two-run bouncing single down the first base line from Cole Posey (Sr.). Since returning to the lineup last weekend, Posey has picked up seven RBIs across 14 at-bats. He went 3-for-5 in Thursday’s victory.
“[Posey’s] handling everything at first base pretty good so far,” Thompson said. “He’s giving us some competitive at-bats and getting back into it. It’s been a good move.”
With runners on the corners and one out in the sixth, Apodaca poked an RBI single through the right side. Apodaca is second on the Bears with 11 multi-hit performances.
“[That hit] was absolutely big,” Apodaca said. “I wanted to stay as cool and calm as possible at the plate. I know who I am as a player, and I was just trying to execute my job as a player right there and do nothing too flashy.”
A few at-bats later, Altman smoked a two-run double to extend Baylor’s lead to 7-2. Thursday was Altman’s fourth multi-RBI game in his last six contests.
The Bears added two more runs in the seventh when catcher Cortlan Castle (Jr.) lined a two-run single up the middle. Five of Baylor’s nine RBIs came from the seven, eight and nine-hole hitters – Posey, Tyriq Kemp (Jr.) and Castle.
“It was not just the top of our order that was getting all of the hits,” Thompson said. “We need production from up and down the lineup, and that’s what we got today. Overall, I thought it was a really good ballgame.”
Left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder (So.) dominated the Cougars out of the bullpen, throwing three shutout innings and striking out two. The sophomore southpaw now has the lowest ERA on the team (1.88) and has tossed a scoreless outing in 10 of his last 11 appearances on the mound.
Veteran righty Drew Leach (RJr.) closed out the game for the Bears with a scoreless ninth.
Final: Baylor 9, BYU 2
W: Mason Marriott (2-3) L: Ben Hansen (4-4)
POTG: Mason Marriott (5 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 SO, 4 BB, 22 BF, 90 pitches)
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor baseball (14-18, 6-7) will continue its series against the BYU Cougars (14-16, 6-10) at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Miller Park.