Baylor Baseball Drops Back-to-Back Contests, Loses Home Series to Kansas
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (18-20, 9-9) dropped back-to-back contests to close out its series against the Kansas Jayhawks (21-15, 9-9) Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.
The series loss marks the first time since February that the Bears lost a three-game set at home. The back-to-back losses also mark the end of Baylor’s five-game winning streak and the end of its six-game conference winning streak.
The second game of the series started on Saturday before inclement weather suspended the contest, forcing it to be finished on Sunday. The Bears walked away with an 8-4 loss, and in the rubber match later in the afternoon, Baylor came out flat and dropped the finale in eight innings, 12-2.
Game 2
In the 8-4 loss, the Bears outhit the Jayhawks, 9-to-6, but went 3-for-21 with runners on and 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Shortstop Tyriq Kemp (Jr.) continued his hot streak, hitting a home run and going 2-for-4 at the plate.
On the mound, Baylor’s pitching staff issued out 10 free passes, four of which eventually came around to score. Right-handed pitcher Collin McKinney (RFr.) struggled on Saturday, walking four batters and allowing four earned runs in just two frames.
“We just didn't play well,” head coach Mitch Thompson said postgame. “I thought Kansas played really well. … We walked too many guys and hit too many guys and gave them too many free bases – they took advantage of it and hit some big home runs. And we didn’t swing the bats well enough.”
After an unearned run in the first and McKinney struggling to find the strike zone in the second, Kansas catcher Jake English (Sr.) launched a grand slam over the left-center field wall to put Baylor in an early 5-0 hole.
With runners on the corners and two outs in the third, the Bears got on the board with an RBI single from left fielder Wesley Jordan (Jr.) up the middle. Jordan has now reached base in a team-high 28 straight games.
In the fourth, KU third baseman Michael Brooks (Jr.) smoked a two-run homer down the left field line off lefty RJ Ruais (Fr.) that was initially called foul but overturned after a meeting between the umpiring crew much to the dismay of Thompson.
The Bears responded in the bottom of the frame with a Kemp two-run opposite-field shot just over the outstretched glove of the Jayhawks left fielder, Mike Koszewski (Jr.). Kemp’s long ball was his second homer of the season and his fifth extra-base hit in the last five games.
Jordan led off the fifth by roping a double down the left-field line and designated hitter Zach Mazoch (So.) plated Jordan later in the inning after pushing a single through the left side of the infield.
Baylor had multiple opportunities with runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh to shorten the Jayhawks lead but walked away empty-handed. Veteran righty Grant Golomb (Sr.) had his best outing out of the bullpen this season, tossing three scoreless frames and striking out three.
Final: Kansas 8, Baylor 4
W: Dominic Voegele (5-2) L: Collin McKinney (3-4)
POTG: Tyriq Kemp (2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)
Game 3
In the rubber match, the Bears came out of the gate flat and walked away with a 12-2 run-rule, eight-inning loss in the series finale. Kansas outhit Baylor, 14-to-7, and only two Bears had a multi-hit performance: first baseman Cole Posey (Sr.) and center fielder Ty Johnson (Jr.).
Left-handed pitcher Mason Green (Fr.) opened the game on the mound and put the Bears in an early hole, surrendering three earned runs and only being able to get one out.
Thompson attempted to mitigate the damage by putting in Baylor’s most reliable reliever, Ethan Calder (So.). Calder’s 11-inning scoreless streak was snapped on Sunday, allowing two earned runs and four hits across 1.1 frames.
“We got behind early, and we’re chasing again,” Thompson said. “Energy shows up on base running. Energy shows up when you're swinging the bat well. When you're not then it looks like there's a lack of energy. If you don't get people on base, it's hard to have that kind of energy offensively.”
After being in an early 5-0 hole, the Bears’ batting order was dominated by the Jayhawks' pitching staff for the first five innings. It wasn’t until the sixth that Baylor got on the board with a Jordan two-run homer – his seventh of the year.
In relief of Calder, right-handed pitcher Patrick Hail (RJr.) had a great outing, throwing three shutout frames before leading off the sixth with a walk. Hail was pulled in favor of southpaw Kobe Andrade (Sr.), who surrendered a grand slam to the Jayhawks first baseman, Ben Hartl (Jr.).
Similar to the second game of the series, Baylor was 1-for-9 with runners on. Meanwhile, Kanas was 11-for-23 and 7-for-15 with runners in scoring position.
Final (8 innings): Kansas 12, Baylor 2
W: Ethan Lantheir (2-0) L: Mason Green (1-5)
POTG: Ty Johnson (3-for-4, R)
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor baseball (18-20) will finish out its four-game homestand with a midweek matchup against Sam Houston (23-16) Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m.