Baylor Baseball Drops 7th-Straight Conference Game, Loses to TCU in Extras, 9-7

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (20-25, 9-14) extended its conference losing streak to seven games with a 9-7 defeat in extra innings to TCU (28-16, 12-14) Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.

The Horned Frogs took their first lead since the first inning with a three-spot in the 11th inning off lefty Ethan Calder (So.). Calder was masterful for much of the contest, going a season-long 6.2 frames out of the bullpen and striking out three on a career-high 82 pitches.

Entering the 11th, Calder had allowed just one run across six innings but with a runner on first base and no outs, TCU’s lead-off batter, Anthony Silva (So.), lined a shot to Tyriq Kemp (Jr.) at shortstop. Kemp caught it cleanly but sailed the throw back to first base into the dugout, advancing the runner to third base with one out. Things got out of reach from that point on, and the Horned Frogs plated three runs.

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LHP Ethan Calder (So.) had surrendered just one run across six frames before a TCU three-spot in the 11th put the game out of reach.

“I think [Calder] is a great competitor,” head coach Mitch Thompson said postgame. “I think he gave us all he could, and I love what we saw from him. In hindsight, I’d love to get him out one inning earlier, but that’s not the way it was. He’s a great competitor, so I’ll go with him every day and twice on Sunday.”

The Bears opened the game hot and led 6-1 after the second inning but scored only one run over the rest of the contest and collected just three base knocks over the final nine frames.

Right fielder Enzo Apodaca (RJr.) carried the Bears offense in the loss, picking up two extra-base hits and three of the team’s eight total hits. Apodaca leads the Bears in multi-hit games with 15.

“We didn’t swing it well enough to get anything going,” Thompson said. “We didn’t score a bunch of innings in a row. When you’ve got a lead, if you can extend it with a run here or there – it’s a big deal. Ethan Calder gave us every opportunity to stay in the game. They tied it, we stayed in it, but we weren’t in a position to put them under any stress.”

After a couple of tweaks to the batting order in an attempt to provide a spark, catcher Cortlan Castle (Jr.) was moved up to the four-hole and had an opportunity in the first inning to do some early damage. With the bases loaded and no outs, Castle roped a two-run double into the right field corner. Castle has now recorded a base knock in 10 of his last 13 games.

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Baylor’s batting order collected just three hits over the final nine innings of the contest.

The Bears then hung a four-spot in the second and chased TCU’s starter, Zack Morris (Sr.), out of the game after only an inning of work. Daniel Altman (Sr.) and Ty Johnson (Jr.) added home runs in the inning – their second and first of the season, respectively. Apodaca also lined an RBI triple into the right-center field gap in the frame.

Right-handed pitcher Collin McKinney (RFr.) struggled in his start on Saturday, surrendering a season-high in home runs (3), earned runs (5) and hits (8) before being pulled in the middle of the fourth in favor of Calder.

What was once a Baylor 6-1 lead became tied at six apiece when TCU’s third baseman, Peyton Chatagnier (Sr.), led off the sixth with a triple that got past a diving Johnson in center field and later came around to score on a ground out.

In relief of Morris, Horned Frogs righty Kole Klecker (So.) dominated the Bears’ batting order in the middle innings. Klecker fanned six in four frames on the mound and didn’t allow a hit. After Klecker, right-handed pitcher Zachary Cawyer (Jr.) struck out six and allowed just one earned run across five innings.

Designated hitter Zach Mazoch (So.) added a solo shot in the 11th inning to cut TCU’s lead to 9-7.

Final: TCU 9, Baylor 7

W: Zachary Cawyer (6-1) L: Ethan Calder (4-2) S: Ben Abeldt (6)

POTG: Enzo Apodaca (3-for-6, 3B, 2B, 2 R, RBI)

WHAT’S NEXT

Baylor baseball (20-25, 9-14) will finish its series against TCU (28-19, 12-14) on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark.