Baylor Bats Get Nothing Going in Series Opener against TCU, Fall 7-2

FORT WORTH, Texas – Baylor baseball (26-15, 8-11) dropped its series opener to the rival TCU Horned Frogs (30-12, 13-6) by a score of 7-2 on Friday evening at Lupton Stadium, dropping the Bears to 1-6 in series openers during conference play.

Baylor’s pitching staff combined to surrender a season-high 10 free passes, and the defense totaled two errors in the loss.

Meanwhile, TCU’s starting pitcher, righty Tommy LaPour (So.), tossed an absolute gem, allowing just two runs and striking out eight across a season-long 8.2 frames. LaPour did not issue a walk until the ninth inning, where he allowed three and was pulled after 123 pitches, 75 of which were strikes.

Left fielder Wesley Jordan (Sr.) collected two of Baylor’s five hits in the defeat. The Bears logged just one base knock across the final five innings.

“He’s an absolute horse. He’s a bull and he’s a warrior. He has really good stuff,” head coach Mitch Thompson said post-game of LaPour. “To be throwing 100 miles per hour on pitch 120, that’s a really good arm and a tough dude. We were going to have our hands full tonight, and we knew that. Our guys still showed up to compete and fought hard.”

Left-handed pitcher Mason Green (So.) made his fourth start of the season on Friday night and didn’t make it out of the first inning. The first three TCU batters reached to load the bases with no outs. 

Green handed out two more free passes with the bases juiced, giving TCU an early 2-0 lead. Later in the frame, second baseman Travis Sanders (RSo.) air-mailed a throw past first baseman Will Pendergrass (RSr.) on a potential 5-4-3 double play that would have ended the inning, but instead gifted the Horned Frogs two more runs.

“I’m not worried about Mason Green,” Thompson said. “I’m disappointed for him. I’m disappointed that we got behind that eight-ball early.”

Baylor responded when Jordan smoked a double down the left field line to lead off the second inning. Designated hitter Hunter Simmons (RSr.) plated the run by roping a single into right-center field to extend his hitting streak to four games. Simmons’ RBI single marked his seventh straight at-bat with a base knock, dating back to last Saturday’s contest against Utah.

Left-handed pitcher Bryson Bales (6Sr.) entered in relief of Green and had an up-and-down outing. He struck out three across 2.2 frames but surrendered four hits, one earned run and four free passes.

The Bears had several more opportunities to add runs early in Friday’s contest off TCU’s ace, but came away scoreless. LaPour held Baylor’s batting order hitless between the fifth and eighth innings.

“We had two bad innings in there where we made six outs on like 11 pitches,” Thompson said. “At that point in time, we needed to get him out and get into their bullpen. I was really disappointed with those two innings of making too fast of outs.”

Relievers Patrick Hail (6Sr.) and RJ Ruais (So.) combined to allow just one earned run across 3.2 innings out of the bullpen. TCU second baseman Cole Cramer (Sr.) added a solo home run in the eighth inning off right-handed pitcher Andrew Petrowski (RSr.).

“It wasn’t all clean,” Thompson said of the bullpen’s performance. “There were too many walks, too many hit batters, too many errors, but at the same time, they only gave up three runs. They pitched out of trouble and competed.”

In the ninth inning, Sanders singled past first base and LaPour issued three straight walks to give the Bears another run. With the bases juiced and two outs, Pendergrass skied out to right field to end the contest.

Final: TCU 7, Baylor 2

W: Tommy LaPour (7-2) L: Mason Green (0-1) S: Kade Eudy (5)

WHAT’S NEXT

The Bears (26-15, 8-11) will continue their series against TCU (30-12, 13-6) on Saturday, April 26, at 2 p.m. at Lupton Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.