Castle Hits Grand Slam as Baylor Bounces Back with 10-7 Victory over UTRGV

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (30-18) handled UT Rio Grande Valley (33-16) with a 10-7 victory on Tuesday evening at Baylor Ballpark, improving the Bears' record in midweek matchups to 11-1.

Shortstop Tyriq Kemp (Sr.) collected his 16th multi-hit game of the season with a three-hit, three-RBI performance. Catcher Cortlan Castle (Sr.) went 2-for-3 and capped off a nine-run third inning with a grand slam over the left field wall, the second home run of his career.

Baylor was out-hit by the Vaqueors, 12-to-9, but managed to draw nine free passes, as well as going 4-for-10 (.400) with runners in scoring position, a stark upgrade after going 8-for-39 (.205) with RISP in the series against Arizona State over the weekend.

Six different pitchers saw time on the mound for the Bears in Tuesday’s win and combined for nine punchouts while issuing just two free passes. Baylor is 20-3 on the season when allowing two or fewer walks.

“I thought the difference in the game was the free bases. We drew a bunch of walks, got hit a couple of times, they gave us a couple of errors that opened the door, and we ran through it,” head coach Mitch Thompson said post-game. “The big nine-run inning is a tough one for any team to overcome and our guys did a nice job on the mound of making sure that they didn’t. It’s a good bounceback win against a good club.”

Baylor Athletics - Jack Compton

Baylor improved to 11-1 in midweek matchups on the season.

The Vacqueros got on the board in the second inning when second baseman Thomas Williams (Jr.) smoked a two-run homer over the left field wall off Baylor’s starting pitcher, lefty Caleb Jameson (RSo.).

Jameson surrendered a leadoff walk and a single before getting pulled in the third inning in favor of right-handed pitcher Cole Stasio (RSr.). Stasio allowed an RBI single to first baseman Jacob Sanchez (Sr.) before limiting the rest of the damage and holding UTRGV’s lead at 3-0.

In the bottom of the third, a hit batter and a pair of errors helped load the bases for Kemp, who delivered a two-run single up the middle. Kemp boasts a seven-game hitting streak and has reached base in a team-high 24 straight games.

Designated hitter Hunter Simmons (RSr.) broke his four-game hitless streak and came through with an RBI base knock of his own to tie the game at three apiece. Simmons finished the contest 1-for-5 at the plate after a brutal weekend where he was 0-for-11 with six punchouts.

Later in the frame, with the bases still loaded, first baseman John Youens (RFr.) was hit by a pitch, and center fielder Ty Johnson (Sr.) drew a six-pitch walk.

Castle capped off the nine-run inning with a 349-foot grand slam that barely snuck over the left field wall for his first home run of the season and Baylor’s second grand slam of the spring. Only two of the Bears' nine runs in the frame were earned.

“That felt so good,” Castle said of his grand slam. “Whenever I saw it off the bat, my first thought was either that’s caught or it's off the wall. When I saw it go over, I was pumped.”

Stasio’s evening was finished after two innings. He struck out two and allowed one run on 36 pitches. In relief of Stasio, left-handed pitcher Stefan Stahl (Jr.) got two quick outs before surrendering a two-run homer to Williams, his second homer of the night, in the sixth inning.

Kemp extended Baylor’s lead to 10-6 with a two-out RBI single to score Castle in the bottom of the sixth. Castle scored three runs in the contest, a career-high.

“Hit at-bats continue to be good,” Thompson said of Kemp. “For him to drive a big two-out RBI single himself and handle the bat, it’s fun watching him play.”

The Vacqueros responded with another run in the seventh inning to keep the game within striking distance going into the final frames, but righties Caleb Bunch (Sr.) and Gabe Craig (RSr.) combined to get the final six outs, with Craig earning his ninth save of the season.


 

Final: Baylor 10, UT Rio Grande Valley 7

W: Cole Stasio (3-1) L: Robert Bonilla (1-3) S: Gabe Craig (9)

POTG: Tyriq Kemp (3-for-4, R, 3 RBI, BB)

WHAT’S NEXT

The Bears (30-18, 10-14) will round out their seven-game homestand with a series against Oklahoma State (22-21, 10-11) this weekend at Baylor Ballpark. Friday’s contest will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.