Baylor Baseball Falls 13–2 to No. 22 West Virginia in Seven-Inning Run-Rule

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (11-7, 1-1) fell 13-2 in a seven-inning, run-rule fashion to No. 22 West Virginia (12-4, 1-1), evening the series at one apiece on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.

West Virginia out-hit the Bears, 17-to-3, in the contest and scored in six of the game’s seven innings. The Mountaineers got the leadoff runner aboard five times, drew eight walks and went 8-for-19 with runners in scoring position. Baylor’s lone runs came via a long ball from first baseman Tyce Armstrong (RSr.).

“It definitely got away early, and that’s disappointing because we wanted to pitch better than that,” head coach Mitch Thompson said post-game. “You have to give West Virginia credit. They swung the bats and hit it all over the yard. They had a really great offensive day.”

Thompson later added, “When you fall behind early, you have to make plans off the cuff with who you go to next and how to try and stay in the game, and then all of a sudden, the game’s out of hand. At that point in time, you’re figuring out how to win the series, and that was some of the decisions that were made.”

Left-handed pitcher Stefan Stahl (Sr.) missed his second consecutive start, so the Bears were forced to have a bullpen day and started Grayson Murry (Sr.) on the mound in Stahl’s place. 

Murry got shelled, allowing three hits, three walks and three earned runs in the top of the first before getting pulled. After Murry exited the contest, right-handed pitcher Cade Hansen (Sr.) didn’t see much success either, surrendering eight hits and four earned runs across 2.1 frames on 48 pitches, giving West Virginia an early 7-0 lead.

Armstrong broke up the shutout and put the Bears on the board with a 399-foot, two-run homer over the left field fence to cut into the Mountaineers’ lead, 7-2, in the bottom of the fourth. The long ball was Armstrong’s team-high seventh of the season.

That was the only offensive success Baylor would see on the day, as West Virginia’s starting pitcher, Chansen Cole (So.), allowed just two earned runs in six innings of work; he struck out five Bears.

“We didn’t take bad swings off their guy,” Thompson said. “We just couldn’t get enough going. Their guy was really good at mixing three pitches. His sinker and changeup were outstanding.”

Right-handed pitcher Brayden Bergman (RFr.) tried to hold West Virginia at bay, but the Mountaineers added two runs in the top of the fifth after back-to-back walks to open the inning. Bergman finished the contest, tossing 1.2 frames and punching out three batters.

West Virginia secured the run-rule victory with a three-spot off reliever Caldwell McFaddin (Fr.) in the sixth inning, and held the Bears scoreless across the final two frames.

Final (7 Innings): No. 22 West Virginia 13, Baylor 2

W: Chansen Cole (3-0) L: Grayson Murry (0-1)

POTG: Tyce Armstrong (1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR)

What’s Next

The Bears (11-7, 1-1) will finish their series against West Virginia (12-4, 1-1) at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 15, at Baylor Ballpark. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.