Baylor Blanked by Cincinnati, Offensive Struggles Continue in 8-0 Loss

CINCINNATI – Baylor baseball (19-15, 7-7) was shut out for the first time this season, 8-0, and dropped its series to Cincinnati (23-13, 6-8) on Saturday afternoon at UC Baseball Stadium.

The Bears were out-hit, 12-to-5, drew just two free passes and punched out 11 times, marking the eighth time Baylor’s racked up double-digit strikeouts in conference play this season. Second baseman Pearson Riebock (So.) was the lone Bear with multiple base knocks and collected his first double of the year in the defeat.

On the mound, right-handed pitcher Zack Wallace (So.) surrendered six earned runs against a powerful Cincinnati lineup and struck out six across 4.2 innings of work. Out of the bullpen, Charlie Atkinson (Jr.) and Brayden Bergman (RFr.) both had solid outings, combining to allow just one earned run over 3.1 frames.

“We didn’t swing the bats very well, and we didn’t make good adjustments; it’s a two-game stretch where we’ve really struggled, and it’s disappointing,” head coach Mitch Thompson told the Baylor Sports and Media Network post-game. 

He continued, “The guys are trying their best, but sometimes when you try, you make it worse. There’s some pressing going on and chasing stuff out of the zone makes it really hard. We’ve got to get back to being us, simplify things a little bit and give ourselves a shot.”

After totaling just one run in the series opener, the offensive struggles carried into Saturday, as the Bears had just one base runner over the course of the first three innings against Cincinnati’s starting pitcher, right-hander Logan Knight (Sr.).

Knight, who entered the contest with a 6.95 earned run average, absolutely dominated Baylor’s batting order in the blowout win, surrendering only four hits across seven shutout innings, while totaling eight strikeouts on 102 pitches, 70 of which were strikes.

Meanwhile, Wallace had his moments where he looked solid on Saturday, but struggled in both the first, third and fifth innings to get the third out, as all six of Cincinnati’s runs off Wallace came with two outs, including a two-run homer from Derrick Pitts (So.) that sealed the Baylor loss.

Final: Cincinnati 8, Baylor 0

W: Logan Knight (3-3) L: Zack Wallace (3-3)

POTG: Pearson Riebock (2-for-3, 2B, HBP)

What’s Next

The Bears (19-15, 7-7) will finish their series against Cincinnati (23-13, 6-8) tomorrow at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 12, at UC Baseball Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.