Armstrong’s Late Blast Powers Baylor to Series-Clinching Comeback over Utah, 11-10

SALT LAKE CITY – Baylor baseball (28-26, 14-16) clinched a series win over Utah (26-24, 12-18) with a come-from-behind 11-10 victory in the final game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon at America First Ballpark.

The top of the Bears’ order was dominant in the thriller, as Travis Sanders (RJr.), Brady Janusek (Fr.) and Tyce Armstrong (RSr.) combined to go 8-for-14 at the plate with 10 RBIs and five extra-base hits, four of which were home runs; Armstrong hit the go-ahead three-run nuke in the top of the ninth inning to seal the largest comeback of the year.

Both teams finished with 12 hits, but the Bears were incredibly effective with ducks on the pond, going 4-for-9 at the plate (.444) with runners in scoring position, as well as 5-for-14 (.357) with runners on. Baylor left just three runners on base in the win.

“That was as gritty a performance as we’ve had in a long, long time,” head coach Mitch Thompson told the Baylor Sports and Media Network post-game. “We got punched in the mouth right off the bat and responded. We hung in there. It was 7-1, and we kept coming.”

Thompson continued, “Our horses showed up. Our big boys showed up. Tyce Armstrong showed up. Travis Sanders showed up. Brady Janusek showed up. Caleb Bunch showed up. I’m as proud of that win as any we’ve had in a long, long time.”

Closer Caleb Bunch (5Sr.) saved the day for the Bears out of the bullpen as he entered into a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth inning and escaped without surrendering any damage. Bunch went on to record the final nine outs and allowed just one run, while punching out four batters and securing his fifth win of the season.

“He really showed up big,” Thompson said of Bunch. “Bases loaded, nobody out, and to get out of that with nothing given up was huge. I’m proud of the overall grit and fight of the entire team. That’s a heck of a win against a good club that’s playing here at home.”

Left-handed pitcher Ethan Calder (Sr.) had a Saturday to forget in his final regular-season start in a Baylor uniform, as he got shelled early, with the Utes pouring on seven runs, including a five-spot in the first inning.

Calder finished with four punchouts and eight hits allowed across four frames and 76 total pitches; his ERA jumped nearly an entire point to 5.40.

Despite the early 7-1 deficit, Baylor’s batting order never bowed out, as they kept chipping away, originally sparked by an RBI single from Sanders in the fifth inning, later followed by a three-run blast from Janusek.

Janusek, the likely All-Big 12 outfielder, further extended his single-season program record for home runs by a freshman, finishing the regular season with 13 long balls to go along with 48 runs batted in.

Left-handed pitcher RJ Ruais (Jr.) had a clean inning in relief of Calder, but ran into some trouble in the sixth inning, allowing a leadoff homer and putting two runners aboard before getting pulled in favor of Luke DeVasher (Jr.), who allowed a single and a bases-loaded walk. Bunch came in and extinguished the fire, but not before the Utes padded their lead, 9-5.

In the top of the seventh, the Bears battled back as Sanders and Armstrong came through when it mattered most with back-to-back jacks. Sanders finished the contest 3-for-5 and homered in each game of the series; his batting average at the end of the regular season is a team-high .376.

Final: Baylor 11, Utah 10

W: Caleb Bunch (5-2) L: Justin Abercrombie (1-3)

POTG: Tyce Armstrong (3-4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, BB)

What’s Next

Baylor baseball (28-26, 14-16) has clinched the No. 8 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and will open the conference tournament at 6:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, May 20, against the winner of the No. 12 seed Texas Tech versus No. 9 seed BYU; the game will be streamed on ESPN+.