WACO, Texas - A furious four-run, two-out comeback
fell short in the ninth inning, as Jake Miller threw out a streaking Chris
Dudley at first base to send No. 8 Baylor to an 8-7 win over the ULM baseball
team Wednesday night at Baylor Ballpark.
The two-game series sweep ran the Bears' current winning streak to a
national-high 16 games.
The Warhawks (16-17) added an early run in
the top of the ninth inning on an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Logan
Fiasco to trim the deficit to 8-4. A
walk to Les Aulds by Max Garner loaded the bases for ULM with one out and
brought the tying run to the plate. An
RBI groundout by Caleb Clowers brought the Warhawks within three runs
(8-5). Jeremy Sy then roped a two-out
pitch through the left side to score Aulds and Fiasco and close the gap to just
one run at 8-7. Miller make a great play
in the hole at shortstop on a sharp shot off the bat of Dudley, throwing the
designated hitter out at first by two steps to end the game.
Clowers led ULM with two base hits and a run
batted in, while Sy added three RBIs of his own. Brandon Alexander chipped in a two-run single
in the top of the fourth inning.
Aulds opened the game with a well-placed base
hit to left center field that jump started the Warhawk cause. Aulds advanced to second base on a stolen
base before moving to third on a wild pitch by Baylor (27-7) starter Austin
Stone. Sy sent a 2-0 Stone offering deep
to left field for the inning's second out, but the sacrifice fly scored Aulds
and gave ULM a 1-0 lead.
Baylor tied the ballgame in the bottom of the
first inning on a Logan Vick RBI base hit that found its way through the right
side, tying the game at 1-1. A Dan Evatt
single scored Max Muncy to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. Miller reached on a fielder's choice on a sharply
hit ball to Clowers at second base, plating Vick from third to up the advantage
to 3-1.
Andrew Richardson retired the side in the
bottom of the second inning for ULM, forcing Nate Goodwin and Cal Towey to fly
out to left field and Adam Toth to ground out to Clowers at second base.
Muncy led off the bottom of the third inning
with a double to left field off Richardson and then scored on a Vick single to
right (4-1). Vick was gunned down at
second base by Taylor Abdalla trying to stretch the base hit into a double of
his own. Richardson sat down the next
two Bear hitters in order to escape the frame.
The Warhawks threatened in the top of the
fourth inning after Sy drew a full-count walk, Dudley smacked a pinch hit
single to left field and Corben Green reached on a base on balls against
Stone. A two-run, two-out single to right
field off the bat of Alexander scored Sy and Dudley and closed the gap to
4-3.
Baylor upped its lead to two runs (5-3) on an
RBI single from Goodwin off reliever Fraser Adams in the bottom of the 4th
inning. Adams retired the final two
hitters of the inning, getting Towey to strike out swinging on a breaking pitch
to keep the Warhawks within range at 5-3.
Adams retired the final three batters before
Wil Browning took over on the hill in the bottom of the seventh inning. Browning forced Evatt to fly out to Justin
Stawychny in right field on one pitch to end the inning and keep ULM within
three at 6-3.
Baylor struck once more in the bottom of the
eighth inning, as Towey turned on a 3-2 Browning offering and sent it screaming
into right field, scoring a pair of runs to stretch the Bear lead to 8-3.
Dillon Newman (2-1) threw 2.1 innings of
one-hit baseball, striking out three to pick up the win. Garner allowed one earned run on Sy's ninth
inning base knock for his third save of the season.
ULM returns home to face Sun Belt Conference
leader Florida Atlantic in a weekend series at Warhawk Field. First pitch Friday is set for 6 p.m.
