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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 12, 2021</span></b><u><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Baseball Tops Xavier, 7-3 on Friday Night
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The Bears put up a four-spot in the eighth to secure the win</span></i><i><u><span style="font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></u></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Media Link:
</span></b><a href="https://baylorbea.rs/37RVUDI"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">https://baylorbea.rs/37RVUDI</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Zach Rhodes, 919-247-7585, </span><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">Zach_Rhodes@baylor.edu</span></u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">WACO, Texas – </span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Thanks to a four-run eighth inning, Baylor baseball defeated Xavier at Baylor Ballpark on Friday
night. The Bears (8-4) defeated the Musketeers (3-5) in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The offenses were slow to start for both sides, until second-year freshman Jared McKenzie used an RBI-ground out to put BU up 1-0 in the third inning.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Later on in the fifth, first baseman Chase Wehsener hit an RBI-double, to double the Baylor lead to 2-0.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Xavier responded with three runs in the top of the sixth to take the brief 3-2 lead, but Baylor tied things up in the home-half with an RBI-double courtesy of third baseman Esteban
Cardoza-Oquendo.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">In the eight, the Bears made a run with an RBI-single from Cardoza-Oquendo to give BU the 4-3 advantage. Baylor was not done, as a wild pitch allowed fifth-year senior Andy Thomas
to score from third. Later in the frame, an RBI-single from in true freshman Cam Caley’s first collegiate at-bat and another RBI-single from Wehsener allowed Baylor to solidify their lead at 7-3, the eventual final.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">In a relief effort, fifth-year senior Logan Freeman (1-1) earned his first win of the season after throwing two scoreless innings, while Xavier’s Dorsey Chatham (0-1) was tabbed with
the loss. Baylor starter Tyler Thomas had a solid outing with six innings pitched, while allowing three runs, two earned and striking out nine batters. His nine strikeouts tied his career high that he set last Saturday against Memphis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">NOTES</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Tyler Thomas tied his career high with nine strikeouts for the second-consecutive week.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Cardoza-Oquendo tied his season-high with two, which resulted in two RBI.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• The Bears recorded their second- highest strikeout total for the season with 13.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Baylor has won six games in a row, tying its longest win streak since 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Freeman picked up his third career win at Baylor.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">QUOTE FROM COACH ROD</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
“When you have a chance to win ugly, it’s a good sign your guys are grinding. Things didn’t really go great tonight, in some respects, but at the same time I really liked how our guys continued to push, continued to fight. We executed in some big situations
and we were able to get some runs across the board. Overall, it’s a great team win on different aspects. It wasn’t pretty, but I’m never going to apologize for a win.”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">WHAT’S NEXT</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
The two sides will do it all again tomorrow for the second game of the series at 3 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on Facebook (Baylor Baseball), Twitter (@BaylorBaseball) and Instagram (@BaylorBaseball).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;background:white">-BaylorBears.com-</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;text-transform:uppercase"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black">Zach Rhodes</span></b><span style="color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">C: 919-247-7585 | O: 254-710-3784<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D7178F.ACA3D820" alt="signature_1232280419"></span></a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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