BAYLOR BASEBALL: Bears Defeat No. 11 LSU in Comeback Fashion, 6-4

Caton, Rachel Rachel_Caton at baylor.edu
Sat Feb 29 22:12:01 CST 2020 

BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – February 29, 2020

BEARS DEFEAT NO. 11 LSU IN COMEBACK FASHION, 6-4
The Bears scored six unanswered runs to defeat the Tigers.
For more information contact: Rachel Caton, (254) 652-2061, Rachel_Caton at baylor.edu<mailto:Rachel_Caton at baylor.edu>


HOUSTON, Texas – The Bears scored six unanswered runs to defeat No. 11 LSU 6-4 in comeback fashion on Saturday evening at Minute Maid Park.

In game two of the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic, the Bears (7-4) hung in there through the first five frames and then struck with two in the sixth and four in the seventh to defeat LSU (7-4) who jumped out to a 4-0 lead through six.

The Bears launched a season-high three home runs in the comeback effort, with Nick Loftin and Ricky Martinez connecting on two-run shots, while Chase Whesener hit a solo homer.

Baylor starter Evan Godwin was strong through 5.2 innings of work, allowing just three runs on five hits with two walks and a career-best eight strikeouts.

The Tigers got on the board first with a run in the second and a run in the third. With a 2-0 lead, Saul Garza delivered a two-run home run off reliever Daniel Caruso to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
However, the Bears answered right back with a two-run shot of their own off the bat of Loftin to pull within two runs, 4-2.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bears took the lead with a four-run inning and never looked back. Wehsener’s solo homer, his third of the year, pulled the Bears within one, 4-3. Martinez then delivered a two-run home run, the first of his career to give the Bears a 5-3 lead. A two-out bloop single to right from Mack Mueller gave the Bears some insurance with a 6-4 lead.

Reliever Ryan Leckich got two outs in the eighth to finish off his 1.0 inning of work and gave way to Logan Freeman who earned the final out of the eighth.

Freeman gave way to closer Luke Boyd, who worked around a leadoff single and a fielding error that put the go-ahead run at the plate for the Tigers with no outs. A sac bunt put two Tigers in scoring position, but Boyd tallied back-to-back strikeouts to end the game, preserving his fourth save of the year.

BU reliever Ryan Leckich<https://baylorbears.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9207> earned the win to improve to 1-0 on the year, while LSU reliever Brandon Kaminer took the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season.


NOTES

  *   The Bears are now 18-17 all-time in the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children College Classic.
  *   The Bears are 5-3 in the tournament under fifth-year head coach Steve Rodriguez.
  *   The Bears are now 3-9 all-time against LSU.
  *   First win against LSU since 2003.
  *   The win over No. 11/14 LSU is the first win for the Bears over a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 16 Texas Tech 11-10 in 11 innings on April 18, 2019.
  *   The win over a ranked team snaps a six-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
  *   The Bears are now 17-26 against ranked teams under head coach Steve Rodriguez.
  *   For the first time in three trips to the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children Classic under head coach Steve Rodriguez, the Bears are off to a 2-0 start.
  *   The Bears connected on a season-high three home runs on the day.
  *   The three-home run day is the first for the Bears since doing so on April 13, 2019 vs. Oklahoma.
  *   JR INF Nick Loftin was 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, his second of the year.
  *   SO INF Ricky Martinez was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, his first career long ball.
  *   RS SO INF Chase Wehsener connected on his third home run of the year to tie Mack Mueller for the team lead. He finished the day with two hits.
  *   SR OF Mack Mueller was 1-for-4 with 1 RBI, driving home an insurance run for the Bears in the eighth inning.
  *   FR OF Jared McKenzie has now hit safely in all 10 games on the year (and of his career).
  *   SR C Andy Thomas was 2-for-4 on the day, one of three Bears with two hits apiece.
  *   LHP Ryan Leckich collected his first win of the year as he tossed 1.0 scoreless inning in relief, walking one and striking out one.
  *   RHP Luke Boyd collected his fourth save of the year.
  *   Starter LHP Evan Godwin struck out a career-high eight batters through 5.2 innings of work, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits with 2 walks.
  *   SR RHP Logan Freeman made his team-leading sixth appearance out of the bullpen, getting the final out of the eighth inning.
  *   RS JR RHP Daniel Caruso made his fourth appearance of the season out of the pen, throwing 1.0 inning, allowing 1 run on 2 hits with 1 walk.
  *   Three of the Bears’ six runs came with two outs.

STAT OF THE DAY
6 – The Bears scored six unanswered runs over the final four frames to earn the 6-4 victory.

QUOTES OF THE DAY FROM HEAD COACH STEVE RODRIGUEZ
On the offensive performance…
“It was a really impressive game from the first pitch on. The environment was outstanding. Early on, our offense did a great job getting the ball in play and feeling out LSU starter Marceaux. As the game went on, we were able to get to Marceaux and then into their bullpen. I was really proud of our offense hanging in there.”

WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will close out the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic on Sunday, March 1 vs. Arkansas. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be televised live on AT&T SportsNet and streamed on MLB.com, Astros.com, the Astros’ twitter page, YouTube page and Facebook Live.
-baylorbears.com-


__________________________________

Rachel Caton | Associate Sports Information Director
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-3784 | C: 254-652-2061

[cid:image001.png at 01D5070F.1E7C3CA0]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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