Baylor Baseball Drops 8-4 Contest at WVU

Sat Apr 9 15:41:42 CDT 2022

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – April 9, 2022

Baylor BSB Drops 8-4 Contest at WVU
McKenzie stays hot with three-hit, three-RBI performance
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

THE RUNDOWN
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Baylor baseball (16-14, 2-6) fell 8-4 to West Virginia (19-10, 4-1) on Saturday afternoon at Monongalia County Ballpark in Morgantown, W.Va.

Jared McKenzie led the Bears with a three-hit and three-RBI performance, but the Mountaineers made use of a pair of three-run innings to clinch the series win.

BU got out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to McKenzie’s first RBI single of the day, but WVU responded with a run-scoring knock and sacrifice fly in the bottom half to go ahead 2-1.

Both starting pitchers then seemed to settle in, as Kobe Andrade retired the next 15 batters he faced to put up zeros through the fifth inning. However, WVU’s Ben Hampton matched him and held Baylor in check until the top of the sixth when McKenzie blasted his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot that tied the score at 2-2.

But, once again the Mountaineers answered to put up three runs in the home half thanks to a two-run single and a safety squeeze bunt that plated one. They extended their lead to 8-2 in the seventh as a sacrifice fly and another two-run single held the Bears at arm’s length.

BU threatened in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the on-deck circle, but McKenzie’s final run-producing knock of the afternoon and an RBI groundout by Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo would be all.

NOTES
• Baylor still holds a 14-13 advantage in the all-time series over West Virginia, but is now tied 9-9 against the Mountaineers under seventh-year head coach Steve Rodriguez.
• Jared McKenzie recorded his fifth three-hit game of the season and drove in three runs for the second time this season.
• Tre Richardson extended his on-base streak to 21 games, tying a career high.
• McKenzie extended his on-base streak to 17 games, also a career high.
• Jack Pineda extended his on-base streak to 13 games.
• Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo and Kyle Nevin each extended their on-base streaks to 10 games.

STAT OF THE GAME
3 – Jared McKenzie tallied three hits and three RBIs on the day.

TOP QUOTES
Head coach Steve Rodriguez
On the offense in today’s game…
“I thought our offense swung the bat really well. We smashed some balls today and it was kind of brutal conditions with the rain and sleet coming down. That’s all you can ask from your offense is to take good, quality swings, especially at balls in the kill zone, which we did. We hit the ball really well today, we just weren’t able to get enough runs to overcome [WVU]. Every time we would score one, they would score two. We’re going to keep grinding and keep getting after it.”

On Jared McKenzie’s hot streak…
“What’s great is he’s been using all fields and that can be attributed to his work ethic. Being able to hit the ball on the ground to both sides, hit the ball in the air to both sides, really changes the dynamic for that young man. When you put in the work that he has to try to maximize everything, it doesn’t surprise me. He’s a great player, a great centerfielder and a great asset to this team.”

WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (16-14, 2-6) returns to face West Virginia (19-10, 4-1) in the series finale on Sunday, April 10, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.

For the latest news on the Baylor baseball team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.

-BaylorBears.com-

__________________________________

Max Calderone | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (BSB, FB, EQ)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_2182686039]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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