Baylor Baseball Powers Past Kansas, 19-2

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – April 15, 2022

Baylor BSB Powers Past Kansas, 19-2
Andrade throws complete game, Bears offense collects 22 hits in win
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (17-17, 3-8) powered past Kansas (14-19, 2-6), 19-2, Friday evening at Baylor Ballpark behind a season-high 22 hits as a team and a complete game by Kobe Andrade.

Andrade threw just 88 pitches and went past the sixth inning for the first time in his career, recording 10 first-pitch outs in the CG. BU was two hits and four runs shy of breaking its program records for such hitting totals in a Big 12 game, as all nine starters recorded a hit and scored a run in the victory.

The Bears wasted no time getting on the board behind Jared McKenzie’s mammoth two-run, 489-foot blast in the bottom of the first inning. Then, they added five in the second as Jack Pineda doubled in a pair and Kyle Nevin crushed a three-run homer to make it 7-0.

After KU got one back in the third, Baylor added to its tally with a run-scoring triple from Pineda and an RBI groundout by Tre Richardson. Two more came across in the fourth to make it 11-1 as Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo singled in Cam Caley and Chase Wehsener.

In the sixth, BU put up another five-spot behind a Richardson two-run single, a McKenzie two-run double, and a Nevin run-scoring double off the batter’s eye that extended the lead to 16-1. The Bears weren’t done, as three more runs crossed the plate in the seventh. Two walks and a hit-by-pitch set up Richardson to scamper across on a passed ball, then Beau Wimpee drove in two on an infield single, making it 19-1.

Andrade faced the minimum in six separate frames and notched a career-high four strikeouts. He faced four or less batters in eight innings on the way to evening up the series against the Jayhawks.

NOTES
• Baylor snapped its six-game losing streak with the win over Kansas.
• BU improves to 60-23 all-time against KU, including a 12-6 mark against the Jayhawks under seventh-year head coach Steve Rodriguez.
• BU racked up a season-high 22 hits, its most since June 1, 2019 vs. Omaha in the Los Angeles Regional.
• The Bears tallied a season-high eight extra-base hits in the victory, extending their streak to 13 games in a row with at least one XBH.
• Kobe Andrade threw BU’s first complete game since April 1, 2021 (Tyler Thomas vs. North Carolina A&T).
• Andrade set new career-highs in innings pitched (9) and strikeouts (4).
• Andrade recorded 10 first-pitch outs.
• Five Bears recorded three hits in Jack Pineda, Tre Richardson, Jared McKenzie, Casen Neumann and Harrison Caley.
• Four Bears drove in at least three runs in Pineda (3), Richardson (3), McKenzie (4) and Kyle Nevin (4).
• All nine starters recorded a hit and scored a run for the first time since May 9, 2021 vs. Kansas State.
• Tre Richardson extended his on-base streak to a career-high 25 games with his 11th multi-hit and seventh multi-RBI game of the year.
• Jared McKenzie extended his on-base streak to 21 games, also a career high, with his 12th multi-hit and eighth multi-RBI game of 2022. His four RBIs also tied a career high.
• Jack Pineda extended his on-base streak to 17 games with his team-leading 14th multi-hit effort and sixth multi-RBI game of the year.
• Pineda recorded a season-high three extra-base hits, for his third multi-XBH game of 2022.
• Kyle Nevin extended his on-base streaks to 14 games with his ninth multi-hit and team-leading 11th multi-RBI game of the season. His four RBIs were also a career high.
• Cam Caley made his first start of the season in left field and notched a pair of hits.
• Harrison Caley produced his fourth multi-hit game of the year.
• Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo recorded his fourth multi-RBI game of the season.
• Casen Neumann tallied his first-career multi-hit game with a career-high three knocks.
• Beau Wimpee collected a career-high two RBIs.

STAT OF THE GAME
22 – Baylor totaled 22 hits as a team, a season high and most since June 1, 2019 vs. Omaha.

TOP QUOTES
Head coach Steve Rodriguez
On scoring runs early and playing with a lead…
“Having Jack [Pineda] step up and hit a leadoff double, then we’re able to build on some things, move a runner and then [Jared McKenzie] hits the home run, it’s like a big sigh of relief. Like, ‘OK, here we go.’ And you had that feeling kind of throughout. Next inning, guys would come up and have great at-bats, lay good swings on things, hit the ball hard and find a hole. Next thing you know, we score five runs. Those were really good opportunities for us to relax a little bit and be able to play some baseball. You could kind of tell we were playing a little tense. It was nice to get those first couple innings out of the way and lets guys relax and play with a little bit of joy and less stress.”

Sophomore LHP Kobe Andrade
On his performance…
“It’s an unbelievable feeling. That’s my first, I had never gone more than six innings in a game, let alone nine innings. It was a great feeling knowing that I did my job. I give all the credit to my defense and offense today. They were unbelievable. I pitched with a lead the whole game, and it’s unbelievable as a pitcher knowing that my offense and defense are going to take care of me.”

Sophomore OF Jared McKenzie
On his 489-foot home run…
“Yeah, I got a hold of it. It felt good. He came with a fastball first pitch. Hitting in the 3-hole, I kind of get pitched a little different than I have the past couple of years. Knowing this pitcher, I faced him last year too, I didn’t think he’d come with another fastball. I had a good guess, was sitting changeup, and sure enough I got it. I destroyed it.”

WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (17-17, 3-8) and Kansas (14-19, 2-6) square off in a rubber game on Saturday, April 16, at 12 p.m. CT at Baylor Ballpark.

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_1257833294]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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