Baylor Baseball Falls in Series Finale to Mercer, 6-3

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 12, 2023

Baylor Baseball Falls in Series Finale to Mercer, 6-3
Caley strikes out a career-high eight, Pendergrass homers in loss
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (5-11) fell 6-3 in its series finale with Mercer (12-5) on Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Junior LHP/OF Cam Caley struck out a career-high eight batters in just 4.2 innings of work, but Mercer was able to scratch across a few runs to hold off Baylor’s late flash. Offensively, junior INF Will Pendergrass led BU with a pair of hits, including his first home run in green and gold, and drove in two runs. Freshman INF Kolby Branch also notched two hits in extending his on-base streak to 16 games.

Baylor brought the tying-run to the on-deck circle after being down to its final strike before Pendergrass homered.

THE RUNDOWN
After striking out three of the first five he faced, Caley was able to tightrope out of danger in the second, allowing just one run and collecting his fourth strikeout of the game to strand the bases loaded. MU would chase him in the top of the fifth, after plating two more runs with two outs for a 3-0 lead.

Mercer added one more in the top of the sixth thanks to an RBI single that followed back-to-back walks to begin the inning. Then, in the eighth, two more runs came across to make it a 6-0 lead.

In the home half, redshirt freshman INF Jack Johnson delivered a pinch-hit RBI double to put Baylor on the board at 6-1. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Pendergrass cleared the left field wall on a 1-2 pitch to plate the game’s final runs.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor pitchers struck out double-digit opponents for the 12th time in 16 games this season.
• BU has punched out 13 or more opposing hitters in eight of 16 games this season.
• Junior LHP/OF Cam Caley fanned a career-high eight batters.
• Freshman INF Kolby Branch extended his on-base streak to 16 games.
• Branch also tallied his sixth multi-hit game of the year, including his fourth in the last five games.
• Junior INF Will Pendergrass notched his fourth multi-hit game of the season and second multi-RBI game of the year.
• Pendergrass also launched his first home run of the year.
• Redshirt freshman INF Jack Johnson collected the first double of his career, a run-scoring pinch hit in the bottom of the eighth.
• Junior RHP Cole Stasio worked his fourth scoreless outing of the year.

STAT OF THE GAME
13  – For the eighth time this season, Baylor pitchers struck out 13 batters.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On trying not to play from behind…
"Well, we’ve got to have better, more competitive at-bats. I mean, we are not going to win games with only five or six hits. It’s not going to happen. We are going to have to be more competitive. We went one-two-three in too many innings and we have just got to get better. We’ll continue to work and continue to get better, but until we do, that’s what we are going to get.”

Junior INF Will Pendergrass
On what the offense is figuring out…
“We’ve had some ups and downs. We’ve had some really good times and had some low times for sure. As a lineup, I think we’ve just got to become more consistent and we’re learning how to compete pitch-to-pitch and just keep passing it along to the next guy. I think it’s getting better. It’s coming along and we’re close. You know, we’ve got one more midweek and then Big 12’s start so it’s 0-0 and you just have to look at it as the second part of the season. We’ve got a new season starting next Friday when Kansas State comes in.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (5-11) hosts Rice (8-8) for its final midweek tune up before Big 12 play. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark on Tuesday, March 14.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on 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_183241617]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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