Baylor Baseball Keeps Rolling with Convincing 14-5 Win Over Kansas

Sat Apr 20 00:14:20 CDT 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – April 19, 2024

Baylor Baseball Keeps Rolling with Convincing 14-5 Win Over Kansas
Castle’s three-hit, four-RBI performance leads offensive attack in BU’s 10th win of last 11 contests
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Behind another solid start from junior right-handed pitcher Mason Marriott and an offensive outburst that scored early and often, Baylor baseball downed Kansas in convincing fashion, 14-5, on Friday night at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Junior catcher Cortlan Castle led the way at the dish with a career-high four RBIs and three hits to tie his personal best, while junior infielder Tyriq Kemp added two hits and two runs and redshirt junior outfielder Enzo Apodaca picked up two knocks and drove in two to help the Bears to their 10th win in their last 11 games.

Marriott delivered his seventh start of at least five innings of work while allowing three or fewer earned runs, as he went 5.1 on the bump with just four hits allowed and three runs (one earned) while walking three and striking out six.

Sophomore lefty Ethan Calder and redshirt junior righty Drew Leach each posted scoreless appearances before redshirt junior right-hander Gabe Craig recorded the final out of the night for Baylor’s sixth-straight win in Big 12 play.

THE RUNDOWN
Baylor (18-18, 9-7) got the scoring started in the first as Apodaca singled to lead off the ballgame, then junior outfielder Wesley Jordan shot one through the right side that the right fielder bobbled, allowing Apodaca to score all the way from first.

After another 1-2-3 frame from Marriott, the Bears plated six runs in the second on a pair of hits and a pair of KU errors. Castle singled in a run on a wild rundown play that saw him reach third on a throwing error and junior outfielder Ty Johnson tripled in two runs to make it 4-0. An RBI fielder’s choice by junior infielder Hunter Teplanszky, a run-scoring error and a sacrifice fly from sophomore catcher Zach Mazoch increased the lead to 7-0 after the first two innings.

Marriott left a pair of Jayhawks aboard in the third and retired the side in order in the fourth before his offense struck for more in the bottom of the fourth, as Castle cleared the bases with a three-run double.

BU added one more in the bottom of the fifth on Teplanszky’s RBI double after Marriott punched out KU’s two-hole batter with the bases loaded, extending the advantage to 11-0.

A two-run double and RBI groundout accounted for three Kansas runs in the top of the sixth, but Baylor got them back with Apodaca’s two-run double in the bottom of the inning and an eighth-inning balk which pushed the BU lead to 14-3.

In the ninth, KU (19-15, 7-9) plated two before Craig entered and induced a fly out to seal the series-opening victory.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor has now won 10 of its last 11 games, including five in a row, it’s second streak of five wins so far in 2024.
• BU improved to 62-26 all-time over Kansas.
• The Bears racked up 11 hits, their 15th double-digit hitting performance of the year and eighth in their last 10 games.
• Baylor’s 14 runs marked its ninth double-digit scoring output of the season and fifth in its last nine games.
• Junior RHP Mason Marriott earned his third win of the year and posted his seventh start of the season of at least five innings and three earned runs or less (5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO).
• Sophomore LHP Ethan Calder posted his sixth-straight scoreless appearance out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and striking out one in 1.2 innings.
• Calder extended his scoreless innings streak to 10.2.
• Redshirt junior RHP Drew Leach delivered his 11th scoreless outing of the season and struck out two.
• Redshirt junior RHP Gabe Craig recorded the final out of the night for his fifth scoreless appearance of 2024.
• Junior C Cortlan Castle produced a career-high four RBIs and tied his personal best with three hits.
• This was Castle’s sixth multi-hit and second multi-RBI effort of the season.
• Redshirt junior OF Enzo Apodaca extended his hitting streak to a career-high and team-best 15 games.
• Apodaca also collected his 13th multi-hit game and team-leading eighth multi-RBI game of 2024.
• Junior OF Ty Johnson tripled for the third time this season and recorded his second multi-RBI effort of the year.
• Junior OF Wesley Jordan extended his on-base streak to 27 games.
• Junior INF Hunter Teplanszky notched his seventh multi-RBI game of the year.
• Senior INF Cole Posey reached base for the seventh-straight game.
• Junior INF Tyriq Kemp extended his on-base streak to 14 games and tallied his fourth-consecutive multi-hit game and seventh of the season.
• Kemp now also boasts a five-game hitting streak.

STAT OF THE DAY
7 – Spots 8-9-1 in the BU batting order (Kemp, Castle, Apodaca) combined for seven hits and six RBIs; Mason Marriott tallied his team-leading seventh start of at least five innings pitched with less than three earned runs.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On the strong start…
“I think Mason Marriott set the tone. He was outstanding early, and then our offense comes up in the first inning and we had good at-bats, we had a really solid approach against their guy. We had a good plan and the guys executed it. I thought overall, you’ve got to feel really good about the game. It’s a nine-run win.”

On the bottom of the order’s production…
“Between Tyriq [Kemp] and [Cortlan] Castle, I think it was five hits, four runs, four RBIs, you’ve got to take that out of your 8- and 9-hole. Every time they’re on base, they’re on for the top of the order and those guys get chances to drive them in. Those were big-time at-bats and it’s a big lift for our offense.”

Junior Right-Handed Pitcher Mason Marriott
On the winning streak…
“The culture’s good right now. Everyone’s working together, everyone’s pulling the same rope. Team chemistry is through the roof right now so we’re having fun with it. It was just a matter of time for us to get going and get on a roll.”

Junior Catcher Cortlan Castle
On his night at the plate…
“This means a lot for me. I feel like I’ve been struggling a little bit early on this season, so tonight was awesome. And honestly, it was just having a lot of fun. A night like that just makes you have fun and makes you look forward to the next one. I’ve been working with Coach [Jim] Blair a lot and Coach [Zach] Dillon and I feel like they’ve gotten my swing in a good place, and I was really able to show that today so it was a ton of fun.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (18-18, 9-7) and Kansas (19-15, 7-9) return for game two of the series on Saturday, April 20, with first pitch moved up to 11:30 a.m. due to the threat of inclement weather.

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 (Baseball, Football)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-265-1639

[signature_2767282586]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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