Baylor Baseball Drops Series to Kansas

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – April 21, 2024

Baylor Baseball Drops Series to Kansas
Jayhawks claim 8-4, 12-2 wins on Sunday to take weekend set over Bears
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball dropped a pair of games to Kansas on Sunday, including the resumption of Saturday’s weather suspended contest, 8-4, and the originally scheduled series finale, 12-2, at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

The Bears (18-20, 9-9) were unable to spark a late rally in the final stages of game two, as KU held BU hitless and walked just two over the remaining two innings. Then, the Jayhawks (21-15, 9-9) pounded out 14 hits and scored 12 runs to run away with the finale in an eight-inning run-rule.

Junior outfielder Wesley Jordan launched his team-leading seventh home run of the season, while junior infielder Tyriq Kemp stayed hot with another extra-base knock in Sunday’s series finale. Junior outfielder Ty Johnson also logged his fourth three-hit game of the year and fifth-year senior infielder Cole Posey picked up a pair of hits in the loss.

On the mound, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Patrick Hail matched his season best with 3.1 innings of work and picked up a strikeout, remaining the only Bear to fan at least one in each of his relief appearances in 2024.

THE RUNDOWN
Game two of the series resumed with two outs in the top of the eighth inning as redshirt junior righty Gabe Craig entered to pitch for Baylor. He was able to work around three walks without allowing a run before handing it off to fellow redshirt junior right-hander Andrew Petrowski, who recorded the final out and left the bases loaded as Kansas threatened to extend its lead.

BU was unable to spark something, though, as a one-out walk in the eighth and a leadoff base on balls in the ninth went for naught and KU even the series with an 8-4 victory.

In the series finale, the Jayhawks chased Baylor starter freshman lefty Mason Green in the first after he allowed three runs on three hits and a walk. Kansas made it 5-0 in the second with a pair of RBI singles and added four more on a grand slam in the top of the sixth, leading 9-0.

The Bears were held quiet offensively until Jordan’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, but KU got those runs right back with two in the seventh and another in the eight to go ahead 12-2. A two-out hit batter was all for Baylor in its final offensive frame, as the Jayhawks finished off the run-rule victory and claimed the series.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Junior OF Ty Johnson had a three-hit day on Sunday, marking his 12th multi-hit performance of the year.
• Johnson also extended his on-base streak to 13 games.
• Junior OF Wesley Jordan hit his team-leading seventh home run of the season on Sunday and collected his seventh multi-RBI game of the year.
• Jordan also extended his on-base streak to 29 games.
• Jordan also collected his ninth multi-hit effort of 2024 on Saturday with a 2-for-4 performance.
• Senior INF Cole Posey extended his on-base streak to nine games on Sunday while recording his fifth multi-hit effort of the season.
• Junior INF Tyriq Kemp recorded his eighth multi-hit and third multi-RBI game of the year on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, including his second home run of the season.
• It marked Kemp’s fifth-straight multi-hit game of the season, the longest streak by a Bear this season.
• Kemp extended his hitting streak to a team-best seven games on Sunday, and also reached base for the 16th consecutive game.
• Senior RHP Grant Golomb made his fifth scoreless appearance of the season with three shutout innings on Saturday.
• Redshirt junior RHP Patrick Hail tied his season high with 3.1 innings of relief on Sunday, allowing just one hit and one earned run.
• Hail remains the only Baylor reliever to tally at least one strikeout in every appearance so far this season.

STAT OF THE DAY
.500 – Baylor is now .500 in Big 12 play and sits squarely in the middle of the Big 12 standings with four conference series remaining.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On the two losses…
“We got outplayed the last two games. We just didn’t play well, and any time that happens I always want to give the other team credit. I thought Kansas played really well. They swung the bats well. They got some opportunities, we helped them, we walked too many guys and hit too many guys, gave too many free bases the last two days, they took advantage of it, hit some big home runs and you’ve got to give them credit for that. But we didn’t pitch well enough and then we didn’t swing the bat well enough today to win a game. So, it’s disappointing but you’ve got to give the other guys credit. They’re trying pretty hard, too, and I thought that they played really well.”

On rebounding from the series loss…
“The guys are giving good effort. They’re competing hard. They’re frustrated [to lose], but I think sometimes when we’re not seeing what we want to see out there, its guys pressing. Trying so hard and wanting it so bad, that they’re disappointed when they don’t do it and they’re kicking themselves. Baseball is a tough game. You’ve got to keep rolling with the punches and you can’t let yourself get down.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (18-20) hosts Sam Houston (24-16) for a midweek contest on Tuesday, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

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_3307897954]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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