Baylor Baseball Falls 8-4 to No. 22 Indiana in Series Opener

Fri Feb 23 23:17:06 CST 2024

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Feb. 23, 2024

Baylor Baseball Falls 8-4 to No. 22 Indiana in Series Opener
Bullpen gives Bears 6.2 solid frames as Hoosiers slug past BU
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (1-4) dropped an 8-4 series opener to No. 22 Indiana on Friday night at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

The Hoosiers got to BU starter Mason Marriott for six early runs, chasing him from the ballgame after just 2.1 innings on the mound. The Baylor bullpen kept the Bears in it, combining for 6.2 innings of solid relief, though the offense couldn’t quite muster enough of a comeback.

Redshirt junior outfielder Enzo Apodaca provided a spark at the plate in the form of a two-run double, one of his two hits on the night. Junior infielder Hunter Teplanszky and redshirt junior infielder Will Pendergrass also added two hits apiece.

THE RUNDOWN
Indiana got on the board first with a run in the opening inning, a sacrifice fly, that followed a scary moment as Baylor senior outfielder Hunter Simmons was carted off the field after suffering an injury while crashing into the left-field wall.

The Hoosiers put up a five-spot in the third inning, making it 6-0 and chasing Marriott from the ballgame after cashing in on four hits and a BU error. Freshman left-hander RJ Ruais came on to stop the bleeding and ended the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.

In the home half, the Bears loaded the bases and threatened for a crooked number, but only plated one run on senior infielder Cole Posey’s RBI groundout.

Indiana extended its lead to 7-1 in the top of the fourth after a run scored on a double play. In the bottom of the inning, back-to-back doubles by junior outfielder Wesley Jordan and Pendergrass plated BU’s second run. Apodaca later doubled home a pair to make it 7-4 as Baylor rallied back into the contest.

>From there, both teams were kept quiet as Ruais passed the ball off to freshman righty Stephen Sepulveda, who went 2.2 scoreless innings in his team-leading third appearance of the season.

Indiana tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth, and kept BU from reaching as far as second base over the last five innings.

Hoosiers reliever Julian Tonghini earned his first win of the year, while Grant Holderfield collected the save.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Tonight’s game marked the first-ever meeting between Baylor and Indiana.
• Baylor is now 17-13-1 all-time against Big Ten foes, excluding former Big 12 rival Nebraska.
• The Bears fall to 129-130-1 all-time against ranked opponents at home.
• Redshirt junior OF Enzo Apodaca tallied his team-leading third multi-hit and second multi-RBI game of the season, including his first double of the year that drove in two runs.
• Junior INF Hunter Teplanszky posted his second multi-hit game of the season.
• Redshirt junior INF Will Pendergrass notched his first multi-hit effort of the year.
• Senior INF Cole Posey recorded his 100th-career hit with a single in the second inning.
• Freshman LHP RJ Ruais logged three complete innings on the mound and struck out three.
• Freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda did not allow a hit in 2.2 innings, his second-consecutive hitless appearance.
• Sepulveda now leads the Bears with three appearances on the mound in 2024.

STAT OF THE DAY
6.2 – Baylor’s bullpen of freshman LHP RJ Ruais, freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda and redshirt junior RHP Drew Leach combined for 6.2 innings of two-run relief.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On positives from tonight’s game…
“I thought there was some bright moments for sure. You know, when you look at the whole scope of the game, we want to come out and win it. When RJ [Ruais] came in, when the world is on fire and balls are getting hit all over the yard, he just came in and brought an energy level and attacked and did outstanding. Then we got [Stephen] Sepulveda in there and he did a nice job. We’re going to keep running guys out there, and we’re learning and getting better, there’s no question. I think our offense showed signs of life and had opportunities, but they pitched us good. [Indiana’s] got a good club. And that’s where we want to get to. We’re seeing where it needs to go.”

Freshman LHP/OF RJ Ruais
On coming out of the bullpen in a tough situation…
“Honestly, not really [nervous]. I mean, both of my outings you know, it’s just playing baseball. So just going out there, throwing strikes and competing. You know, the other team is the other team, it’s just me and the catcher really.”

On trying to respond after Hunter Simmons goes down…
“It’s definitely hard to see one of your brothers go down like that. We’re praying for him and hoping he’s got a quick recovery. It’s definitely hard to see that, but you kind of have to come around it as a team and approach the next few innings, really the rest of the game, as we’re playing for Scoob. This one’s for him.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (1-4) and No. 22 Indiana (4-1) return for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday at Baylor Ballpark.

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_3318067915]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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