Baylor Baseball Drops Back and Forth Opener at Utah, 8-7

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 14, 2026

Baylor Baseball Drops Back and Forth Opener at Utah, 8-7
Bears hit four home runs but go quiet over middle frames
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

SALT LAKE CITY –Baylor baseball dropped its series opener, 8-7, at Utah on Thursday night at Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark in Salt Lake City.

The Bears (26-26, 12-16 Big 12) put up runs in three of the first four innings, but couldn’t hold down the Utes (26-22, 12-16 Big 12) who scored five unanswered runs until a late two-run homer by freshman outfielder Brady Janusek made it a one-run game in the ninth.

BU hit four home runs on the night, with blasts from freshman infielder Cole Lanclos, sophomore infielder Pearson Riebock, redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders and Janusek’s freshman record-setting long ball, marking the first time since at least 2004 that the Bears have hit four or more homers in consecutive games.

But, the Baylor bats went cold for too long as a span of 15-straight were retired in order, including 11 on strikeouts, to help the Utes pull in front.

THE RUNDOWN
Both sides wasted little time in getting the scoring started, as a two-out RBI knock from freshman designated hitter Hunter Snow plated the game’s first run and gave Baylor a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first. However, Utah countered with a three spot in the bottom half on four hits, including a two-run home run, to charge ahead at 3-1 after the opening frame.

In the second, Lanclos left the yard for the first time in his career, a two-run shot, to tie the ballgame right back up at 3-3. Redshirt junior right-hander Lucas Davenport settled back in to put up a zero in the home half and got some help from freshman outfielder Dylan Perez who shielded the sun to make three tough grabs in left field.

After both sides went scoreless in the third, a pair of solo blasts put BU back in front at 5-3 in the fourth, as Riebock crushed his second of the year and Sanders launched his seventh long ball of the 2026 campaign. But once again, the Utes responded to knot things back up at 5-5 thanks to a trio of hits and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame.

The offensive battle continued in the fifth, as Utah tacked on three more with a two-run double and RBI bloop single in the inning, chasing Davenport from the mound unable to get through five complete. Reliever junior southpaw RJ Ruais did well to put up a season-high 2.1 scoreless innings and keep BU in it, still chasing three runs down 8-5.

However, Baylor’s bats went cold over the middle to late innings, seeing 15 in a row go down from the end of the fourth until a Sanders infield single in the top of the ninth.

Utah had a chance to add on in the eighth, but junior right-hander Charlie Atkinson was able to wiggle out of danger after walking the bases loaded with one out to get a strikeout and inning-ending 4-3 groundout, bringing the Bears to the plate with Lanclos, Sanders and the club’s home run leader redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong due up.

In the ninth, Sanders reached with his third hit of the day, an infield single, to give the Bears their first baserunner since the top of the fourth frame. With two outs, Janusek smashed a 422-foot homer to make it 8-7, giving BU some late life.

A two-out walk forced Utah to make a pitching change, but on the first pitch the Ute reliever threw, a groundout sealed the deal and gave the home side the series-opening victory.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor hit four home runs for its fifth game of the 2026 season with three or more home runs.
• This is the first time that BU has hit four or more homers in consecutive games since at least 2004.
• 92 stolen bases are Baylor’s most in a single season since swiping 96 in 2012.
• This is the Bears’ 20th game of the 2026 season with double-digit hits (11).
• All nine Baylor starters hit safely for the second time this season.
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders extended his on-base streak to 18 games and his hitting streak to 10 games.
• Sanders also hit his seventh home run of the season, one shy of his career high.
• Sanders collected his team-leading 22nd multi-hit game of the year.
• Redshirt senior 1B Tyce Armstrong extended his on-base streak to a career-best 24 games.
• Armstrong also extended his hitting streak to 10 games, also a career high.
• Freshman OF Brady Janusek broke BU’s freshman program record for single-season home runs with his 12th of the year, passing Max Muncy who hit 11 in 2010.
• Janusek also logged his ninth multi-RBI game of the season.
• Fifth-year senior OF Ty Johnson extended his on-base stream to eight games.
• Sophomore INF Pearson Riebock hit his second home run of the season.
• Freshman INF Cole Lanclos launched his first-career home run.
• Lanclos also extended his on-base streak to eight games.
• Lanclos notched his first-career multi-RBI game.
 • Junior LHP RJ Ruais recorded his 20th scoreless and ninth multi-strikeout outing of the season with a season-high 2.1 innings of work.
• Junior RHP Charlie Atkinson tallied his 12th scoreless and eighth multi-strikeout appearance of the season.

STAT OF THE DAY
4 – Baylor mashed four home runs for the second-consecutive game, the program’s first back-to-back four-homer games since at least 2004.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On the offensive setting of tonight’s ballgame…
“This is an offensive place. We’re going to have to hit and out-hit them to win. We talked about that before the game and that’s exactly how it went tonight. I’m glad we got the two runs there at the end, but every one of them counts. We’ve got to keep fighting every inning.”

On Brady Janusek breaking Max Muncy’s freshman home run record…
“I’m happy for Brady, he’s had a great freshman year for us. For him to get 12 is a great testament to him and his work ethic. It does remind you of the great Max Muncy and how great he was. It says good things about where we hope Brady is going to keep going the next couple years.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor (26-26, 12-16 Big 12) looks to even the series with Utah (26-22, 12-16 Big 12) on Friday, May 15, with a 7 p.m. CT first pitch from Charlie Monfort Field at America First Ballpark in Salt Lake City.

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

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