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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 22, 2021</span></b><u><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Impact",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Baseball Drops to OU, 6-5, to Close Out Regular Season<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">The Bears’ rally fell short after scoring three runs in the eighth
<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Media Link:
</span></b><a href="https://baylorbea.rs/37RVUDI"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">https://baylorbea.rs/37RVUDI</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact: </span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Zach Rhodes, 919-247-7585, </span><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">Zach_Rhodes@baylor.edu</span></u><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">WACO, Texas – </span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Baylor baseball dropped its second-straight game to Oklahoma, 6-5, on Saturday at Baylor Ballpark
in Waco, Texas. The Bears (31-18, 11-13 Big 12) will drop to the No. 6 seed in next week’s Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship after falling to the Sooners (27-26, 11-13 Big 12).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For the seventh-straight game, Baylor scored in the opening frame after sophomore Jack Pineda led the game off with a single and later, second-year freshman Tre Richardson brought
him home with a ground out to give the Bears the 1-0 edge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Oklahoma scored two in the top of the second before a three hour and 41-minute rain delay put things on hold. Following the delay, OU held the 2-1 advantage going to the third. The
Sooners pushed the lead to 4-1 with two solo home runs in the third frame.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Second-year freshmen Jared McKenzie and Richardson began the sixth with back-to-back singles and later on, fifth-year senior Andy Thomas brought one home with a sacrifice fly to pull
the Bears within two. The Sooners once again responded, this time with another two runs in the top of the seventh to go up 6-2.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Baylor had a chance with the bases loaded, after Davion Downey ripped a bases-clearing double to close the gap to 6-5. Oklahoma got out of the inning and sealed the win in the ninth
with a ground out while BU had a runner in scoring position.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Blake Helton (4-3) took the loss after throwing before the rain delay, while OU starter Jake Bennett (4-3) earned the win. Oklahoma reliever Luke Taggart (2) picked up the save in
the ninth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">NOTES</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Baylor will be the No. 6 seed at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship after finishing the season 11-13 in conference play.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• The Bears finish the season 23-6 at Baylor Ballpark.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• OU wins the season series against the Bears, 3-1.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Baylor has scored in the first inning in each of the last seven games. BU is outscoring opponents now 59-19 in the first frame.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• With three runs in the eighth, Baylor is outscoring opponents 44-18 in the eighth on the season.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Thomas finishes the regular season with a team-leading 59 RBI.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Downey went 3-for-4 with three RBI.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• McKenzie ended the night 3-for-5 with a run scored.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">• Fifth-year senior Luke Boyd came in and hurled 1.2 innings with a season-high four strikeouts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">QUOTE FROM COACH ROD</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">“We’ve gone through rain delays before so that’s no excuse, I thought our grounds guys did an amazing job keeping the field ready on a day that is just not very traditional. But our
guys continued to fight, we had the right guys in scoring positions, had the right guys up, unfortunately, that’s baseball. It’s unfortunate but we need to go into the Big 12 Tournament and win some games now.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">WHAT’S NEXT</span></b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
The Bears will open the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday, May 26 at 4 p.m. CT as the No. 6 seed against the No. 3 seed Texas Tech at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The Bears won the series against the then-ranked No. 5 Red Raiders
in Lubbock April 23-25.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on Facebook (Baylor Baseball), Twitter (@BaylorBaseball) and Instagram (@BaylorBaseball).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt;background:white">-BaylorBears.com-</span></i><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black">Zach Rhodes</span></b><span style="color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">C: 919-247-7585 | O: 254-710-3784<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D74F4C.5003E3E0" alt="signature_2144534791"></span></a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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