March 20, 2002
Box Score
WACO, Texas - Last-minute-addition Jared Clements went 2-for-3 with three RBI and eighth-ranked Baylor defeated McNeese State at Baylor Ballpark Wednesday night, 9-4.
For Baylor (18-6, 7-2 Big 12), it was their eighth straight win. They closed out their nine-game homestand with an 8-1 record and defeated McNeese State (10-11, 1-2 Southland) for the third straight time.
McNeese jumped on Baylor freshman starter Sean Walker, scoring one run in the first and another run in the third.
The Bears' bats awoke in their half of the third as they plated three runs. Clements' double scored Paul Witt and Tim Hartshorn, evening the game at two. Josh Ford's single to left gave the Bears a one-run lead.
McNeese wasn't done yet, however. They took the lead back in the top of the fourth when leadoff hitter Dooley Prince's single plated Seth LaStrapes and Derek Hebert.
The Cowboys roughed up Walker for eight hits and four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, but Baylor's bullpen did the job in relief.
Paul Thorp (1-1) relieved Walker in the fifth. He induced LaStrapes into an inning-ending groundout to shortstop Trey Webb to keep it a one-run lead for McNeese.
Baylor evened things at 4-4 when Clements struck again, this time sending a Lavelle Morgan (0-1) offering far into the Texas night and over the left field wall. The blast was Clements' first home run of the season.
Clements was a late addition to the Baylor lineup Wednesday night, making only his fifth start of the season. Paul Witt, another last-minute starter, went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Clements and Witt made their way into the line-up when the Bears learned they would be facing a left-handed pitcher in Morgan.
The Bears added one more run in the following inning when Paul Witt's single scored David Murphy. Baylor put things out of reach in the seventh when four more Bears touched home.
Michael Griffin's bases-loaded fielders choice scored Mike Huggins, and then Trey Webb's triple cleared the bases as Murphy and Griffin added insurance runs, pushing the score to 9-4.
Zane Carlson got the Bears out of the seventh, facing only two batters and allowing no runs. Trey Taylor started the eighth and pitched a superb two innings, striking out four and allowing no runners to reach base.
With the win, Baylor has won eleven of their last 12 non-conference games, with their only setback coming at the hands of Houston exactly one month ago.
The Bears now get set for a three-game series in Columbia, Mo. as they take on the Missouri Tigers starting Friday at 6 p.m.
