April 14, 2002
Box Score
WACO, Texas - The Baylor bats pounded out 17 hits Sunday, but it took a six-run eighth inning to break a 7-7 tie as the 17th-ranked Bears defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 13-9 at Baylor Ballpark.
The win was Baylor's sixth in a row as the Bears (27-12) completed a three-game sweep of the Islanders (16-25). Sunday's victory was also Baylor's second last at-bat win of the weekend and ninth of the season.
The Islanders scored four runs in the first two innings off Baylor starter Justin Taylor, but the Bears responded with three in the third, two in the fifth and two more in the sixth to go on top 7-4. Chris Durbin doubled in Paul Richmond to tie the game in the fifth, and two batters later Ross Bennett singled home Durbin for a 5-4 lead.
After Baylor added two more runs in the sixth to go up 7-4, TAMU-CC hung a three spot on the Bears to re-tie the game. Back-to-back hits after two outs drove home one run and knocked Taylor from the game in favor of freshman Trey Taylor (2-3). The lefty hit a batter and gave up a two-run single before striking out the final hitter of the inning.
The younger Taylor then became the beneficiary of Baylor's six-run eighth inning. All six runs came off Islander reliever Lance Kral (2-2), who had thrown a scoreless seventh before getting rocked in the eighth.
After Tim Hartshorn and Paul Witt each reached base to start the inning, Trey Webb beat out a bunt for an infield single. When the third baseman's throw sailed past first base, Webb moved all the way to third as both Hartshorn and Witt scored to break the tie. Three more hits and another error added up to six runs (only three earned) off Kral in the frame.
Kyle Edens started the ninth for Baylor and allowed two runs on three hits before striking out the final batter of the game.
With three hits (including a double), Paul Richmond drove home four runs on the day. Witt, starting at second base, scored three times to lead the Bears in that category.
Michael Griffin singled in each of his first two at-bats to push his hitting streak to 16 straight games, longest on the team this season and now the eighth-longest streak in program history.
Justin Taylor gave up 10 hits and six runs (four earned) in 6 2/3 innings while taking a no-decision.
The Bears continue their stretch of non-conference games Tuesday in San Marcos as they face Southwest Texas at 6 p.m.
