Baylor
UC-Irvine
Baseball Completes Sweep of UCI, 12-9
3/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 2, 2003
IRVINE, Calif. - No. 8 Baylor scored seven runs in the sixth inning and held on for a 12-9 win over UC-Irvine Sunday, completing the weekend sweep at Anteater Ballpark.
Trailing 6-4 through five innings, the Bears (12-3) loaded the bases with two outs. David Murphy came through with a long grand slam to right that gave Baylor its first lead over UCI (4-11) since the first inning.
Baylor kept the hitting going in the sixth, taking advantage of an Anteater error and a two-run triple by Seth Fortenberry to score three more times after the grand slam. The sixth-inning rally made a winner out of reliever Sean Walker (2-1), who allowed two runs (one earned) in three innings.
The win gives Baylor a nine-game winning streak, the team's longest since a 14-game win streak in 1999. UCI, meanwhile, lost its seventh straight game at home; the Anteaters have yet to win a game in Irvine this season.
Catcher Josh Ford hit his third home run of the year in the third, a towering two-run shot to left that brought the Bears within a run at the time. The Bears' first four hitters (Chris Durbin, Murphy, Ford and Ross Bennett) combined to go 11-for-20 with eight RBI and eight runs scored. Bennett had four hits for the second time in four games, and Murphy drove in a career-high five runs.
Freshman Mark McCormick started on the mound for Baylor and lasted three-plus innings, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks. The frosh struck out just one.
Freshman Abe Woody pitched 1 1/3 innings, giving up just one hit, a two-run homer to Chris Klemm in the eighth. Woody had no walks or strikeouts, but did tie a Baylor record by hitting three batters.
Junior Zane Carlson closed out the game, striking out four of the six batters he faced for his fourth save of the year. Sunday's save was the 27th of Carlson's career, moving him within one of the Big 12 Conference career save record held by Oklahoma's Jeff Bajenaru.
The grand slam was Murphy's second as a Bear; his first came back in 2000 and was also Murphy's first collegiate home run. Chris Nicoll (0-2) suffered the loss for UCI after giving up the grand slam.
The Bears now return to Waco, where they will start an eight-game homestand Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Texas-Arlington.
