Baylor
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Kansas
Balanced Attack Leads Baseball Past Kansas 9-2
4/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 25, 2004
WACO, Texas - All nine starters hit safely and Josh Ford belted a three-run home run as Baylor defeated Kansas 9-2 Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. With the win, the Bears (18-22, 8-8) sweep the rain-shortened two-game series with the Jayhawks (24-22-1, 2-11).
Baylor starter Trey Taylor (4-3) earned the victory with 6.1 strong innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Kansas got to Taylor for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, cutting a three-run Baylor lead to 3-2.
The Bears responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs on five hits. Michael Griffin led off the frame with his second double of the day and then stole third. Two batters later, Reid Brees single through the right side to plate Griffin. Zach Dillon followed with a single through the left side, and two batters later Ford hit his second home run of the series and seventh of the season to left-center.
Brees added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Mike Pankratz doubled and scored in the seventh.
Ryan LaMotta and Zane Carlson combined for the final eight outs perfectly with three strikeouts and one strikeout, respectively.
Kansas starter Chris Smart (4-6) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs on three hits and three walks through the first 4.0 innings. Smart was the first of five pitchers used by the Jayhawks.
Baylor built a 3-0 lead through the first four innings. Chase Gerdes led off the bottom of the first with his team-leading seventh infield hit. Two batters later, Griffin laced a double to right-center, allowing Gerdes to score from first. In the fourth, Pankratz scored on a wild pitch; later in the inning, Paul Witt stole home on a first-and-third double steal.
Griffin and Witt finished with two hits each as the Bears tallied 12 safeties on the day.
Baylor returns to action Tuesday, traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, for a 7 p.m. CDT game against TCU at Lupton Stadium. The Bears also play Wednesday, hosting Texas Southern for a 6 p.m. first pitch, an added game for the April 10 rainout against Oklahoma State.
NOTES: Baylor improves to 25-3 all-time against Kansas, 15-0 in Waco and 20-3 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997. ... The Bears improve to 15-2 when scoring at least five runs and out-hitting the opponent. ... Zach Dillon (four games), Reid Brees (three games) and Kyle Reynolds (three games) all extended hitting streaks. ... Paul Witt's steal of home was the first by a Bear since Tim Hartshorn did so June 1, 2002 against Lamar. ... The Bears have 21 home runs through 16 games in Big 12 Conference play, one ahead of last season's 16-game pace in league play. ... Zane Carlson recorded career strikeout No. 210, moving into sole possession of 10th place all-time at Baylor. ... Sunday marked the third time this season that all nine starters have hit safely (March 19 at Texas A&M and April 3 at Missouri).
