Friday, April 26
Ft. Worth, Texas
6:30 P.M.
Baylor
28-12, 10-5
6
at
3
TCU
23-17, 6-7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Baylor
1
0
2
0
1
0
0
2
0
6
8
0
TCU
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
0
3
10
5
No. 18 Baseball Takes Series Opener at TCU, 6-3
4/26/2019 11:55:00 PM | Baseball
FORT WORTH, Texas– Houdini himself would have had a hard time getting out of all the jams Baylor pitchers faced in Friday's series opener at Lupton Stadium.
TCU outhit 18th-ranked Baylor, 10-8, and also got eight free passes with seven walks and a hit batter, but the Horned Frogs (23-17, 6-7) left the bases loaded twice and stranded 15 runners as the Bears (28-12, 10-5) opened the weekend series with a 6-3 win.
"Sometimes, you need to win ugly, and tonight was one of those days," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, whose team jumped back into the Big 12 lead with Oklahoma State (25-14, 10-6) losing to Texas Tech, 12-4.
Richard Cunningham reached base all five times to the plate, getting hit by pitches twice with two singles and a walk. His two-run, two-out single in the eighth off reliever Dalton Brown gave the Bears some cushion.
Facing TCU starter Nick Lodolo (5-4), a hard-throwing left-hander with a 96-mph fastball, Cunningham said the Bears did a good job of being patient and doing "whatever you've got to do to get on base."
"He has some of the best stuff in the country and some of the best stuff I've seen since I've been in college baseball, especially left on left," Cunningham said. "Scrap it out and fight for a way to get on base, whether it's a single to the opposite-field hole or getting hit by a pitch or a good, hard-fought walk. Just one thing after another, put the ball in play, and maybe they'll help you out a little bit. And they did. I love the team approach tonight."
Lodolo certainly didn't help himself, giving up four hits and two walks with three hit batters and a wild pitch in 5.2 innings. But, the Horned Frog defense didn't help matters, committing five errors that led to three unearned runs.
"When you have a future first-round pick throwing 96 mph, I was just really happy with the approach our guys took," Rodriguez said. "You have a guy out there that's pretty talented, and we went toe-to-toe with him and put pressure on them to make plays and took advantage of their mistakes. That's what this game is all about, just making sure you do everything you can to put pressure them and force them to get you out."
Lodolo's wildness led to a first-inning run, when Cunningham drew a one-out walk, Davis Wendzel was hit by a pitch and Shea Langeliers came through with an RBI single through the right side.
Baylor starter Paul Dickens gave up a leadoff double to Hunter Wolfe and a one-out walk to Jake Guenther in the bottom of the first, but struck out Johnny Rizer to wiggle out of trouble for the first of many times.
The Bears stretched their lead to 3-0 in the third with some help from TCU's shaky defense. Cunningham was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and scored on shortstop Adam Oviedo's fielding error on a Langeliers grounder, then Lodolo was called for fielder's interference when he tried to tag out Wendzel between third base and home.
TCU had a pair of errors that led to another unearned run in the fifth, but the Horned Frogs battled back with a solo homer by Austin Henry in the fourth and two runs off Dickens in the fifth.
Capped by Alex Isola's RBI single, the first four batters in the fifth reached base before Dickens struck out Rizer and got Henry to fly out to right, scoring the second run. TCU re-loaded the bases with a walk off reliever Logan Freeman, but he struck out Conner Shepherd to avoid any further damage.
Ryan Leckich (3-0) did the same thing in the next inning, relieving Freeman and striking out Rizer to leave them loaded again.
After Cunningham provided the insurance runs in the eighth, closer Kyle Hill got a four-out save, his sixth of the season.
"It's unbelievable when a guy like Ryan Leckich or Kyle Hill comes in there, and you almost know the strikeout is a guarantee," Cunningham said. "It's not necessarily because it's the hitter's problem, it's the pitcher is that good. And we know what we're going to get from him. I'm so proud of those guys and so thankful for their leadership."
Game 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday with a FOX Sports Southwest broadcast. Baylor sophomore Jimmy Winston (3-1, 3.15 ERA) will get the start and be opposed by TCU right-hander Charles King (3-1, 2.66).
THE RUNDOWN
FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 18 Bears took an early lead and ever looked back, defeating TCU 6-3 in the series opener on Friday evening at Lupton Stadium.
The Bears (28-12, 10-5) were led by Richard Cunningham, the only Bear to have a multi-hit performance, including a big two-out, two RBI single to break the game open in the eighth inning.
Shea Langeliers and Josh Bissonette also added to the Bears' offense as each drove home one run apiece as the Bears capitalized on three hit by pitch, two walks and five TCU (23-17, 6-7) errors on the day.
The Bears jumped out early, taking advantage of a one-out walk and a hit-by-pitch as Langeliers drove home the first run of the game on a single.
With a 1-0 lead over TCU ace Nick Lodolo, the Bears added two more in the top of the third, taking advantage of a Horned Frog error and scoring a second on a heads-up base running play as Davis Wendzel drew the obstruction call on a run down.
Baylor starter Paul Dickens was working out of trouble the first few frames, but put up zeros until a leadoff homer for Austin Henry came in the bottom of the fourth, making it a 3-1 ballgame.
The Bears would get that run back in the top half of the fifth on a Bissonette ground out, but the Horned Frogs would plate two to pull within one, 4-3, and the Bears would go to the pen for Logan Freeman, who got out of the jam with a strikeout.
Cunningham's two-out, two -RBI single in the top of the eighth inning broke open the game, giving the Bears some cushion with a 6-3 game.
Reliever Ryan Leckich, who entered in the bottom of the sixth to get a big strikeout with the bases full of Horned Frogs, tossed a total of two innings in relief, gave way to closer Kyle Hill in the bottom of the eighth with two outs.
Hill made quick work in the eighth, but a walk and a hit brought the game-tying run to the plate with one out before he got two more big outs to preserve the win.
Leckich earned the win in relief, his third of the year, while Hill earned his sixth save of the year. Horned Frog starter Lodolo took the loss to fall to 5-4 on the year.
NOTES
*The Bears got their third win of the season when not outhitting their opponent.
*The Bears are now 18-6 in games in which they score first.
*133 of Baylor's 279 total runs in 2019 have come with two outs, including two of six tonight.
*Davis Wendzel extended his on-base streak to 21 gamesand his hit streak to 12 games.
*Richard Cunningham extended his hit streak to 12 games.
*Andy Thomas extended his hit streak to 12 games.
*Langeliers has a 10-game hit streak.
*The pitching staff struck out 13 batters, the most since they struck out 16 on March 30 at Kansas.
*Kyle Hill made his 20thappearance of the year and collected his sixth save of the year.
*Ryan Leckich made his team-leading 22ndappearance of the year and earned his third win of the year to improve to 3-0.
*Starter Paul Dickens went 4.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts in his ninth save of the year.
*Logan Freeman made his fourth appearance of the year.
STAT OF THE DAY
2 – The Bears scored 2 in the third and 2 in the eighth to propel themselves to victory. The 2 runs in the eighth inning came with 2 outs and the hit by Richard Cunningham was his second hit of the day.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
On the pitching staff performance…
"Paul Dickens just had a great start for us. He got his pitch count up a little bit too high and wasn't able to get out of the fifth inning. But our bullpen came in and were able to minimize the damage. I was really happy to watch them go in and compete and do what they've done all year. They [the bullpen] did a masterful job tonight. I think we walked a few too many guys, but at the same time we were able to get out of it. Sometimes you need to win ugly and tonight was one of those days."
- Baylor head coach Steve Rodriguez
WHAT'S NEXT
The series at TCU continues as game two is set for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 27 at Lupton Stadium. It will be televised live on FOX Sports Southwest.
For tickets to home games, visit: https://baylorbears.com/sports/2018/9/11/tickets.aspx. For updates on the program follow @baylorbaseball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
-baylorbears.com-
TCU outhit 18th-ranked Baylor, 10-8, and also got eight free passes with seven walks and a hit batter, but the Horned Frogs (23-17, 6-7) left the bases loaded twice and stranded 15 runners as the Bears (28-12, 10-5) opened the weekend series with a 6-3 win.
"Sometimes, you need to win ugly, and tonight was one of those days," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, whose team jumped back into the Big 12 lead with Oklahoma State (25-14, 10-6) losing to Texas Tech, 12-4.
Richard Cunningham reached base all five times to the plate, getting hit by pitches twice with two singles and a walk. His two-run, two-out single in the eighth off reliever Dalton Brown gave the Bears some cushion.
Facing TCU starter Nick Lodolo (5-4), a hard-throwing left-hander with a 96-mph fastball, Cunningham said the Bears did a good job of being patient and doing "whatever you've got to do to get on base."
"He has some of the best stuff in the country and some of the best stuff I've seen since I've been in college baseball, especially left on left," Cunningham said. "Scrap it out and fight for a way to get on base, whether it's a single to the opposite-field hole or getting hit by a pitch or a good, hard-fought walk. Just one thing after another, put the ball in play, and maybe they'll help you out a little bit. And they did. I love the team approach tonight."
Lodolo certainly didn't help himself, giving up four hits and two walks with three hit batters and a wild pitch in 5.2 innings. But, the Horned Frog defense didn't help matters, committing five errors that led to three unearned runs.
"When you have a future first-round pick throwing 96 mph, I was just really happy with the approach our guys took," Rodriguez said. "You have a guy out there that's pretty talented, and we went toe-to-toe with him and put pressure on them to make plays and took advantage of their mistakes. That's what this game is all about, just making sure you do everything you can to put pressure them and force them to get you out."
Lodolo's wildness led to a first-inning run, when Cunningham drew a one-out walk, Davis Wendzel was hit by a pitch and Shea Langeliers came through with an RBI single through the right side.
Baylor starter Paul Dickens gave up a leadoff double to Hunter Wolfe and a one-out walk to Jake Guenther in the bottom of the first, but struck out Johnny Rizer to wiggle out of trouble for the first of many times.
The Bears stretched their lead to 3-0 in the third with some help from TCU's shaky defense. Cunningham was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and scored on shortstop Adam Oviedo's fielding error on a Langeliers grounder, then Lodolo was called for fielder's interference when he tried to tag out Wendzel between third base and home.
TCU had a pair of errors that led to another unearned run in the fifth, but the Horned Frogs battled back with a solo homer by Austin Henry in the fourth and two runs off Dickens in the fifth.
Capped by Alex Isola's RBI single, the first four batters in the fifth reached base before Dickens struck out Rizer and got Henry to fly out to right, scoring the second run. TCU re-loaded the bases with a walk off reliever Logan Freeman, but he struck out Conner Shepherd to avoid any further damage.
Ryan Leckich (3-0) did the same thing in the next inning, relieving Freeman and striking out Rizer to leave them loaded again.
After Cunningham provided the insurance runs in the eighth, closer Kyle Hill got a four-out save, his sixth of the season.
"It's unbelievable when a guy like Ryan Leckich or Kyle Hill comes in there, and you almost know the strikeout is a guarantee," Cunningham said. "It's not necessarily because it's the hitter's problem, it's the pitcher is that good. And we know what we're going to get from him. I'm so proud of those guys and so thankful for their leadership."
Game 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday with a FOX Sports Southwest broadcast. Baylor sophomore Jimmy Winston (3-1, 3.15 ERA) will get the start and be opposed by TCU right-hander Charles King (3-1, 2.66).
THE RUNDOWN
FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 18 Bears took an early lead and ever looked back, defeating TCU 6-3 in the series opener on Friday evening at Lupton Stadium.
The Bears (28-12, 10-5) were led by Richard Cunningham, the only Bear to have a multi-hit performance, including a big two-out, two RBI single to break the game open in the eighth inning.
Shea Langeliers and Josh Bissonette also added to the Bears' offense as each drove home one run apiece as the Bears capitalized on three hit by pitch, two walks and five TCU (23-17, 6-7) errors on the day.
The Bears jumped out early, taking advantage of a one-out walk and a hit-by-pitch as Langeliers drove home the first run of the game on a single.
With a 1-0 lead over TCU ace Nick Lodolo, the Bears added two more in the top of the third, taking advantage of a Horned Frog error and scoring a second on a heads-up base running play as Davis Wendzel drew the obstruction call on a run down.
Baylor starter Paul Dickens was working out of trouble the first few frames, but put up zeros until a leadoff homer for Austin Henry came in the bottom of the fourth, making it a 3-1 ballgame.
The Bears would get that run back in the top half of the fifth on a Bissonette ground out, but the Horned Frogs would plate two to pull within one, 4-3, and the Bears would go to the pen for Logan Freeman, who got out of the jam with a strikeout.
Cunningham's two-out, two -RBI single in the top of the eighth inning broke open the game, giving the Bears some cushion with a 6-3 game.
Reliever Ryan Leckich, who entered in the bottom of the sixth to get a big strikeout with the bases full of Horned Frogs, tossed a total of two innings in relief, gave way to closer Kyle Hill in the bottom of the eighth with two outs.
Hill made quick work in the eighth, but a walk and a hit brought the game-tying run to the plate with one out before he got two more big outs to preserve the win.
Leckich earned the win in relief, his third of the year, while Hill earned his sixth save of the year. Horned Frog starter Lodolo took the loss to fall to 5-4 on the year.
NOTES
*The Bears got their third win of the season when not outhitting their opponent.
*The Bears are now 18-6 in games in which they score first.
*133 of Baylor's 279 total runs in 2019 have come with two outs, including two of six tonight.
*Davis Wendzel extended his on-base streak to 21 gamesand his hit streak to 12 games.
*Richard Cunningham extended his hit streak to 12 games.
*Andy Thomas extended his hit streak to 12 games.
*Langeliers has a 10-game hit streak.
*The pitching staff struck out 13 batters, the most since they struck out 16 on March 30 at Kansas.
*Kyle Hill made his 20thappearance of the year and collected his sixth save of the year.
*Ryan Leckich made his team-leading 22ndappearance of the year and earned his third win of the year to improve to 3-0.
*Starter Paul Dickens went 4.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts in his ninth save of the year.
*Logan Freeman made his fourth appearance of the year.
STAT OF THE DAY
2 – The Bears scored 2 in the third and 2 in the eighth to propel themselves to victory. The 2 runs in the eighth inning came with 2 outs and the hit by Richard Cunningham was his second hit of the day.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
On the pitching staff performance…
"Paul Dickens just had a great start for us. He got his pitch count up a little bit too high and wasn't able to get out of the fifth inning. But our bullpen came in and were able to minimize the damage. I was really happy to watch them go in and compete and do what they've done all year. They [the bullpen] did a masterful job tonight. I think we walked a few too many guys, but at the same time we were able to get out of it. Sometimes you need to win ugly and tonight was one of those days."
- Baylor head coach Steve Rodriguez
WHAT'S NEXT
The series at TCU continues as game two is set for 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 27 at Lupton Stadium. It will be televised live on FOX Sports Southwest.
For tickets to home games, visit: https://baylorbears.com/sports/2018/9/11/tickets.aspx. For updates on the program follow @baylorbaseball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
-baylorbears.com-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Leckich, Ryan (3-0)
L: Lodolo, Nick (5-4)
S: Hill, Kyle (6)
Batting:
RBI: Cunningham, Richard 2 ; Langeliers, Shea 1 ; Bissonette, Josh 1
SH: Haring, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cunningham, Richard 2 ; Wendzel, Davis 1 ; Thomas, Andy 1 ; Downey, Davion 1 ; Wehsener, Chase 1
SB: Cunningham, Richard 1
HBP: Cunningham, Richard 2 ; Wendzel, Davis 1
Batting:
2B: Wolfe, Hunter 1 ; Watson, Josh 2
HR: Henry, Austin 1
RBI: Isola, Alex 1 ; Henry, Austin 2
SF: Henry, Austin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wolfe, Hunter 1 ; Watson, Josh 1 ; Henry, Austin 1
HBP: Guenther, Jake 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C/1B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
C/1B
/ Baseball
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
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