By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Other than maybe a walk-off home run, there is no more dramatic way to end a baseball game than a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play. 
            Baylor (4-4) did just that, even if it took a video review to confirm it, as the Bears (4-4) survived a late rally by the visiting Memphis Tigers (4-2) and held on for a 5-4 win Friday night in the opener of a four-game series at Baylor Ballpark. 
            Luke Boyd struck out Alec Trela swinging with the tying run on base, and then catcher Andy Thomas threw down to second baseman Jack Pineda, who slapped a tag on Zach Wilson's lower leg for the delayed double play that ended the game. 
            Second base umpire Darin Stiers initially called Wilson safe at second, but the video review confirmed that Pineda's slap tag got him just before Wilson's right hand touched the bag. 
            "I thought I saw Jack tag him on his leg or calf/foot area, I just didn't know if he had his hand in before he tagged him," said Baylor coach Steve Rodriguez, who was immediately out of the dugout to challenge the ruling on the field. "That's something that we actually work on is making sure we make the tag in a quick manner, and Jack did a great job of getting the tag on him."
            Picking up his first win since 2019, Blake Helton (1-1) gave up two runs on four hits and one walk in a career-high six innings. Boyd, who tied for the national lead last season with six saves, got the last four outs to record his first save of the year. 
            "Watching Blake go out there today and then Boyd coming in and closing it out, pretty good way to start the weekend," Rodriguez said. 
            Two batters into the game, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead on a leadoff single by Jaylen Wilbon and Ian Bibiloni's double to the left-center gap on an 0-2 pitch. Ben Brooks roped a two-out single to center, but Bibiloni stumbled coming around third and was tagged out at the plate. 
            Baylor answered with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first, including an RBI single to left by Andy Thomas and a two-run single through the right side by Davion Downey. The Bears' eight-hit attack was led by Downey, Jared McKenzie and Tre Richardson with two hits apiece. 
            "It's definitely much easier and more relaxing to pitch with a lead," said Helton, who didn't allow another hit until Hunter Goodman's two-out solo homer in the sixth. "That was a huge inning for us, to come back and put some runs up and get us ahead. It was really good to know that they've got my back."
            After a rough first inning, Memphis starter Blake Wimberley (0-1) gave up just three hits the rest of the way and made it into the seventh. The Bears tacked on a run in the fourth when Downey led off with a wind-blown hit that fell in shallow left for a double, then scored on McKenzie's sacrifice fly to deep center field. 
            "Their guy got in a groove, too. That's what Friday night guys are going to do," Rodriguez said. "They found some things that started working, and he developed a couple pretty good pitches. Tip your hat to him, but we kept getting to him and were able to get him out of the game."
            The Tigers cut into the three-run deficit with solo homers by Goodman in the sixth off Helton and Trela in the fifth off reliever Jacob Ashkinos. Baylor got the momentum back on walks by Pineda and Thomas and a seeing-eye single through the right side by Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo.
            "Anything can happen, it just takes one pitch to change a game," Downey said. "Us responding and getting guys on base, and then Esteban coming up and hitting the single through the right side, it was huge. It gets the momentum going."
            The Bears had a chance to break it open, with Downey following with a walk to load the bases, but Walker Brockhouse came out of the bullpen to strike out Kyle Nevin looking. 
            Memphis got a run back in the eighth when Bibiloni had a gap double to left-center and scored on Richardson's throwing error to first when Goodman reached on an infield single off Boyd. Baylor got two runners on base in the bottom of the eighth, but Brockhouse worked out of the jam with a strikeout. 
            "We made a couple of mistakes, and they did a great job hitting them," Rodriguez said. "But for the most part, I would rather have them try to force their way to get back into the game, rather than us giving them a lot of baserunners, and next thing you know they score two runs on one hit. I'm really proud of our pitching staff. Ashkinos and (Ryan) Leckich came in and did a great job, and then Boyd kind of sealed it up for us."
            The series continues with a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Saturday, then the series finale at 12 p.m. Sunday. 
 

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball pulled out a gritty 5-4 win over Memphis, in the first game of the four-game series at Baylor Ballpark on Friday night. The Bears (4-4) jumped to a 3-1 edge in the first inning and managed to hold on to defeat the Tigers (4-2).
 
The Bears gave up a run early in the first, but soon took the lead in the bottom of the frame. Fifth-year senior catcher Andy Thomas hit an RBI-single to tie things up. Later in the inning, fourth-year junior Davion Downey came up big with an RBI-single to score two and give the Bears the 3-1 advantage.
 
Baylor added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth, when second-year freshman Jared McKenzie hit a sacrifice fly into centerfield allowing Downey to score and extend the Baylor lead to 4-1.
 
The Bears gave up two solo home runs in the sixth and seventh, as the BU lead trimmed to 4-3. In the home-half of the seventh, third baseman Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo hit an RBI-single, to push the lead to 5-3.
 
The Tigers added a run in the eighth, but it was not enough as a strikeout and runner caught stealing in the ninth ended the game, with Baylor on top, 5-4.
 
In his first win of the season, starter Blake Helton (1-1) threw for a career-high six innings, while allowing two runs on four hits and tying a career-best with six strikeouts. Memphis' Blake Wimberley (0-1) was tabbed with the loss, as BU's fifth-year senior Luke Boyd (1) shut the door with his first save of the season.
 
NOTES
• Helton threw a career high for six innings while also tying a career high with six strikeouts in his first win since 2019.
• Three players ended the game with two hits, including McKenzie, Downey, and second-year freshman Tre Richardson.
• Downey ended the night with two RBI which matched his season high.
• After ending 2020 tied for the nation in saves with six, Boyd earned his first save in his first save opportunity of 2021.
 
QUOTE FROM COACH ROD
"It was great watching (Blake) Helton go out there and get us a little deeper into the game and also having (Luke) Boyd come in and close it out, obviously helps. I tell people that he's one of the best there is for a reason and that's why he's out there. Watching those two do that today was really great for our team."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The two sides will play two on Saturday with first pitch of the first game coming at 2 p.m. The first game played will be seven innings and the second a full nine-inning contest.
 
To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on Facebook (Baylor Baseball), Twitter (@BaylorBaseball) and Instagram (@BaylorBaseball).