HOUSTON – Baylor baseball (4-11, 0-3) came up just short at Houston (11-4, 3-0) in Sunday's series finale, dropping a 3-2 contest at Schroeder Park in Houston.
 
Freshman left-hander Mason Green did well to give the Bears 5.1 innings on the mound in his first-career start, allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three.
 
Offensively, BU was held without a hit until the fifth as UH worked out of trouble to squander a few Baylor threats late in the ballgame. The Bears got the tying run on base in the ninth, but were unable to bring him around as the Cougars finished off the series sweep.
 
THE RUNDOWN
It was a pitcher's duel early as Green and Houston starter Duncan Howard matched each other zero for zero through the first four frames. Green worked out of a jam in the third to leave the bases loaded and wasn't tagged for a run until a two-out RBI double in the fifth put UH on the board, 1-0.
 
The Bears promptly responded in the top of the sixth, as junior catcher Cortlan Castle beat out a drag bunt for a hit and came around on redshirt junior outfielder Enzo Apodaca's RBI triple off the right-field wall, which just missed a two-run homer by a matter of feet.
 
In the home half, UH greeted Green with a leadoff single and two-run home run to go back in front 3-1, and after his third strikeout of the afternoon Green gave way to the Baylor bullpen. Fellow freshman right-hander Stephen Sepulveda came on and threw two scoreless innings, allowing BU to get back in the game with a rally in the eighth.
 
A pair of pinch hitters reached in fifth-year senior infielder Cole Posey, who walked, and junior outfielder Wesley Jordan who singled to start the frame. After junior outfielder Ty Johnson's sacrifice bunt, Posey scampered home on Castle's RBI groundout, bringing Baylor back within a run at 3-2. However, that's all the Bears would get as a groundout snuffed out the threat.
 
Houston looked poised to add some insurance in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with just one out, but redshirt junior righty Patrick Hail came on to record a strikeout and a popout to keep the deficit at one.
 
In the ninth, senior infielder Daniel Altman singled as part of his two-hit day to reach as the potential game-tying run. However, the Bears were unable to bring him around against the UH closer, Justin Murray, as the Cougars finished off the series sweep.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor still leads the all-time series over Houston, 90-72.
• Freshman LHP Mason Green made his first-career start and went 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
• Freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda logged his fourth scoreless appearance of the year.
• Redshirt junior RHP Patrick Hail posted his third scoreless outing of the season.
• Junior C Cortlan Castle recorded a hit, scored a run, and drove in a run for the second time in 2024.
• Redshirt junior OF Enzo Apodaca extended his team-leading on-base streak to 14 games.
• Senior INF Daniel Altman picked up his third multi-hit game of 2024.
• Fifth-year senior INF Mason Greer has hit safely in each of his last six starts.
• Junior OF Wesley Jordan notched a pinch-hit single to extend his on-base streak to seven games.
 
STAT OF THE DAY
5.1 – Freshman LHP Mason Green logged a personal-best 5.1 innings in his first-career start.
 
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On today's game…
"There was good effort. Really nice pitching performance from Mason Green. He gave us an opportunity to be in the game and have a chance to win it, so I'm proud of him. I'm disappointed we couldn't get enough runs across. But [Green] threw great, I thought it was a great first start for him."
 
On Mason Green's performance…
"He went out there and competed really hard. [Houston] is his hometown, first college start, conference game. On a Sunday following two tough losses, he went out and gave us an outstanding effort, especially for a freshman in his first start."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (4-11) returns home to Baylor Ballpark and plays host to Stephen F. Austin (3-15) on Tuesday, March 12. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
 
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.