BSB Falls 9-7 to TCU in Extras

Saturday, May 4

Waco, Texas

1 PM

Baylor

20-25, 9-14

TCU

28-16, 12-14

TCU

Baylor

Ethan Calder pitching against TCU in 2024

BSB Falls 9-7 to TCU in Extras

5/4/2024 6:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Bears hit three home runs, Calder pitches career-high 6.2 innings in relief in loss

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

Call this the big one that got away.

Scoring six runs in the first two innings and getting home runs from Daniel Altman and Ty Johnson, the Baylor baseball team jumped out to a 6-1 lead and seemed poised to even the series with the TCU Horned Frogs Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.

But TCU (28-16, 12-14) chipped away with a run in the third, three in the fourth and tied it up with a run in the sixth before winning it, 9-7, with a three-run 11^th inning.

"The positives are that we did jump out to a lead," Baylor coach Mitch Thompson said, "and the negatives are we didn't extend the lead. We've got to try to score one more than they do. We'll show back up tomorrow and get after it again."

The Bears (20-25, 9-14), who lost their seventh-straight conference game, got a masterful relief performance from Ethan Calder to stay in it and get the game to extra innings. Coming in the game in the fourth, after starter Collin McKinney gave up a pair of homers to make it a one-run game, Calder gave up one run on five hits in 6 2/3 innings before struggling in the 11^th.

"What am I going to do, pull him out of here now?" Thompson said of his decision to stick with Calder, who was at 73 pitches when the inning started. "He probably would have wanted to wring my neck. It wasn't like we were running him up there to 100-some pitches. I think he gave us all he could, and I love what we saw from him. Sure, hindsight, I'd love to get him out an inning earlier, but that's not the way it was. And he's a great competitor."

Calder got out of a ninth-inning jam when catcher Cortlan Castle picked off Logan Maxwell at third base with runners on the corners and only one out.

The problem is, the Bears weren't able to touch a TCU bullpen that threw up eight-consecutive zeroes and gave up just two hits in a combined nine innings of work until Zach Mazoch led off the 11^th with his second home run of the season.

"Ethan Calder gave us every opportunity to stay in the game," Thompson said, "but we weren't in a position to put them under any stress. There were really no stressful innings. They weren't making many pitches with runners in scoring position. And that's on us. We've got to get something done, but yeah, their guys were pretty good."

The shutdown innings by Kole Clecker and Zachary Cawyer (6-1) came after TCU starter Zack Morris gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits, one walk and a hit batter in one-plus inning.

Castle had a two-run double in the bottom of the first, then the homers by Altman and Johnson in the second made it a 6-1 game.
After both sides went in order in the 10^th, Peyton Chatagnier led off the 11^th with a single through the left side. Shortstop Tyriq Kemp caught Anthony Silva's line drive up the middle for the first out, but his errant throw to first to try to double off Chatagnier went into the TCU dugout for a two-base error.

"He's trying to make a play where there's really probably not a play," Thompson said. "And because we push the issue, it turns into now there's a runner at third base, and now we've got stress. If there's one out and a runner at first base, hey, no big deal. They've got to have an extra-base hit; we've got a chance for a double play. That's where we're at. We've got to have enough discipline to say there's no play there, let's don't throw that ball."

The Horned Frogs took the lead on Sam Myers' single up the middle, followed by Logan Maxwell's single down the left-field line. Kobe Andrade gave up a sac fly to Kurtis Byrne and an RBI single by Luke Boyers before striking out Brody Green to end the inning.

After the Mazoch homer, TCU closer Ben Abeldt got three-straight groundouts to pick up his second save of the series and sixth of the season.

Thompson said freshman Mason Green (1-5, 6.16) or senior Jared Matheson (1-1, 5.65) will get the start for Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale.

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball fell 9-7 to TCU in 11 innings Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

Three BU home runs and a career-best 6.2-inning relief outing from sophomore lefty Ethan Calder wasn't enough as the Bears (20-25, 9-14) couldn't hold on to their early 6-1 lead against the Horned Frogs. The Frogs (28-16, 12-14) scored eight unanswered runs to steal the series-clinching victory in extra innings.

THE RUNDOWN
Baylor starter redshirt freshman right-hander Collin McKinney was sharp to start things off, striking out the first two batters before allowing a solo home run that opened the scoring in the top of the first. But, the Bears answered right away by getting the first three batters aboard to set up junior catcher Cortlan Castle's two-run double and taking a 2-1 lead after the first frame.

In the second, senior infielder Daniel Altman crushed a leadoff home run to extend the BU advantage to 3-1. Then, redshirt junior outfielder Enzo Apodaca tripled in a run and later scored on junior outfielder Ty Johnson's first-career blast, a two-run shot that made it 6-1. A TCU pitching change would quiet the rally, as reliever Kole Klecker struck out the side.

TCU plated one in the third on an RBI double and climbed within a run at 6-5 in the fourth thanks in part to a pair of home runs. As Klecker held the Bears' silent, an RBI groundout in the top of the sixth knotted the scoreline for the visitors.

Calder put up three consecutive zeros in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings for the Bears, surpassing his career-high in innings pitched, though Baylor was unable to get anything going against TCU bullpen arm Zachary Cawyer.

After both sides went down in order in the 10^th, TCU got its leadoff man on to start the 11^th and advanced him to third after a two-base throwing error by BU. Three of the next four batters singled and a sacrifice fly made it 9-6, TCU.

In the bottom half, a solo home run by sophomore catcher Zach Mazoch was all for the Bears as they dropped their seventh-consecutive Big 12 contest.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Junior OF Enzo Apodaca notched his team-leading 15^th multi-hit game of the season, going 3-for-6 with an RBI.
• Junior OF Ty Johnson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and crushed his first-career home run.
• Johnson logged his 14^th multi-hit game and fourth multi-RBI game of the year.
• Junior C Cortlan Castle recorded his third multi-RBI game of the season with a two-run double in the first inning.
• Senior INF Daniel Altman hit his second home run of the season.
• Sophomore C Zach Mazoch hit his second home run of the season.
• Sophomore LHP Ethan Calder threw a career-high 6.2 innings in relief.
• Senior LHP Kobe Andrade recorded his 12^th scoreless outing of the season.

STAT OF THE DAY
3 – Today marked the fifth time this season that Baylor has hit at least three home runs in a game.

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On today's ballgame…
"The positives are that we did jump out to a lead. The negative is that we didn't extend the lead. We've got to try and score one more than they do. We'll show back up tomorrow and get after it again."

On Ethan Calder's performance out of the bullpen…
"He's capable of going about there [6.2 innings]. I think he's a great competitor. I think he gave us all he could and I love what we saw from him. Sure, in hindsight I'd love to have gotten him out one inning earlier, but that's not the way it was. He's a great competitor so I'll go with him every day and twice on Sunday's."

WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (20-25, 9-14) will try to salvage the series with TCU (28-16, 12-14) on Sunday, May 5, at Baylor Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.

-BaylorBears.com-