WACO — UTSA left the tying run at third base in the sixth and ninth innings, but Baylor escaped with a 4-3 victory on Tuesday night.
The Roadrunners (28-23) threatened to send the contest into extra frames in the ninth after John Welborn registered a pinch-hit single. After Welborn was moved to second on Jesse Baker's sacrifice bunt, he advanced to third on Horacio Correa III's ground out. However, Bears closer Crayton Bare induced a Riley Good fly out to end the game.
Bare logged his fifth save of the season and Doug Ashby (2-0) picked up the win for Baylor (26-23) after hurling a pair of scoreless relief stanzas.
The Bears also received an unexpected offensive outburst from Wes Mercurio, who was 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and a pair of RBIs. The left-handed hitter, who had only three hits on the season prior to Tuesday's game, belted his round-tripper in the second and scored the tying run two frames later after reaching on a leadoff double.
Lawton Langford drove in the game-winning run with a single, three pitches after Mercurio scored in the fourth.
Neither team was able to cross the plate the rest of the way.
UTSA registered eight hits, including a 2-for-3 effort from Jesse Baker. The Brenham native, who also drove in a run, logged his first career triple in the sixth. Tony Ramirez chipped in with two hits, including a double, and scored once.
The Birds opened the scoring in the second.
After Ramirez led off the panel with a two-bagger, he was moved to third on Rodney Garza's ground out and he then scored two pitches later after Baker hit an infield single that got past starting pitcher Ryan Smith.
However, the Bears answered in the bottom of the frame with a pair of marks on Mercurio's two-run homer to right.
UTSA reclaimed the advantage in the following at-bat, thanks to a pair of RBI ground outs off the bats of Mike Warren and Ramirez.
Baylor started the deciding stanza on Mercurio's double and Steve Dalporto's walk. After Brett Doe advanced both runners into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, Logan Brown recorded a run-scoring grounder, which set up Langford's game-winning hit.
Clint Sharp (0-2) was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs on nine hits over his six innings.
The Roadrunners will close out the regular season with a three-game series at Louisiana Tech (19-34, 6-18 WAC), which begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday.