WACO, Texas – Dylan Rock and Ian Bailey belted two-run homers, and Kyle Bergeron extended his hitting streak to eight games but Baylor used a five-run first inning to power a 10-8 win over UTSA baseball, on Tuesday at the Baylor Ballpark.
UTSA (5-7) opened the first inning with a two-run homer from Rock but Baylor immediately answered with a five-run first, adding a three-run fourth to build a margin. UTSA got three back in the third, a run in the sixth and a two-run shot in the eighth but couldn't snap a nine-game Baylor (11-4) win streak, with the Bears entering the game as the nation's No. 2 hitting team.
Rock, a junior outfielder out of Sugar Land, Texas, cranked his second homer of the year and the 12th of his career, later adding a double as part of a 2-for-3 game. Bailey, a transfer from Grambling, belted his fourth homer of the year in the eighth inning.
Bergeron stretched his hitting streak to eight games with a 1-for-5 game, with the Roadrunners also getting a hit and two-RBI from Nick Thornquist, a knock from Chase Keng and a sac fly from freshman Austin Ochoa.
UTSA lefty starter Grant Miller (0-0) worked one-plus inning, allowing five runs on six hits and a pair of walks. After a leadoff single reached to open the second, UTSA turned to righty Simon Miller in relief. Miller worked a career-long 3.1 innings, surrendering four runs on three hits and three walks, striking out three. Lefty Jay Ward came on in the fifth, working a full inning, allowing a run on a hit and walk, striking out one.
The Roadrunners used Arturo Guajardo in his second outing of the year following Ward, with the senior righty working 1.2 perfect innings with three strikeouts. Junior Pepper Jones made his UTSA debut in a scoreless eighth.
Baylor starter Hambleton Oliver tossed 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on one hit and a walk. Following a pair reaching with an out in the third, Baylor called on Jacob Ashkinos (2-0), who worked 2.2 innings, allowing just a run on three hits and two walks, striking out four. Baylor also used Ryan Leckich, Logan Freeman and Luke Boyd in relief. Boyd earned his third save of the year with the final five outs.
UTSA will hit the road to wrap up its seven-game road swing with three at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi over the weekend, starting on Friday at 6 p.m. on the Islander Digital Network.
Rock gave UTSA a 2-0 lead in the first inning, belting his second homer of the year out to left-centerfield, scoring Jonathan Tapia, whose head-first slide into first base forced a fielding error with one out.
Baylor answered with five in the bottom of the first inning, getting a leadoff single from Jared McKenzie, who took second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout. Tre Richardson scored McKenzie with a double down the rightfield line and he was replaced at second after a run-scoring double from Andy Thomas. After a second out, Cade Currington and Davion Downey each drew walks to load the bases for Kyle Nevin, who singled home a pair with a knock through the left side. Chase Wehsener followed with an RBI single through the right side, scoring Downey.
The Roadrunners responded in the top of the third inning, getting a leadoff walk from Ochoa. Griffin Paxton reached after a catcher's interference and after a fly out from Tapia, Rock pulled a run-scoring double down the leftfield line to allow Ochoa to score from second. Thornquist then drove home the game-tying pair with a single laced up the middle, with Rock and Paxton motoring home for a 5-5 game.
Currington gave Baylor a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the third, hitting a first-pitch homer out to left-centerfield.
The Bears took a 9-5 lead after three in the fourth, getting a three-run homer from Thomas, his fourth of the year.
McKenzie took the lead to 10-5 with a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth, the sixth of the year.
UTSA got a run back in the top of the sixth as Ochoa hung a sac fly that scored Chase Keng.
After Keng led off with a single in the eighth, Bailey cranked a two-run shot out to leftfield to cut the lead to 10-8.
GAME NOTES: Lefty Grant Miller made his second career start and his fourth appearance … Junior RF Chase Keng made his season debut … Junior CF Dylan Rock hit his second homer of the year and the 12th of his career … Freshman RHP Simon Miller worked in his third career game … Rock doubled for the fourth time in 2021 … Junior SS Joshua Lamb was hit by his second pitch of the year … Freshman 3B Austin Ochoa hung his third sacrifice fly of the year … Senior DH Kyle Bergeron has an eight-game hitting streak … Senior RHP Arturo Guajardo appeared in his second game of the year … Senior C Nick Thornquist has reached base safely in 11 straight games … Senior LF Ian Bailey hit his third career home run … Junior SS Joshua Lamb has a seven-game hitting streak … Junior RHP Pepper Jones made his UTSA debut … Senior 1B Griffin Paxton who had reached in all 11 games of 2021 and dating back to 2019, had his streak of reaching base safely in 21 straight games snapped.
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