WACO, Texas – A four-run fourth inning fueled a 6-1 Baylor win over Dallas Baptist on Wednesday night at Baylor Ballpark. The win gave the Bears (14-15) their second three-game winning streak of the season and improved them to 3-1 on an 11-game home stand.
With the game tied 1-1, the fourth inning provided both teams with a big scoring chance and it was Baylor who took advantage. Dallas Baptist (16-13) loaded the bases with two outs on reliever Sean Spicer but came away empty. The Bears then loaded the bases in the bottom half on DBU reliever Joseph Shaw (0-2) and scored on a Logan Brown HBP. Cal Towey followed with a crushing blow, delivering a double to left-center that cleared the bases as the ball was just out of reach of Patriots left fielder Jaime Garrido's glove.
"I thought the difference in the game was who walked the fewest," said BU Head Coach Steve Smith. "We walked a few and made some errors. But they had their hands full and we got the one big hit that was the difference in the game."
Spicer settled in right after that, blanking DBU in the fifth and sixth before running into trouble in the seventh. Two errors helped DBU get two aboard as Doug Ashby came in and induced a liner to first baseman Steve DalPorto, who turned it into an unassisted double play to end the threat.
"Sean and Doug, for guys who haven't been getting a lot of work, threw the ball well," Smith said. "Aside from that (seventh) inning, we played pretty well behind them."
Ashby then finished the game, giving up only a walk in a career-high-tying 2.2-inning outing as he gave up no hits and recorded one strikeout. His performance helped lock down the win for Spicer (2-2), who gave up four walks and a hit with three strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
On offense, the Bears were led by Towey, Nathan Orf and Jake Miller. Towey went 2-for-4 with a season-high three RBI. Orf was 2-for-4, extending his hitting streak to a season-high 11 games. Miller scored two runs and was 1-for-3 with a walk.
The Bears continue the home stand this weekend against West Virginia in their second Big 12 home series. Games are slated for 6:35 p.m. CT on Friday, 3:05 p.m. on Saturday and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.
