Baylor baseball posted an 8-5 win over Kansas State on Sunday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium. The Bears (26-17, 9-9) took a back and forth game over the Wildcats (18-26, 3-15) to complete a series sweep for the second straight weekend.
Down 1-0 after one inning, the Bears took advantage of some KSU miscues in the second. Andy Thomas led off with a double and scored on a two-base error off the bat of Shea Langeliers. Cole Haring continued the inning with a walk, Josh Bissonette was hit by a pitch and then a wild pitch scored another run.
K-State responded with a run in the second to tie the game. But again, BU jumped in front with a solo home run by Davis Wendzel in the third.
The Wildcats came back to tie the game a second time in the third with another run. However, Baylor took over from there. In the fourth, a Bissonette double and Levi Gilcrease RBI single put BU in front once again. In the fifth, Wendzel led off with a walk, moved over on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a groundout by Langeliers.
After absorbing a KSU run in the fifth, Nick Loftin launched a three-run homer in the sixth to give the Bears an 8-4 lead.
KSU hit a solo homer in the eighth but couldn’t muster anything else.
BU reliever Alex Phillips (2-0) earned the win, giving up a run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Troy Montemayor earned his 10th save of the season with a scoreless 1.1 frames. KSU starter Will Brennan (2-1) took the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in five innings.
NOTES
*Baylor has swept back-to-back Big 12 series for the first time since 2012 (April 13-15 at Kansas State and April 20-22 vs. Texas A&M). It is also the last time the Bears won six straight games in Big 12 play.
*Baylor’s 10-game winning streak matches its longest run in 2017 (Feb. 17-March 3) and gives BU 10-game winning streaks in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1998 (14) and 1999 (14). The Bears’ longest winning streak in program history was a 24-game run in 2012 (March 16-April 22).
*Baylor has won 12 of its last 13 games.
*Baylor is 6-4 in three-game series this season (2-3 on road, 4-1 at home) and has a combined record of 16-12.
*Baylor has scored 53 runs in its last 28 innings.
*Baylor has hit 124 home runs in 153 games under third-year head coach Steve Rodriguez. BU hit 51 in 2017 for its most homers since 2010 (57). BU has 39 in 2018.
*Baylor has 34 multi-home run games under Rodriguez (nine 2016, 14 in 2017, 11 in 2018).
*Troy Montemayor has 36 career saves (10 this season). He is within two of topping Baylor's all-time career saves leader Zane Carlson (37, 2000-04). He converted his first eight career save attempts in 2016, and after blowing his ninth try, converted 12 straight before blowing his 22nd attempt. He has converted 27 of his last 28 save tries and 16 straight. He is 36-for-38 in career save chances. He is now the only player in program history to have three 10-save seasons.
*Davis Wendzel has reached base in a career-high 32 straight games, marking Baylor’s longest since a 35-game streak in 2013 by Lawton Langford. He also has a 12-game hitting streak. He notched his team-high 15th multi-hit game (2). He also hit his seventh home run of the season and 15th of his career. He now has a career-high 34 RBI on the season.
*Andy Thomas has a 14-game on-base streak and five-game hitting streak. He totaled his 14th multi-hit game (3, tied career high).
*Freshman Nick Loftin has reached base in 13 straight games and has a five-game hitting streak. He had his seventh multi-RBI game (3) and his fifth home run of the season.
*Freshman Davion Downey has reached base in nine straight games.
*Shea Langeliers has reached base in eight straight games.
*Josh Bissonette has a three-game hitting streak.
*Levi Gilcrease has a three-game hitting streak as he posted his second multi-hit game (2).
*Drew Robertson’s career-high streak of 11 straight scoreless relief appearances ended.
STAT OF THE GAME
42 – The amount of runs Baylor scored in the series.
QUOTE OF THE GAME
“First of all, sweeping is hard, especially on days like today when the wind is a factor and being on the road. I’m really proud of these guys. Now is a critical time for us because it goes both ways. We are in a really good place as a team right now and now we have to go through quite a few days without playing and lifting. We, as coaches, have to do the best we can do to keep them active. But they get a chance to rest and focus on school work.” – Baylor Head Coach Steve Rodriguez
