WACO, TX — In what could be the final home game of the season, the Bears took care of business against UT Arlington with a 12-2 run-rule victory over the Mavericks Tuesday night at Baylor Ballpark.
Baylor (33-13) didn’t skip a beat after having nine days off for finals as four starters collected multi-hit games including Nick Loftin (3-for-4 with 3 RBI) and Shea Langeliers (3-for-5 with 4 RBI) and the Bears scored in five of their six offensive innings.
The Bears were ignited by an impressive start by LHP Tyler Thomas, who struck out six batters in two scoreless innings of work. Blake Helton, Hayden Kettler and Ryan Leckich tag-teamed it the rest of the way, holding the Mavericks to just two runs on seven hits in the shortened seven-inning run-rule.
Loftin got things going with a two-run triple in the bottom of the second, followed by a two-run double from Langeliers that put Baylor ahead 4-0. In the third, Davion Downey knocked in a run and Chase Wehsener added an RBI sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.
Langeliers smoked another RBI double in the fourth to push the lead to 7-0 and then reached on an error that scored a run in the fifth, making it 8-0 Bears. Andy Thomas drove home a pair with a single that saw Baylor remain in front 10-0 through five innings.
UTA (30-22) scored its only runs of the game with a two-run homer in the sixth, but the Bears answered as Loftin drove in his third run of the game with a single and Langeliers once again reached on a run-scoring error as the Bears took a 12-2 lead into the seventh.
Leckich was the man on the mound as Baylor finished it off in the bottom of the seventh. Cunningham and Loftin teamed up to gun down a run at the plate, and Leckich got a batter to pop up to Josh Bissonette for the final out.
