WACO, Texas – Baylor (21-29, 9-14) earned a 7-1 win over Texas (25-25, 10-13) in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears scored three in the fourth and eighth innings en route to punching their ticket to the Big 12 Championship for a league-record 19th straight season.
BU took an early lead in the first on a sacrifice fly from Duncan Wendel but it was erased in the third on a C.J. Hinojosa home run.
Baylor's first big fourth inning started with a Wendel walk and Kameron Esthay single. Then Mitch Price delivered a two-run double to the left-center gap. After a sac bunt, Matt Menard singled home Price for a 4-1 lead.
In the eighth, Wendel again started the rally with a leadoff single. An out later, Price launched a two-run homer to left. Darryn Sheppard followed with a solo blast of his own for back-to-back shots and a 7-1 edge that remained that way.
Baylor starter Nick Lewis (3-2) earned the win after allowing one run on five hits and six walks with five strikeouts in five innings. Kody Hessemer picked up his first save as he gave up two walks and two hits with four strikeouts in four innings. UT starter Josh Sawyer (3-3) took the loss, surrendering four runs on five hits and one walk with four strikeouts in five innings.
NOTES
*With Baylor earning a spot in the Big 12 Championship today, the Bears and Oklahoma are now the only two teams in the league to qualify for all 19 Big 12 Championships.
*Baylor trails the all-time series vs. Texas 106-235-4, and 60-92-3 in Waco, but is 34-42 under Steve Smith and 29-39 in the Big 12 era. BU had won each of the last two series before Texas swept the Bears in Austin on April 4-6, 2014, last season. Baylor has won nine series vs. UT in 18 seasons of Big 12 play. Baylor won the first six series from 1997 through 2002 and took a series sweep in 2005. Texas won the series in 2003 and 2004 and had taken each of the last six series before the Bears won 2012's series 2-1. The Bears swept Texas in 2013 in Waco on April 26-28 for their third sweep of UT in Big 12 play (1998, 2005, 2013).
*Baylor is 382-165 all-time at Baylor Ballpark, 16-11 this season and has won 16 of its 23 home series since 2012, including four of six thus far in 2015 (No. 13 Cal Poly, 3-0 | Kent State, 2-1 | West Virginia, 2-1 | Oklahoma, 2-1 | Texas State, 0-3 | Kansas State, 1-2).
*Baylor has won four of its 11 three-game series in 2015 and 22 of 44 since 2012.
*Baylor is 497-563-4 against current members of the Big 12 Conference and 277-223 all-time in regular season play.
*Baylor is 141-130 in May/June under Steve Smith and 4-2 this year.
*Baylor's back-to-back homers in the eighth inning by Mitch Price and Darryn Sheppard were its first since Logan Vick and Dan Evett did so on April 28th, 2012, against New Mexico State.
*Mitch Price has reached base in his last six games as he had his 10th multi-hit game and fourth multi-RBI game. His four RBI tied a career high and were a season high. He also hit the second homer of his season and fifth of his career.
*Darryn Sheppard has a four-game hitting streak as he hit his third homer of the season and sixth of his career.
*Kameron Esthay has a hit in his last five games as he posted his 11th multi-hit game.
*Logan Brown has reached base in his last seven games.
*Matt Menard had his ninth multi-hit game.
*Kody Hessemer earned his first career save as he tied a career high with four strikeouts.
*Nick Lewis racked up a career high five strikeouts.
