Feb. 13, 2007

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WACO, Texas -- Tim Jackson's pinch-hit, three-run double sparked a five-run seventh inning as Baylor rallied past Texas State 10-4 in Tuesday night's 2007 home opener. Baylor (1-3) has won eight consecutive home games and improved to 33-8 at Baylor Ballpark since the beginning of the 2005 postseason. The Bears also avoided the program's first 0-4 start since 1940.

Baylor trailed 2-1 entering the seventh. Ben Booker got things started with a leadoff walk, Matt Sodolak followed with a single through the left side, and Chase Gerdes was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jackson then came through with the game-changing hit, sneaking a double just inside third base and past Texas State third baseman Adam Witek's out-stretched glove. Jackson improved to 6-for-7 in his career with the bases loaded. The Bears stretched their lead to 6-2 on Seth Hammock's RBI single and a Texas State error.

Baylor added four runs in the eighth. Beamer Weems was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the first run in the frame. Dustin Dickerson had an RBI groundout, Hammock had a sacrifice fly and Aaron Miller had an RBI single.

Texas State (5-2) scrapped for a pair of unearned runs on two hits and a pair of Baylor errors but could get no closer.

Baylor's rally made a winner of reliever Jake Weghorst (1-0), who allowed one run on two hits with two strikeouts in 2.0 innings. Starter Kendal Volz yielded only one run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts over 5.0 innings. Tim Matthews was touched for the two unearned runs in the ninth and allowed two hits and a walk with one strikeout over 2.0 innings in a non-save situation.

Texas State reliever Justin Fiske (0-1) was saddled with the loss; the third of six Bobcat pitchers, Fiske allowed five runs, four earned, on three hits and a walk with no strikeouts in 0.1 innings. Starter B.J. Boening allowed one run on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 4.0 innings, and the Bobcats' first reliever Jason Baca recorded five strikeouts and a walk in 2.0 no-hit scoreless innings.

Baylor took the game's first lead in the third inning when Matt Sodolak led off with a double to left and later scored on Dustin Dickerson's two-out RBI single to center.

However, Texas State erased that deficit on Pat Crumpton's RBI groundout in the fifth and then took the lead in the sixth on Aaron Garza's two-out RBI single to right.

Sodolak produced Baylor's only multiple-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Dickerson and Hammock both had two-RBI night's to go along with Jackson's three-RBI effort.

Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Stephen F. Austin for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Lumberjacks meet Friday at 6:30 p.m. CST, Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

NOTES:  Baylor leads the all-time series 38-14, including a 24-9 advantage during head coach Steve Smith's tenure. The Bears are 31-11 all-time against Texas State in Waco. ... Hammock recorded his first career multiple-RBI game. ... Dickerson and Miller both recorded their first career RBI.

BAYLOR 10, TEXAS STATE 4

Texas State......... 000 011 002  -  4  6  1      (5-2)

BAYLOR.............. 001 000 54X  - 10  8  3      (1-3)

Pitchers: Texas State - Boening, B.J.; Baca, Jason(5); Fiske, Justin(7); Weaver, Eric(7);

Walter, Josh(8); Armijo, Chris(8). BAYLOR - Volz, Kendal; Weghorst, Jake(6); Matthews, Tim(8).

Win-Weghorst, Jake(1-0)  Loss-Fiske, Justin(0-1)  T-2:52  A-2766