Feb. 19, 2005

Box Score

WACO, Texas - Trey Taylor, Ryan LaMotta and Abe Woody combined for 16 strikeouts as No. 8 Baylor edged No. 24 Oral Roberts 2-1 Saturday night at Baylor Ballpark. The series is tied through two games with the rubber game Sunday.

Baylor (4-2) posted its highest team strikeout total since recording 16 whiffs against Texas-San Antonio in the fourth game of the 2004 season. Taylor established a career high with 11 strikeouts, one better than his previous personal best. LaMotta struck out four of the seven batters he faced, and Woody recorded the final strikeout to end the eighth.

Taylor (2-0) allowed just two hits and two walks in 6.0 innings. Tim Torres had ORU's first hit, a one-out bad-hop infield single in the fourth. The Golden Eagles' only other hit on the night was a Recio solo home run in the fifth. LaMotta pitched 1.2 innings and walked one.

Baylor took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. ORU starter Taylor McIntyre issued consecutive walks to Reid Brees and Kyle Reynolds and then hit Josh Ford. Michael Griffin then plated Brees with a sacrifice fly.

The Bears added to their lead in the third when Brees led off with a single and later scored on a Ford single.

McIntyre (1-1) was touched for two runs on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Daniel Greenwalt pitched the final 3.1 innings without allowing a run and did not allow a hit until a Reynolds leadoff double in the eighth.

Reynolds led the Bears offensively, going 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt.

Baylor and Oral Roberts conclude their three-game series Sunday at Baylor Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST. The Bears send southpaw Cory VanAllen (1-0) to the mound opposite ORU right-hander Nick Jones (1-0).

Notes: The series is now tied 13-13 and 9-9 in games played in Waco. ... Baylor improves to 2-0 this season in one-run games. ... Taylor's previous career high for strikeouts in a game was 10 against Dallas Baptist as a freshman in 2002. ... Witt's error was his first in 157 chances over 34 games at his primary position (second base in 2004, shortstop in 2005). ... Taylor made his 36^th career start, moving into a tie for ninth place on Baylor's all-time list. ... Woody recorded his 10^th career save, just the fourth pitcher in Baylor history to reach that plateau.