Go Bears!
GO Bears!
Go Bears!
McCormick Blanks No. 9 Texas A&M 5-0
Ford smashes fourth home run in three games as Bears clinch series.
RHP Mark McCormick tossed Baylor's first complete-game nine-inning shutout in Big 12 play since 2001 Saturday night.

RHP Mark McCormick tossed Baylor's first complete-game nine-inning shutout in Big 12 play since 2001 Saturday night.

March 20, 2004

Box Score

WACO, Texas - Mark McCormick tossed a five-hit shutout, and Josh Ford blasted his fourth home run in three games as Baylor blanked No. 9 Texas A&M 5-0 Saturday night in front of a season-high crowd of 3,905 at Baylor Ballpark. The victory assures the Bears (8-13, 2-0) a series victory against the Aggies (20-4, 0-2); Baylor goes for the sweep Sunday at 2 p.m. CST.

McCormick notched his first career complete-game shutout and the first nine-inning complete-blanking by a Baylor pitcher since Feb. 17, 2001 when Josh Scott white-washed Nicholls State 4-0. It also was Baylor's first nine-inning complete-game shutout in Big 12 play since a Kyle Evans tossed the Bears to a 5-0 victory April 29, 2000 against Kansas at Baylor Ballpark.

Texas A&M came within five feet of scoring in the top of the first. With runners at first and second and two outs, Austin Boggs slapped a single up the middle that appeared to be enough to plate Cory Patton from second. However, Baylor center fielder Kevin Sevigny alertly threw behind Coby Mavroulis after an aggressive turn at second. Baylor second baseman Drew Sutton applied the tag on Mavoulis before Patton reached the plate.

That was as close as the Aggies got to scratching the scoreboard against McCormick (2-2), who walked four and struck out a season-high seven. Only one runner got into scoring position with less than two outs after the first inning. McCormick stranded one runner in the third, two more in the fifth, and one in each of the last three innings. The sophomore right-hander also picked off a runner from first, his third pickoff this season.

After holding the Aggies scoreless in the top of the first, the Bears quickly got on the board in the bottom of the inning. Drew Sutton walked to lead off the frame, moved to second on a hit-and-run groundout and then scored on a Ford two-out single through the left side. Baylor added two more runs in the second on a Sutton RBI double and a Kyle Reynolds sacrifice fly.

 

 

The Bears gave McCormick some mid-game insurance with a two-spot in the fifth. Ford led off the inning with a home run down the leftfield line, and Reid Brees later had a pinch-hit RBI double.

Justin Moore (3-1) started and took the loss for Texas A&M, which dropped consecutive games for the first time this season. He was touched for five runs, all earned, on 10 hits and three walks with one strikeout in 4.1 innings. Jason Meyer tossed one-hit shutout ball over the final 3.2 innings.

Ford, Mike Pankratz, Zach Dillon and Sevigny led the Bears at the plate with two hits each.

Baylor sends southpaw Trey Taylor (2-3) to the mound Sunday against right-hander Kyle Marlatt (3-0) in Sunday's series finale.

Notes: Baylor is now 15-10 against Texas A&M since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1997. ... The Bears have three shutouts this season after three shutouts all of last season and none in 2002. ... McCormick extended his career-best consecutive scoreless innings streak to 16.0 with Saturday's shutout. ... Josh Ford and Mike Pankratz both extended hitting streaks to six games, the longest streaks of the season for the Bears. ... Baylor leadoff hitter Drew Sutton, who started Saturday's game with a walk, has now reached safely to lead off four consecutive games and five of the last six contests.