 5NEW MEXICO ST. (30-13) Rank: #25 |
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 15BAYLOR (38-8) Rank: #3 |
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April 28, 2012
WACO, Texas - Ryan Smith worked 3.2 innings of shutout relief, and No. 3 Baylor's offense exploded for 12 runs in the fourth and fifth innings, as the Bears completed a two-game sweep of No. 25 New Mexico State, 15-5, on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark.
Baylor (38-8) rallied from an early 3-1 deficit to record its 20th consecutive win at home. The Bears got a second-inning home run from Adam Toth and back-to-back homers in the sixth from Logan Vick and Dan Evatt.
"There were two halves to this game," head coach Steve Smith said. "There was the half that was the pitchers' game, and then there was the half where it just got really offensive. That happens - it's college baseball. Sometimes when you get to the bullpen it's a really good thing, and today we had our way with that."
Smith (3-0) earned the win by allowing two hits in 3.2 shutout innings. He came out of the bullpen with the potential tying run on base and one out in the fifth, but he escaped that jam and allowed held New Mexico State (30-13) scoreless the rest of the way. The game was called after the top of the eighth due to the Aggies travel curfew.
Toth followed his home run by pulling off a rare feat in the fourth inning. He reached on a fielder's choice, then stole second base, third base and home to cut NMSU's lead to 4-3. It was the first time on record a Baylor player has recorded three steals in one trip around the bases.
Toth finished 2-for-4 with three runs and three steals, while Lawton Langford went 2-for-4 with three runs, Vick collected four RBI and Evatt finished 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Jake Miller and Nathan Orf added two hits apiece, and Max Muncy and Josh Ludy each had two RBI.
Baylor starting pitcher Trent Blank didn't factor in the decision after allowing three earned runs in 4.1 innings. New Mexico State starter Adam Mott (5-1) took his first loss of the year by allowing seven runs on seven hits in 3.1 innings.
The Bears got on the board first when Langford singled in the first, moved to second on Muncy's walk, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when the throw attempting to get him at third skipped down the left-field line. The Aggies scored three in the second to take a 3-1 lead, but Toth's home run in the bottom half cut the deficit to one.
After New Mexico State added a run to its lead with an unearned run in the fourth, Baylor broke through for five runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-4 lead. Miller started the inning with a bunt single, and after two walks, Muncy's RBI single tied the game and Josh Ludy put the Bears in front with a RBI double off the batters' eye in center field.
Blank allowed his first home run of the season in the fifth and was lifted after a walk and a double put the potential tying runs on base with one out. Smith escaped the inning with a strikeout and a grounder, and the Bears broke the game open with seven runs in the fifth.
Smith worked around a two-out walk in the sixth and pitched his way out of a jam in the seventh after allowing consecutive singles leading off the inning. He worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning to close out the win.
The Bears have a 10-day break before closing out the regular season with six of their final eight games on the road. Baylor returns to action on May 9 at Texas State, then takes on Oklahoma in a three-game series in Norman from May 11-13. The Bears' only two remaining home games are May 15 against UTSA and May 17 against Texas.
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