Late lead slips as Baseball falls, 4-3, to Baylor

Friday, April 14

Waco, Texas

6:35 p.m.

University of Texas

23-15, 6-8

Baylor

22-13, 5-6

Texas

Baylor

Late lead slips as Baseball falls, 4-3, to Baylor

04.14.2017 | Baseball

Box Score

The Longhorns led 3-0 in the eighth but the Bears rallied late to take the series.

Box Score

WACO, Texas—Despite taking a 3-0 lead into the eighth inning, Texas Baseball fell, 4-3, to Baylor in a Friday night walk-off at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.

The Longhorns (23-15, 6-8 Big 12) struck first in the ballgame, plating a pair of runs in the second inning off Bears right-hander Montana Parsons. Bret Boswell, who finished with two hits on the night, singled to right to open the frame and freshman Ryan Reynolds followed with a walk. After Patrick Mathis sacrificed them into scoring position, David Hamilton lifted his team-high seventh sac fly into right to drive in Boswell and put Texas ahead 1-0. One batter later, Zane Gurwitz would reach on an error that allowed Reynolds to come home and after one-and-a-half, Texas led it 2-0.

Longhorns starter Morgan Cooper, who earlier this week was named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list, shut down the Bears (22-13, 5-6) through five scoreless innings of work. The redshirt junior also received help from his defense early, including a diving-catch-turned-double-play by Zane Gurwitz to end a threat in the third.

Texas tacked on a run in the fifth when, after Hamilton and Gurwitz singled to open the inning, Kody Clemens went up the middle for an RBI single, putting the Longhorns out in front 3-0.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Blair Henley entered in relief of Cooper in the sixth and kept the Bears off the board for two innings before running into trouble in the eighth. The Bears' first three baserunners reached in the inning, cutting the Texas lead to 3-1 before Beau Ridgeway (1-1) entered. Thanks to an error and an infield single, Baylor tied the ballgame in the bottom of the eighth and the two sides headed to the ninth in a deadlock. This marked the Longhorns' first three-error game since February 18 vs. Rice.

Ridgeway walked the leadoff batter in the ninth inning. After a sac bunt moved him to second, Ridgeway issued an intentional walk to put two on. The sophomore got a fly out to center to put two away in the inning, but catcher Kameron Esthay singled up the middle to plate a pinch-runner and give the Bears a 4-3 walk-off win.

Texas will look to salvage the series with a win in Saturday's series finale at 3 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark. Right-hander Kyle Johnston will take the hill for the Longhorns looking for his first Big 12 win of the season.