WACO, TEXAS (March 5, 2008) Gregg Glime chased down Nick Grunenwald’s foul popup just in front on the backstop screen for the final out of the game as No. 11 Baylor edged Louisiana Tech 7-6 Wednesday at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears (8-1) improve to 6-0in one-run games this season with the win and close their season-opening nine-game home stand.
Louisiana Tech (7-4) sent eight batters to the plate in the ninth inning and scored two runs on three hits and two walks. Adam Cobb and Kevin Winn got the inning started with back-to-back singles off Erik Forestiere. Aaron Miller then struck out Drew Bunting but walked Albie Goulder to load the bases. Chris Kersten followed with a sacrifice fly off Nick Cassavechia, who walked the next batter before giving up an infield RBI single to Clint Stubbs.
It was a situation eerily similar to Tuesday night’s game when Louisiana Tech scored five ninth-inning runs to rally past Baylor 9-6. Cassavechia got two quick strikes on Grunenwald, who then worked the count full. Grunenwald fought off the next pitch, but Glime hustled to the warning track near the first-base on-deck circle and made the catch before sliding to his knees.
Glime’s catch made a winner of Baylor starter Wade Mackey, who allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts over 6.0 innings. Cassavechia notched his fourth save of the season.
Louisiana Tech got a run in the top of the first thanks to Cobb’s leadoff triple and Winn’s RBI single. Baylor answered quickly, though, as Ben Booker led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to right. It was Baylor’s first leadoff home run since Beamer Weems accomplished the feat against Texas Southern during the 2006 season.
Baylor added four runs on four hits in the second. Adam Hornung tripled to leadoff the inning and scored on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, Brooks Kimmey recorded an RBI double, and Chris Slater followed with a two-run single. The Bears added two runs in fifth on Miller’s leadoff home run and Kimmey’s RBI single as Baylor pushed its lead to 7-1.
Those runs were needed as Louisiana Tech scored two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh, pulling to within three runs before the dramatic ninth.
Louisiana Tech starter Luke Burnett (0-1) was saddled with the loss; he was touched for seven runs on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 4.0 innings.
Miller finished 2-for-3 with two walks at the plate. Hornung was 3-for-4 with a walk and scored twice. Kimmey and Slater also turned in two-hit games.
Baylor returns to action this weekend, starting a week-long, five-game road trip at Mississippi State. The Bears and the Bulldogs meet Friday at 4 p.m. CST, Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
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