Feb. 24, 2002

Box Score

WACO, Texas - For the second time in 24 hours, it was a Paul Richmond hit that gave Baylor a walk-off win over Oral Roberts. Richmond's three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth Sunday gave the Bears a 4-2 win and a weekend sweep over the Golden Eagles.

For eight innings, the Baylor bats were shut down by ORU starter Rene Recio (2-2). The Bears (7-4) managed only three hits through the first eight innings against Recio, who struck out six and walked two.

But in the ninth, shortstop Trey Webb led off with a bloop double. Chris Durbin followed with a blast to right center that bounced off the wall and moved Webb to third. With two men warming in the bullpen and Recio having thrown 124 pitches, Oral Roberts (7-6) elected to leave its starter on the mound and pitch to Richmond.

That decision proved costly when the junior followed with a no-doubt-about it shot to right, his team-leading third homer of the year. The blast made a winner out of reliever Kyle Edens (1-1), who came in with one out in the eighth and retired all five batters he faced.

For the first eight-and-a-half innings, it looked like two balks and an error would be the undoing of the Bears. In a repeat of last Sunday's game at Southern California, Baylor starter Justin Taylor was called for two balks in the second inning, with the latter call forcing home the Golden Eagles' first run.

Baylor tied the game in the third on an RBI groundout by Webb, but the tie held for only an inning. In the fourth, ORU first baseman Wilton Reynolds reached on an error by Baylor second baseman Eric Errante. Catcher David Castillo followed with a double to left that drove in Reynolds and put ORU up 2-1, a lead the visitors would hold until the final pitch of the game.

Taylor pitched his best game of the young season, striking out eight and allowing just one earned run. Paul Thorp pitched to two batters in the eighth, getting one out and hitting a batter.

After sweeping the three-game series at home, Baylor hits the road Tuesday, heading north to play at UT-Arlington. Game time is set for 3 p.m.