March 22, 2002

Box Score

COLUMBIA, Mo. - In contrast to what has been a strength for the Bears to date this season, Baylor's bullpen faltered Friday night as Missouri came from behind to beat the eighth-ranked Bears 7-5 at Simmons Field.

Baylor (18-7, 7-3 Big 12) held a 4-2 lead through six-and-a-half innings before Missouri (8-12, 1-6 Big 12) batted around and put up a five spot in the bottom of the seventh. A strong start by Steven White (six innings, four runs, eight strikeouts) was wasted when White tired in the seventh and two Baylor relievers couldn't stop the bleeding.

Baylor's offense failed to take advantage of several scoring opportunities early. With two hits, three walks and an error, the Bears put six runners on in the first three innings but came away scoreless. Double plays cut short Baylor rallies in the first and second frames, and Chris Durbin struck out with the bases loaded to end the third.

Baylor finally broke through in the fourth. Paul Richmond started the inning with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on Michael Griffin's sacrifice bunt. After David Murphy walked on four pitches, Trey Webb singled up the middle, scoring Richmond and putting the Bears on top 1-0.

Three more Baylor runs went up in the fifth inning. Back-to-back errors leading off the inning by Missouri's second baseman and right fielder put two men on for Durbin, who atoned for his third-inning strikeout with a long shot into the Mizzou bullpen in left for a three-run home run.

The Tigers cut the lead in half in the bottom of the sixth. After a bloop double to left glanced off Webb's glove leading off the frame, Mizzou right fielder Lee Laskowski blasted a long home run to right-center that scored a pair and reduced Baylor's lead to 4-2.

Back-to-back hits leading off the seventh knocked White out of the game. The second hit, a double to right-center by shortstop Jody Roughton, cut the Bears' lead to 4-3. Trey Taylor (0-2) relieved White and walked the first batter he faced. Taylor then gave up an RBI single on a 1-2 pitch to Mick Weiss that drove in Roughton and tied the game.

Head coach Steve Smith quickly pulled Taylor in favor of Zane Carlson. Carlson's first pitch skipped to the backstop, allowing the go-ahead run to score from third. The junior righty retired the next two batters, but a double steal and another single plated two more runs as the Tigers went up 7-4.

Murphy hit the second pitch he saw off the center-field wall on the fly for a triple to start the eighth inning, but reliever Travis Wendte struck out Webb and pinch-hitter Ron Zboril and got Tim Hartshorn to fly out to center for the third out of the inning.

With two outs in the ninth, Michael Griffin's infield single drove in Bennett to cut the lead to 7-5 and brought David Murphy to the plate with the tying runs on base. Murphy, however, struck out on a full count as Wendte closed out the Mizzou win.

Freshman starter Abel Newton (3-1) picked up the win for Missouri, throwing 140 pitches over seven innings. Newton struck out 10 Bears and walked six while allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits.

Playing in his home state, designated hitter Ross Bennett reached base all five times he came to the plate. Bennett, a native of Cape Girardeau, singled twice, doubled, was hit by a pitch and reached on an error. He scored only twice, though, as the Bears' offense sputtered after a strong start.

White's eight strikeouts were a season-high, two short of his career high of 10 set last season against Nicholls State. The loss broke an eight-game winning streak for Baylor, the team's longest since 2000.

Baylor and Missouri square off again Saturday at 2 p.m. before wrapping up the series Sunday at 1 p.m.