April 16, 2002

Box Score

SAN MARCOS, Texas --Southwest Texas slugged three home runs Tuesday night to snap Baylor's six-game winning streak, handing the No. 15 Bears a 6-3 loss at Bobcat Field.

The comeback magic just wasn't in the cards for Baylor (27-13), who dropped their first game since an 11-10 loss to Oklahoma State on April 5. The Bears threatened in the ninth before Southwest Texas (25-16) finished things off for the home team's eighth win in the their last 10 games.

The Bobcats loaded the bases in the first inning with two outs, and an infield single by Chris Micheles drove in a run before starter Sean Walker (2-2) could escape the inning with a strikeout, leaving the bases loaded.

Baylor answered with two runs in the top of the second. After Chris Durbin walked and Michael Huggins singled to start the inning, Michael Griffin grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Durbin with the Bears' first run. David Murphy's single moved Griffin to third, from whence he scored run number two on Josh Ford's groundout.

SWT second baseman Jacob Spencer tied up the game in the third inning with a solo home run, the Bobcats' first of three on the night. In the fourth, a solo homer from catcher Ben Carter broke the 2-2 tie. Carter, the No. 9 hitter for Southwest Texas, golfed an 0-2 pitch over the left field fence for his second home run of the season.

Walker walked the first batter he faced in the fifth and was relieved by Trey Taylor. Taylor retired the first two batters he faced, but then gave up a two-run blast to Marc Coles that broke open the game at 5-3, Southwest Texas.

Taylor pitched through the bottom of the seventh, striking out six batters and walking none. In his three innings, the freshman lefty gave up just the one hit -- Coles' home run -- and one run. Paul Thorp pitched the final frame, allowing two hits and a run.

Murphy led off the ninth with a homer to right off Bobcat starter Jacob Casanova (3-2). Bobcat head coach Ty Harrington pulled Casanova in favor of ace Bobby Sawicki, who was greeted with back-to-back singles by Josh Ford and pinch-hitter Tim Hartshorn. A grounder to shortstop by pinch-hitter Ron Zboril forced Hartshorn at second for the first out.

Paul Richmond worked the count full off Sawicki before taking strike three on a pitch that appeared inside, and Ross Bennett bounced back to the pitcher for the final out. Sawicki earned his first career save.

Casanova pitched into the ninth for Southwest Texas, allowing 10 hits in eight innings and striking out four batters while allowing three runs.

Baylor third baseman Michael Griffin saw his 16-game hitting streak come to an end Tuesday night. The freshman went 0-for-4 on the evening. the 16-game streak is the longest on the club this season and the eighth-longest streak in club history.

Murphy led Baylor with three hits on the night and extended his hitting streak to eight games in a row, one shy of his career-best.

Baylor returns to conference play this weekend after a six-game reprieve. The Bears head south to College Station to face No. 16 Texas A&M Friday at 7 p.m. The two teams return to Waco Saturday for game two, starting at 6 p.m., then wrap up the series at Baylor Ballpark Sunday at 2 p.m.