May 31, 2002

Box Score

AUSTIN, Texas - The Baylor baseball team scored four runs in the seventh inning to come from behind and beat Lamar, 4-2, on Friday afternoon at Disch-Falk Field in the first round of the NCAA Austin Regional.

The win snapped an seven-game losing streak for Baylor (35-24) and advanced the Bears to play Saturday at 3 p.m. in the winners' bracket game against the victor of Saturday's late Texas-Central Connecticut State game.

Lamar (35-23), meanwhile, falls to the loser's bracket where they will face the loser of the UT-CCSU matchup Saturday at 11 a.m.

For six innings, it looked like Lamar starter Clay Hensley (8-6) would make a two-run second inning stand up. Hensley, who struck out 17 in his last start during the Southland Conference tournament, struck out eight Bears in 6 1/3 innings and walked just one.

In the end, it was Justin Taylor (9-2) who outpitched Hensley. Taylor pitched into the ninth, striking out six and walking one while allowing just five hits. His 8 1/3 innings made Saturday his longest outing of the season, and his six strikeouts moved him into fifth-place in Baylor history for career strikeouts.

Baylor's best scoring chance prior to the seventh came in the first inning, when a single by Paul Richmond and a walk to Chris Durbin put two men on with only one out. A flyout and a groundout, however, didn't advance the runners and both were left on.

In the second, Lamar took advantage of its best opportunity. With two outs, Mickey Hernandez singled in Jordan Foster from second for the first run of the game, and Jereme Havard followed with a double that plated Foster for a 2-0 Cardinal lead.

Durbin led off the fourth with a double, but was later caught stealing trying to take third on a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play that ended the inning.

In the sixth, Richmond doubled after two outs, but was left on base when Durbin grounded out to shortstop. Baylor finally broke through in the seventh, when Ross Bennett hit the first pitch he saw after the seventh-inning stretch over the right field wall for his sixth home run of the year, cutting the score to 2-1, Lamar.

The inning continued as Mike Huggins and David Murphy each singled. Michael Griffin attempted to sacrifice the runners over, but his bunt popped over the pitcher towards second base and all hands were safe. After Tim Hartshorn struck out, Eric Errante hit a one-hopper back to the pitcher, but the ball glanced off Hensley's glove and again there was no play anywhere as Huggins crossed the plate.

That was the last straw on Hensley, who was pulled by Lamar in favor of reliever Thomas Atlee with the bases still loaded and one out. Atlee got Webb to ground to second baseman Blake Justice; the Cardinals got the force at second base, but were unable to double up Webb at first as the lead run came home in the person of Murphy.

Richmond's hard shot down the first base line was knocked down by first baseman Micah Hoffpauir, but Lamar had no play as Richmond got a single and Griffin scored from third for Baylor's fourth and final run of the inning.

Taylor created some excitement in the ninth, walking the first batter on four pitches and balking him to second. The senior got a pop out before being replaced on the mound by closer Kyle Edens, who closed the door for his 13th save of the year.