March 29, 2005
Box Score
WACO, Texas - Michael Griffin went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, and Andy Pape pitched 4.0 no-hit innings in relief as No. 15 Baylor defeated Texas Southern 10-3 Tuesday night at Baylor Ballpark.
Baylor (17-10) reached double figures in runs for the first time in 10 games. Texas Southern (12-9) did not get a hit until a sixth-inning double that scored three unearned runs.
Pape (1-0) entered the game in the second inning after starter Sean Walker issued his third walk of the game to start the inning. Walker walked two batters and hit another in the first but escaped unscathed. Baylor used six pitchers on the night, including Nick Cassavechia, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning in his first career appearance.
Kevin Russo provided the game's first runs on a two-run single in the third inning. The Bears added two runs in the fourth on a Reid Brees sacrifice fly and a Mike Pankratz RBI groundout.
Three straight two-out walks in the fifth set the stage for Griffin's grand slam, Baylor's third slam of the season. Josh Ford capped Baylor's scoring in the seventh with a two-run homer to left.
Ford finished the night 2-for-3 and scored three times. Griffin added a double, while Zach Dillon and Kyle Reynolds each scored twice.
Baylor returns to action this weekend, hosting Oklahoma for a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Sooners meet Friday at 7 p.m. CST, Saturday at 6 p.m. CST and Sunday at 2 p.m. CDT. Fans are reminded that Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday morning.
NOTES: Baylor leads the all-time series 2-0. All games in the series were played at Baylor Ballpark. ... Russo extended his hitting streak to seven games, a career long and matching Dillon and Ford for the longest this season by a Bear. ... Ford (three games) and Reynolds (three games) also extended hitting streaks. ... Ford has reached safely in 22 consecutive games and in 26 of 27 games this season. ... Baylor improves to 3-3 this season on Tuesday. ... The Bears also improve to 7-1 in gold jerseys. ... Baylor improves to 11-1 when scoring first. ... Tuesday's win was just the second in nine games this season when the starting pitcher did not work at least 5.0 innings. ... Baylor improves to 8-0 when leading after three innings, 9-0 after four, 10-0 after five and 14-0 when leading after the sixth or later. ... Dillon tied his career high with two runs scored. ... Tyler Bullock tied his career high with three strikeouts. ... Walker's 1.0-plus outing was the shortest start of his career. His previous short start was 1.1 innings on two occasions. ... Griffin played his 216th game Tuesday, moving into sole possession of eighth place all-time at Baylor. ... Griffin also recorded his 892nd at bat, passing Chris Durbin for third at Baylor. ... Ford and Griffin both recorded home runs No. 31, moving past Jeremy Dodson for eighth place in school history. ... With four RBI, Griffin passes Matt Williams for third all-time at Baylor with 183. ... Griffin's double was the 56th of his career, moving into a fifth-place tie all-time at Baylor with Mike Malinak. It also was his 100th career extra-base hit. ... Ford's home run was the 77th extra-base hit of his career, tying David Murphy for 10th on Baylor's all-time list. ... Griffin now has 450 career total bases, tying Marty Crawford for fourth in school history.
