March 14, 2006

Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas -- A three-run Houston eighth inning provided an insurmountable deficit for No. 22 Baylor as the Bears dropped a 5-3 decision at Cougar Field. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak in Tuesday games for Baylor (12-5) and gave the Bears consecutive losses for only the seventh time since the beginning of the 2005 season.

Leading 2-1, Houston scored three runs off three hits and a walk in the eighth to push its lead to 5-1. Baylor rallied in the top of the ninth, scoring a pair of runs and putting the tying run on base. However, Cougar reliever Ricky Hargrove's full-count curve ball caught Kevin Russo looking to end the game.

With Baylor leading 1-0, Bryan Tully led off the bottom of the sixth with a towering fly ball to shallow center. Baylor second baseman Russo called off center fielder Paul Miles but could not make the catch, juggling the ball twice before it finally hit the ground. Tully reached second on the play and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt. One batter later, Jake Stewart singled down the right-field line, scoring Tully.

Luis Flores led off the seventh with a single up the middle, and Josh Stirneman followed with a single up the middle on a hit-and-run that pushed Flores to third. After Tully struckout, the Cougars ran a first-and-third double steal, and Flores slid into home under the tag of Baylor catcher Matt Sodolak.

Houston added three runs in the bottom of the eighth on a Sirneman two-run single and a Bryan Pounds RBI single, both coming with two outs.

The loss spoiled a strong start by Randall Linebaugh, who allowed one unearned run on three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings. Tim Matthews (1-2) was saddled with the loss as he allowed the consecutive hits to start the seventh; he was touched for three hits with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

Baylor's bullpen duo of Nick Cassavechia and Jeff Mandel, which had not allowed a run in 16.1 combined innings this season, was touched for all three runs in the eighth. Cassavechia surrendered two runs, while Mandel was touched for one run, ending Mandel's 22.0-inning scoreless streak over nine outings dating back to last season.

Sodolak gave Baylor a 1-0 lead with a two-out RBI single in the top of the sixth. However, the Bears' lead was short-lived as the Cougars tied the score in the bottom of the inning.

Beamer Weems and Zach Dillon had RBI singles in the ninth.

Clayton Boone (1-1) earned the victory for the Cougars, allowing a run and a walk with one strikeout in 2.0 innings of relief. Hargrove earned his first save of the season.

Baylor opens Big 12 Conference play this weekend, hosting No. 25 Kansas for a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark. The Bears and the Jayhawks meet Friday at 7 p.m. CST, Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.