Feb. 26, 2017

Final Stats

This early in the season, Steve Rodriguez is more concerned with "playing good baseball" than winning games, "but I'll take every one of them."

The Baylor Bears are doing both.

Behind another strong outing from freshman left-hander Cody Bradford and a 10-hit attack that included six doubles, the Bears (8-0) completed a three-game sweep of South Alabama (4-3) with Sunday's 9-7 win at Baylor Ballpark and are off to their best start in 33 years.

"Winning is a very hard thing," Rodriguez said. "Losing is unbelievably easy, but winning is very difficult. The more we can do it, the better. I think it just gives our guys confidence as we go."

Bradford certainly has reason to feel confident after holding South Alabama's explosive offense to just two runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts over the first six innings.

"My confidence level is pretty high with a great offense that's been scoring runs every single game," said Bradford, who is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA. "I think I'm right where I should be - not too high, not too low, just right in the middle. And like I said, with a great offense, it's hard not be confident when you're on the mound."

At 8-0, Baylor's off to its best start since a Mickey Sullivan-coached team established a program record by opening the 1984 season with 13 straight wins.

"It just shows everything's clicking right now, attitudes are good, our approach has been good, pitching's been good, defense has been good," Bradford said. "If we can keep that up, yeah, we keep expecting to win."

After Bradford worked around a two-out single in the top of the second, the Bears got on the board with three runs on two hits and a pair of walks in the bottom of the frame. With runners on the corners and two out, Tucker Cascadden delivered a two-run double down the left-field line, then came around to score on Steven McLean's single to center.

The Jaguars' Adam Wolfe, hitless in his first seven at-bats this season, led off the third inning with an opposite-field shot to right for the first of his three home runs on the day. Wolfe added another leadoff homer in the seventh off Luke Boyd and capped his day with a three-run blast to right-center off Kyle Hill to pull South Alabama within 9-7 in the eighth.

"That was one of the strongest kids I've seen in a long time," Rodriguez said of Wolfe. "Anytime you have three home runs in a game, you've got to tip your hat. That's a great day. Shoot, he took some good fastballs and laid some good swings on them."

Baylor answered Wolf's first homer with a run in the bottom half of the third and then broke it open with a five-run fourth that started with three straight doubles by McLean, T.J. Raguse and Shea Langaliers, who went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

"It kind of was like hitting was contagious today," Langaliers said. "Guys started squaring up balls, and I guess the confidence just rolls over to the next guy, and you want to keep it going."

Back-to-back singles by Kameron Esthay and Davis Wendzel brought in another run, then Josh Bissonette ripped a two-run double down the left-field line to give Bradford an eight-run lead.

"It's so comforting when they do that," Bradford said. "As a pitcher, then you just have to worry about throwing strikes. You give up a base hit here and there, or you make a mistake and walk guy, it's OK. You can shake it off, because you still have a cushion to work with. So, so what? Just get right back in there and throw strikes."

The Bears' bats went silent over the last four innings. After scoring nine runs on 10 hits through the first four, they had just one baserunner the rest of the way on Richard Cunningham's two-out walk in the seventh.

"I think we were doing a great job for the first half of the game, and then things got a little lackadaisical," Rodriguez said. "I think we were forcing some at-bats. I told our guys, `We're going to have to find ways to make better adjustments,' because that's one of the things that makes great baseball players. You don't give at-bats away."

Seemingly out of it, South Alabama got a couple runs back with solo homers by Wells Davis and Wolfe in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, then put up a four-spot in the eighth that at least made things interesting.

But, after being greeted by Wolfe's three-run homer, Hill retired the last four batters to close it out.

The Bears close out a four-game home stand, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-6) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, before facing No. 21 Ole Miss, third-ranked LSU and No. 15 Texas A&M at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Classic next weekend in Houston.

The first multi-run frame came in the second. Kameron Esthay led off with a walk, and two outs later, Richard Cunningham walked to set up a two-run double by Tucker Cascadden. Steven McLean then followed with an RBI single for a 3-0 lead.

South Alabama grabbed a run back with a solo homer in the third, but in the bottom half, BU answered with a run to keep a three-run lead. Shea Langeliers led off with a double, Matt Menard reached on an error and Esthay drove in Langeliers on a fielder's choice.

The Bears put the game out of reach in the fourth inning, dropping five runs for a 9-1 lead. McLean led off with a double, T.J. Raguse drove him in with a double and then Langeliers also doubled to score Raguse. Esthay kept the rally going with a one-out single and Davis Wendzel scored Langeliers with a single. After a pitching change, Josh Bissonette scored both runners on a double.

The Jaguars fought back with a run in the sixth and seventh, and scored four in the eighth, but the Baylor bullpen held on to seal the win.

BU starter Cody Bradford (2-0) earned the win, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts in six innings. South Alabama starter Zach McMullen (0-1) took the loss, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks with one strikeout in 2.2 innings.

NOTES
*Baylor is 8-0 to start a season for the first time since 1984 (13-0, best start in school history).

*Baylor has won eight straight games for the first time since winning 24 straight from March 16-April 22, 2012.

*Baylor is 4-1 all-time vs. South Alabama and 4-0 in Waco in the series.

*Baylor is 7-0 at home this season and 407-182 all-time at Baylor Ballpark. BU's last 7-0 start at home was in 2008.

*Freshman starter Cody Bradford posted his second straight winning outing with six or more innings pitched, two or less runs given up and two strikeouts to begin his career.

*Junior JUCO transfer shortstop Tucker Cascadden has an RBI in all eight games as a Bear and has a three-game hitting streak as he had his second multi-RBI game.

*Freshman catcher Shea Langeliers had a season-high two doubles for his team-high-tying fourth multi-hit game.

*Sophomore centerfielder Richard Cunningham has a four-game on-base streak.

*Sophomore left fielder T.J. Raguse has a four-game on-base streak as he notched his second multi-hit game.

*Freshman first baseman Davis Wendzel has a five-game on-base streak and four-game hitting streak.

*Junior third baseman Steven McLean has a four-game hitting streak as he posted his third multi-hit game.

*Sophomore second baseman Josh Bissonette has a three-game hitting streak as he picked up his third multi-hit game.

STAT OF THE GAME
13 -- The amount of hits, runs and RBI Baylor's No. 1-3 hitters had -- Steven McLean (2-for-5, one run, one RBI), T.J. Raguse (2-for-5, one run, one RBI) and Shea Langeliers (2-for-5, two runs, one RBI).

QUOTE OF THE GAME
"Cody [Bradford] is one of those guys that just really competes out there. From my standpoint, he did exactly what he did last week. He throws strikes and competes down in the zone. Some of his pitches got sloppy late in the game but he was able to battle through it. Any time you're able to go six innings and only give up two runs to a team like this, I've got to tip my hat to that young man." -- Head coach Steve Rodriguez

WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. CT at Baylor Ballpark.