Friday, February 23
Waco, Texas
6:30 PM
Baylor
1-4
4
vs
8
Indiana
4-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Indiana
1
0
5
1
0
0
0
0
1
8
13
1
Baylor
0
0
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
4
8
3
BSB Falls 8-4 to No. 22 Indiana in Series Opener
2/23/2024 11:12:00 PM | Baseball
Bullpen gives Bears 6.2 solid frames as Hoosiers slug past BU
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – Losing senior outfielder Hunter "Scoob" Simmons three batters into Friday night's game against 22nd-ranked Indiana definitely put the Baylor Bears "back on our heels."
Crashing into the wall in left-center field off a hit by the Hoosers' Devin Taylor, Simmons suffered a severe leg injury and was carted off the field on a stretcher.
To make matters worse, Baylor (1-4) fell behind 6-0 in the first three innings and came up short in an 8-4 loss to the Hoosiers (4-1) in the first of a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark.
"It's a major injury, and it hurts to see one of your teammates go down like that," said second-year Baylor head coach Mitch Thompson. "And when I get out there and see what's going on, I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh!' So, we're thinking about him, and he'll be all right. He's a tough kid. We'll get through it."
Simmons came into Friday night's game hitting .353 after hitting a grand-slam home run in the first inning of Tuesday's 11-5 home-opening win over Lamar.
"It's definitely hard to see a brother go down like that," said freshman pitcher RJ Ruais. "You kind of have to come around it and approach it as if we're playing really the whole game as if we're playing it for Scoob. We're praying for him and hoping he has a quick recovery."
The Hoosiers got out to a fast start with back-to-back one-out hits in the top of the first by Josh Pyne and Devin Taylor, who had three hits apiece and scored four runs with three doubles and two walks. It was Taylor's hit to the gap that Simmons was trying to haul in before he ran into the wall.
Reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Mason Marriott limited the damage by retiring Brock Tibbitts on a pop-up to shallow right field that was caught by first baseman Will Pendergrass. Pyne tagged up and was able to score on Tibbitts' pop fly, but Marriott struck out dangerous 5-hole hitter Tyler Cerny to end the inning.
Marriott wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, but the Hoosiers' first four batters reached base in the third inning. Tibbitts, Cerny and Jake Stadler strung together three-straight hits that brought home two more runs, and then Morgan Colopy broke it open with a two-run homer that made it 6-0 and ended Marriott's day.
"I think Mason had really good stuff. He was throwing the ball extremely hard," Thompson said. "I think they've got a really good club up and down, and they can hit a fastball pretty good. They squared up some balls. So, I give Indiana more credit than anything about Mason."
Baylor had gotten off to quick starts in its previous three games, only to lose leads against Oregon and Tennessee and let Lamar back in the game. But this time, the Bears had to play from behind right from the start.
Freshman RJ Ruais struck out the first two batters he faced to finish off the third inning, then induced a double-play grounder in the fourth, giving up one run on four hits in three innings of work.
"It's all about throwing strikes," said Ruais, who was making his second appearance of the season. "You just have to take a deep breath and get ready to go. Obviously, it's not ideal. But at the end of the day, you control what you can control, and you can control throwing strikes."
Ruais combined with fellow freshman Stephen Sepulveda and redshirt junior Drew Leach in a combined bullpen effort that allowed just two runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Facing the minimum number of batters, Sepulveda retired the first six batters he faced and then got the benefit of a runner's interference call on Carter Mathisen after a walk.
"RJ came in when the world was on fire, balls are getting hit all over the yard," Thompson said. "And he just came in and brought an energy level to it and attacked and was outstanding. Then, we got Sepulveda in there and he did a nice job. We're going to keep running guys out there. And we're learning, we're getting better, there's no question."
Trailing 6-0, the Bears got a run back in the bottom of the third. Loading the bases on singles by Enzo Apodaca and Hunter Teplanszky and a walk by Harrison Caley, a run came across on a slow-rolling grounder to third by Cole Posey, who replaced Simmons in left.
Baylor inched closer with a three-run fourth inning. Back-to-back doubles by Wesley Jordan and Will Pendergrass plated one run, then Apodaca greeted reliever Julian Tonghini with a first-pitch, two-run double that cut the deficit to 7-4.
The Hoosiers did get a run back in the top of the ninth, when Taylor scored on a wild pitch by Leach after consecutive singles by Taylor and Tibbitts. Leach buckled down to strike out Cal Sefcik and leave a runner stranded at third.
Apodaca, Teplantszky and Pendergrass had two hits apiece to lead Baylor's eight-hit attack, while Pyne, Taylor and Tibbitts went a combined 9-for-12 with four doubles and a pair of walks.
The Bears will try to get back on track with Saturday's 2 p.m. game, followed by the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (1-4) dropped an 8-4 series opener to No. 22 Indiana on Friday night at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.
The Hoosiers got to BU starter Mason Marriott for six early runs, chasing him from the ballgame after just 2.1 innings on the mound. The Baylor bullpen kept the Bears in it, combining for 6.2 innings of solid relief, though the offense couldn't quite muster enough of a comeback.
Redshirt junior outfielder Enzo Apodaca provided a spark at the plate in the form of a two-run double, one of his two hits on the night. Junior infielder Hunter Teplanszky and redshirt junior infielder Will Pendergrass also added two hits apiece.
THE RUNDOWN
Indiana got on the board first with a run in the opening inning, a sacrifice fly, that followed a scary moment as Baylor senior outfielder Hunter Simmons was carted off the field after suffering an injury while crashing into the left-field wall.
The Hoosiers put up a five-spot in the third inning, making it 6-0 and chasing Marriott from the ballgame after cashing in on four hits and a BU error. Freshman left-hander RJ Ruais came on to stop the bleeding and ended the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
In the home half, the Bears loaded the bases and threatened for a crooked number, but only plated one run on senior infielder Cole Posey's RBI groundout.
Indiana extended its lead to 7-1 in the top of the fourth after a run scored on a double play. In the bottom of the inning, back-to-back doubles by junior outfielder Wesley Jordan and Pendergrass plated BU's second run. Apodaca later doubled home a pair to make it 7-4 as Baylor rallied back into the contest.
From there, both teams were kept quiet as Ruais passed the ball off to freshman righty Stephen Sepulveda, who went 2.2 scoreless innings in his team-leading third appearance of the season.
Indiana tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth, and kept BU from reaching as far as second base over the last five innings.
Hoosiers reliever Julian Tonghini earned his first win of the year, while Grant Holderfield collected the save.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Tonight's game marked the first-ever meeting between Baylor and Indiana.
• Baylor is now 17-13-1 all-time against Big Ten foes, excluding former Big 12 rival Nebraska.
• The Bears fall to 129-130-1 all-time against ranked opponents at home.
• Redshirt junior OF Enzo Apodaca tallied his team-leading third multi-hit and second multi-RBI game of the season, including his first double of the year that drove in two runs.
• Junior INF Hunter Teplanszky posted his second multi-hit game of the season.
• Redshirt junior INF Will Pendergrass notched his first multi-hit effort of the year.
• Senior INF Cole Posey recorded his 100th-career hit with a single in the second inning.
• Freshman LHP RJ Ruais logged three complete innings on the mound and struck out three.
• Freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda did not allow a hit in 2.2 innings, his second-consecutive hitless appearance.
• Sepulveda now leads the Bears with three appearances on the mound in 2024.
STAT OF THE DAY
6.2 – Baylor's bullpen of freshman LHP RJ Ruais, freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda and redshirt junior RHP Drew Leach combined for 6.2 innings of two-run relief.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On positives from tonight's game…
"I thought there was some bright moments for sure. You know, when you look at the whole scope of the game, we want to come out and win it. When RJ [Ruais] came in, when the world is on fire and balls are getting hit all over the yard, he just came in and brought an energy level and attacked and did outstanding. Then we got [Stephen] Sepulveda in there and he did a nice job. We're going to keep running guys out there, and we're learning and getting better, there's no question. I think our offense showed signs of life and had opportunities, but they pitched us good. [Indiana's] got a good club. And that's where we want to get to. We're seeing where it needs to go."
Freshman LHP/OF RJ Ruais
On coming out of the bullpen in a tough situation…
"Honestly, not really [nervous]. I mean, both of my outings you know, it's just playing baseball. So just going out there, throwing strikes and competing. You know, the other team is the other team, it's just me and the catcher really."
On trying to respond after Hunter Simmons goes down…
"It's definitely hard to see one of your brothers go down like that. We're praying for him and hoping he's got a quick recovery. It's definitely hard to see that, but you kind of have to come around it as a team and approach the next few innings, really the rest of the game, as we're playing for Scoob. This one's for him."
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (1-4) and No. 22 Indiana (4-1) return for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday at Baylor Ballpark.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – Losing senior outfielder Hunter "Scoob" Simmons three batters into Friday night's game against 22nd-ranked Indiana definitely put the Baylor Bears "back on our heels."
Crashing into the wall in left-center field off a hit by the Hoosers' Devin Taylor, Simmons suffered a severe leg injury and was carted off the field on a stretcher.
To make matters worse, Baylor (1-4) fell behind 6-0 in the first three innings and came up short in an 8-4 loss to the Hoosiers (4-1) in the first of a three-game series at Baylor Ballpark.
"It's a major injury, and it hurts to see one of your teammates go down like that," said second-year Baylor head coach Mitch Thompson. "And when I get out there and see what's going on, I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh!' So, we're thinking about him, and he'll be all right. He's a tough kid. We'll get through it."
Simmons came into Friday night's game hitting .353 after hitting a grand-slam home run in the first inning of Tuesday's 11-5 home-opening win over Lamar.
"It's definitely hard to see a brother go down like that," said freshman pitcher RJ Ruais. "You kind of have to come around it and approach it as if we're playing really the whole game as if we're playing it for Scoob. We're praying for him and hoping he has a quick recovery."
The Hoosiers got out to a fast start with back-to-back one-out hits in the top of the first by Josh Pyne and Devin Taylor, who had three hits apiece and scored four runs with three doubles and two walks. It was Taylor's hit to the gap that Simmons was trying to haul in before he ran into the wall.
Reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week Mason Marriott limited the damage by retiring Brock Tibbitts on a pop-up to shallow right field that was caught by first baseman Will Pendergrass. Pyne tagged up and was able to score on Tibbitts' pop fly, but Marriott struck out dangerous 5-hole hitter Tyler Cerny to end the inning.
Marriott wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, but the Hoosiers' first four batters reached base in the third inning. Tibbitts, Cerny and Jake Stadler strung together three-straight hits that brought home two more runs, and then Morgan Colopy broke it open with a two-run homer that made it 6-0 and ended Marriott's day.
"I think Mason had really good stuff. He was throwing the ball extremely hard," Thompson said. "I think they've got a really good club up and down, and they can hit a fastball pretty good. They squared up some balls. So, I give Indiana more credit than anything about Mason."
Baylor had gotten off to quick starts in its previous three games, only to lose leads against Oregon and Tennessee and let Lamar back in the game. But this time, the Bears had to play from behind right from the start.
Freshman RJ Ruais struck out the first two batters he faced to finish off the third inning, then induced a double-play grounder in the fourth, giving up one run on four hits in three innings of work.
"It's all about throwing strikes," said Ruais, who was making his second appearance of the season. "You just have to take a deep breath and get ready to go. Obviously, it's not ideal. But at the end of the day, you control what you can control, and you can control throwing strikes."
Ruais combined with fellow freshman Stephen Sepulveda and redshirt junior Drew Leach in a combined bullpen effort that allowed just two runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Facing the minimum number of batters, Sepulveda retired the first six batters he faced and then got the benefit of a runner's interference call on Carter Mathisen after a walk.
"RJ came in when the world was on fire, balls are getting hit all over the yard," Thompson said. "And he just came in and brought an energy level to it and attacked and was outstanding. Then, we got Sepulveda in there and he did a nice job. We're going to keep running guys out there. And we're learning, we're getting better, there's no question."
Trailing 6-0, the Bears got a run back in the bottom of the third. Loading the bases on singles by Enzo Apodaca and Hunter Teplanszky and a walk by Harrison Caley, a run came across on a slow-rolling grounder to third by Cole Posey, who replaced Simmons in left.
Baylor inched closer with a three-run fourth inning. Back-to-back doubles by Wesley Jordan and Will Pendergrass plated one run, then Apodaca greeted reliever Julian Tonghini with a first-pitch, two-run double that cut the deficit to 7-4.
The Hoosiers did get a run back in the top of the ninth, when Taylor scored on a wild pitch by Leach after consecutive singles by Taylor and Tibbitts. Leach buckled down to strike out Cal Sefcik and leave a runner stranded at third.
Apodaca, Teplantszky and Pendergrass had two hits apiece to lead Baylor's eight-hit attack, while Pyne, Taylor and Tibbitts went a combined 9-for-12 with four doubles and a pair of walks.
The Bears will try to get back on track with Saturday's 2 p.m. game, followed by the series finale at 1 p.m. Sunday.
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (1-4) dropped an 8-4 series opener to No. 22 Indiana on Friday night at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.
The Hoosiers got to BU starter Mason Marriott for six early runs, chasing him from the ballgame after just 2.1 innings on the mound. The Baylor bullpen kept the Bears in it, combining for 6.2 innings of solid relief, though the offense couldn't quite muster enough of a comeback.
Redshirt junior outfielder Enzo Apodaca provided a spark at the plate in the form of a two-run double, one of his two hits on the night. Junior infielder Hunter Teplanszky and redshirt junior infielder Will Pendergrass also added two hits apiece.
THE RUNDOWN
Indiana got on the board first with a run in the opening inning, a sacrifice fly, that followed a scary moment as Baylor senior outfielder Hunter Simmons was carted off the field after suffering an injury while crashing into the left-field wall.
The Hoosiers put up a five-spot in the third inning, making it 6-0 and chasing Marriott from the ballgame after cashing in on four hits and a BU error. Freshman left-hander RJ Ruais came on to stop the bleeding and ended the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
In the home half, the Bears loaded the bases and threatened for a crooked number, but only plated one run on senior infielder Cole Posey's RBI groundout.
Indiana extended its lead to 7-1 in the top of the fourth after a run scored on a double play. In the bottom of the inning, back-to-back doubles by junior outfielder Wesley Jordan and Pendergrass plated BU's second run. Apodaca later doubled home a pair to make it 7-4 as Baylor rallied back into the contest.
From there, both teams were kept quiet as Ruais passed the ball off to freshman righty Stephen Sepulveda, who went 2.2 scoreless innings in his team-leading third appearance of the season.
Indiana tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth, and kept BU from reaching as far as second base over the last five innings.
Hoosiers reliever Julian Tonghini earned his first win of the year, while Grant Holderfield collected the save.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Tonight's game marked the first-ever meeting between Baylor and Indiana.
• Baylor is now 17-13-1 all-time against Big Ten foes, excluding former Big 12 rival Nebraska.
• The Bears fall to 129-130-1 all-time against ranked opponents at home.
• Redshirt junior OF Enzo Apodaca tallied his team-leading third multi-hit and second multi-RBI game of the season, including his first double of the year that drove in two runs.
• Junior INF Hunter Teplanszky posted his second multi-hit game of the season.
• Redshirt junior INF Will Pendergrass notched his first multi-hit effort of the year.
• Senior INF Cole Posey recorded his 100th-career hit with a single in the second inning.
• Freshman LHP RJ Ruais logged three complete innings on the mound and struck out three.
• Freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda did not allow a hit in 2.2 innings, his second-consecutive hitless appearance.
• Sepulveda now leads the Bears with three appearances on the mound in 2024.
STAT OF THE DAY
6.2 – Baylor's bullpen of freshman LHP RJ Ruais, freshman RHP Stephen Sepulveda and redshirt junior RHP Drew Leach combined for 6.2 innings of two-run relief.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On positives from tonight's game…
"I thought there was some bright moments for sure. You know, when you look at the whole scope of the game, we want to come out and win it. When RJ [Ruais] came in, when the world is on fire and balls are getting hit all over the yard, he just came in and brought an energy level and attacked and did outstanding. Then we got [Stephen] Sepulveda in there and he did a nice job. We're going to keep running guys out there, and we're learning and getting better, there's no question. I think our offense showed signs of life and had opportunities, but they pitched us good. [Indiana's] got a good club. And that's where we want to get to. We're seeing where it needs to go."
Freshman LHP/OF RJ Ruais
On coming out of the bullpen in a tough situation…
"Honestly, not really [nervous]. I mean, both of my outings you know, it's just playing baseball. So just going out there, throwing strikes and competing. You know, the other team is the other team, it's just me and the catcher really."
On trying to respond after Hunter Simmons goes down…
"It's definitely hard to see one of your brothers go down like that. We're praying for him and hoping he's got a quick recovery. It's definitely hard to see that, but you kind of have to come around it as a team and approach the next few innings, really the rest of the game, as we're playing for Scoob. This one's for him."
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (1-4) and No. 22 Indiana (4-1) return for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday at Baylor Ballpark.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tonghini, Julian (1-0)
L: Marriott, Mason (0-1)
S: Holderfield, Grant (1)
Batting:
2B: Pyne, Josh 2 ; Taylor, Devin 1 ; Tibbitts, Brock 1 ; Stadler, Jake 1
HR: Colopy, Morgan 1
RBI: Tibbitts, Brock 2 ; Cerny, Tyler 1 ; Sefcik, Cal 1 ; Colopy, Morgan 2
SF: Tibbitts, Brock 1 ; Sefcik, Cal 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pyne, Josh 2 ; Taylor, Devin 2 ; Tibbitts, Brock 1 ; Cerny, Tyler 1 ; Stadler, Jake 1 ; Colopy, Morgan 1
Batting:
2B: Apodaca, Enzo 1 ; Jordan, Wesley 1 ; Pendergrass, Will 1
RBI: Apodaca, Enzo 2 ; Posey, Cole 1 ; Pendergrass, Will 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jordan, Wesley 1 ; Pendergrass, Will 1 ; Caley, Harrison 2
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
3b/ss
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
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