Friday, March 6
Waco, Texas
6:30 PM
Baylor
7-6
7
vs
0
Air Force
3-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Air Force
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
1
Baylor
0
0
0
4
0
2
0
1
X
7
11
0
BSB Shuts Out Air Force, 7-0
3/6/2026 10:42:00 PM | Baseball
Davenport returns to lead group of BU pitchers in holding Falcons scoreless
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball collected its first shutout win of 2026 on Friday night, defeating Air Force, 7-0, at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark in Waco.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Lucas Davenport returned to the mound for his second start of the year and sparked a five-man pitching staff that held the Falcons scoreless. Along with redshirt freshman right-hander Brayden Bergman, redshirt freshman righty Cayden Baker, junior lefty RJ Ruais and freshman right-hander Caldwell McFaddin, the Bears combined to strikeout a season-high 14 Falcons on the night.
Redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders and freshman outfielder Brady Janusek led the way offensively, each tallying three hits on the evening. Fifth-year senior outfielder Ty Johnson added two knocks, an RBI and scored two runs himself.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak as BU began an eight-game homestand that will stretch through March 17.
THE RUNDOWN
Davenport was sharp from the jump, throwing the first two innings and allowing just one hit against the seven batters he faced. After he fanned three, Davenport turned the ball over to Bergman who worked the next 1.2 innings and punched out four batters.
Baker came on to record the final out of the fourth, then that's when the Bears opened the scoring on the backs of four extra-base hits in the frame. Sanders doubled and scored on Johnson's RBI triple, then Janusek doubled in a run and later scored on another RBI triple, this time by redshirt freshman outfielder Hunter Snow. Snow scored on a wild pitch to put the cherry on top of the inning, as BU took a 4-0 lead into the fifth.
After a 1-2-3 inning, Baker made way for Ruais, who struck out the side in his first action of the night. Baylor then added to its lead as Johnson scored on a passed ball and redshirt freshman infielder Brytton Clements singled in one more to make it 6-0 through six frames.
Ruais kept it rolling and retired the side in order yet again in the seventh, then McFaddin took over and worked around a one-out hit-by-pitch to complete a clean eighth. In the home half, the Bears tacked on one more as sophomore infielder Cade Dodson singled in a run, pushing the advantage to 7-0.
Despite a leadoff double in the top of the ninth, Air Force couldn't push a run across against McFaddin as the rookie stranded the lone Falcon to reach third base and capped off the shutout victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor improved to 3-0 all-time against Air Force.
• Tonight's win marked the first weekend series win over a service academy in program history.
• BU recorded two triples in the same inning for the first time since April 14, 2012, at UT Arlington.
• This is Baylor's first shutout win since April 19, 2025, vs. Utah.
• The Bears struck out a season-high 14 batters, just two shy of the program record for a nine-inning game.
• Tonight's effort marked the fifth double-digit strikeout performance on the mound by the Bears this year.
• The Bears' 11 hits marked the sixth time the team has eclipsed double figures in hits.
• This is the third time this season that BU pitchers allowed just one walk or less.
• Baylor's 23 stolen bases are its most through 13 games since 2011 (24).
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders extended his on-base streak to 18 games, dating back to last season, and extended his hitting streak to six games.
• Sanders collected his team-leading eighth multi-hit game of the year and second three-hit effort of the year.
• Fifth-year senior OF Ty Johnson logged his first multi-hit game of the season.
• Freshman OF Brady Janusek has reached base safely in all 13 games so far this season.
• Janusek collected his fourth multi-hit game of the year and second three-hit performance to match his personal best.
• Redshirt junior RHP Lucas Davenport made his second start of the season and threw two scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
• Redshirt freshman RHP Brayden Bergman tallied a career-high four strikeouts and has yet to allow a run in 4.1 innings of work.
• Redshirt freshman RHP Cayden Baker made his third scoreless appearance of the year.
• Junior LHP RJ Ruais matched his career high with four strikeouts and worked his fourth-straight scoreless outing.
• Freshman RHP Caldwell McFaddin pitched two scoreless innings in his Baylor Ballpark debut.
STAT OF THE DAY
14 – Baylor's 14 strikeouts on the mound were a season high and two shy of the program record for a nine-inning game.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On tonight's win…
"[Air Force] is a team of discipline. They are hard-nosed playing guys. They're gonna get after it every day. I have the utmost respect for their staff and their coaches and their players. But, I thought our pitchers were outstanding. It was great to get [Lucas] Davenport back out there to start, but then we followed him up with several other guys, and you might not typically think that's how you want to do it on Friday nights. But for us right now, it's important to keep getting them out there and go."
Redshirt Junior INF Travis Sanders
On his hot start to the year…
"Just trying to get a good pitch to hit. When I get it, just put a good swing on it and run fast. Just being simple, being calm in the box, letting my hands work and just trying to put a good swing on each ball. I just try to be an example to the younger guys and hope they pick up on it. They ask me questions here and there, so I try to give them the best advice and put them in the best position to succeed. I'm proud of all of them, and we're just going to keep getting better. We're a team that's going to fight. We're young, not a lot of experience, but we're growing as a team. Most importantly, coming back out here tonight and getting back in the win column was special."
Junior LHP RJ Ruais
On working quickly on the mound…
"Yeah, I like doing it … I still think I did it a lot in high school and just kind of brough it back this year with the mentality of 'I'm just going to force these guys to get in the box and make it happen.' I saw Charlie Atkinson do it in the fall and was like, man, he's really shoving when he's doing this, I might just jump on board and go ahead and do the same thing. I think it speeds the game up, helps me to get the offense back in there and get them going again."
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (7-6) and Air Force (3-9) return for game two of the weekend series on Saturday, March 7, at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark in Waco. First pitch is currently scheduled for 2 p.m., though fans can stay tuned to BaylorBears.com and @BaylorBaseball on social media for potential weather updates.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Lucas Davenport returned to the mound for his second start of the year and sparked a five-man pitching staff that held the Falcons scoreless. Along with redshirt freshman right-hander Brayden Bergman, redshirt freshman righty Cayden Baker, junior lefty RJ Ruais and freshman right-hander Caldwell McFaddin, the Bears combined to strikeout a season-high 14 Falcons on the night.
Redshirt junior infielder Travis Sanders and freshman outfielder Brady Janusek led the way offensively, each tallying three hits on the evening. Fifth-year senior outfielder Ty Johnson added two knocks, an RBI and scored two runs himself.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak as BU began an eight-game homestand that will stretch through March 17.
THE RUNDOWN
Davenport was sharp from the jump, throwing the first two innings and allowing just one hit against the seven batters he faced. After he fanned three, Davenport turned the ball over to Bergman who worked the next 1.2 innings and punched out four batters.
Baker came on to record the final out of the fourth, then that's when the Bears opened the scoring on the backs of four extra-base hits in the frame. Sanders doubled and scored on Johnson's RBI triple, then Janusek doubled in a run and later scored on another RBI triple, this time by redshirt freshman outfielder Hunter Snow. Snow scored on a wild pitch to put the cherry on top of the inning, as BU took a 4-0 lead into the fifth.
After a 1-2-3 inning, Baker made way for Ruais, who struck out the side in his first action of the night. Baylor then added to its lead as Johnson scored on a passed ball and redshirt freshman infielder Brytton Clements singled in one more to make it 6-0 through six frames.
Ruais kept it rolling and retired the side in order yet again in the seventh, then McFaddin took over and worked around a one-out hit-by-pitch to complete a clean eighth. In the home half, the Bears tacked on one more as sophomore infielder Cade Dodson singled in a run, pushing the advantage to 7-0.
Despite a leadoff double in the top of the ninth, Air Force couldn't push a run across against McFaddin as the rookie stranded the lone Falcon to reach third base and capped off the shutout victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor improved to 3-0 all-time against Air Force.
• Tonight's win marked the first weekend series win over a service academy in program history.
• BU recorded two triples in the same inning for the first time since April 14, 2012, at UT Arlington.
• This is Baylor's first shutout win since April 19, 2025, vs. Utah.
• The Bears struck out a season-high 14 batters, just two shy of the program record for a nine-inning game.
• Tonight's effort marked the fifth double-digit strikeout performance on the mound by the Bears this year.
• The Bears' 11 hits marked the sixth time the team has eclipsed double figures in hits.
• This is the third time this season that BU pitchers allowed just one walk or less.
• Baylor's 23 stolen bases are its most through 13 games since 2011 (24).
• Redshirt junior INF Travis Sanders extended his on-base streak to 18 games, dating back to last season, and extended his hitting streak to six games.
• Sanders collected his team-leading eighth multi-hit game of the year and second three-hit effort of the year.
• Fifth-year senior OF Ty Johnson logged his first multi-hit game of the season.
• Freshman OF Brady Janusek has reached base safely in all 13 games so far this season.
• Janusek collected his fourth multi-hit game of the year and second three-hit performance to match his personal best.
• Redshirt junior RHP Lucas Davenport made his second start of the season and threw two scoreless frames with three strikeouts.
• Redshirt freshman RHP Brayden Bergman tallied a career-high four strikeouts and has yet to allow a run in 4.1 innings of work.
• Redshirt freshman RHP Cayden Baker made his third scoreless appearance of the year.
• Junior LHP RJ Ruais matched his career high with four strikeouts and worked his fourth-straight scoreless outing.
• Freshman RHP Caldwell McFaddin pitched two scoreless innings in his Baylor Ballpark debut.
STAT OF THE DAY
14 – Baylor's 14 strikeouts on the mound were a season high and two shy of the program record for a nine-inning game.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Mitch Thompson
On tonight's win…
"[Air Force] is a team of discipline. They are hard-nosed playing guys. They're gonna get after it every day. I have the utmost respect for their staff and their coaches and their players. But, I thought our pitchers were outstanding. It was great to get [Lucas] Davenport back out there to start, but then we followed him up with several other guys, and you might not typically think that's how you want to do it on Friday nights. But for us right now, it's important to keep getting them out there and go."
Redshirt Junior INF Travis Sanders
On his hot start to the year…
"Just trying to get a good pitch to hit. When I get it, just put a good swing on it and run fast. Just being simple, being calm in the box, letting my hands work and just trying to put a good swing on each ball. I just try to be an example to the younger guys and hope they pick up on it. They ask me questions here and there, so I try to give them the best advice and put them in the best position to succeed. I'm proud of all of them, and we're just going to keep getting better. We're a team that's going to fight. We're young, not a lot of experience, but we're growing as a team. Most importantly, coming back out here tonight and getting back in the win column was special."
Junior LHP RJ Ruais
On working quickly on the mound…
"Yeah, I like doing it … I still think I did it a lot in high school and just kind of brough it back this year with the mentality of 'I'm just going to force these guys to get in the box and make it happen.' I saw Charlie Atkinson do it in the fall and was like, man, he's really shoving when he's doing this, I might just jump on board and go ahead and do the same thing. I think it speeds the game up, helps me to get the offense back in there and get them going again."
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor (7-6) and Air Force (3-9) return for game two of the weekend series on Saturday, March 7, at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark in Waco. First pitch is currently scheduled for 2 p.m., though fans can stay tuned to BaylorBears.com and @BaylorBaseball on social media for potential weather updates.
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: Ruais, RJ (1-1)
L: ESTRIDGE, GAINES (1-3)
Batting:
2B: ZAPP, WALKER 1
Base Running:
SB: CAMPBELL, BLAKE 1
CS: BOYD, LANDON 1
HBP: BRADSHAW, KAYDEN 1
Batting:
2B: Sanders, Travis 2 ; Janusek, Brady 1
3B: Snow, Hunter 1 ; Johnson, Ty 1
RBI: Clements, Brytton 1 ; Dodson, Cade 1 ; Janusek, Brady 1 ; Snow, Hunter 1 ; Johnson, Ty 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sanders, Travis 1 ; Janusek, Brady 2 ; Armstrong, Tyce 1 ; Snow, Hunter 1 ; Johnson, Ty 2
SB: Johnson, Ty 1
CS: Sanders, Travis 1 ; Janusek, Brady 1
HBP: Dodson, Cade 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballBaylor Baseball: Highlights vs. Air Force | Game 1 | March 6, 2026
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