PUNCHED BACK
4/18/2026 9:33:00 AM | Baseball
Bears answer every time in 11-4, series-opening win
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas– Baylor didn't throw the first punch in Friday night's nine-inning fight at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark.
But every time the visiting TCU Horned Frogs threw a punch, the Bears answered, coming back from early 1-0 and 3-1 deficits and then blowing it open with a five-run explosion in the eighth inning that lifted BU to a series-opening 11-4 win before a crowd of 3,505 that was their largest in nine years.
"When they got ahead 3-1, it was important that we got back in it quickly," said Baylor coach Mitch Thompson, whose team improved to 22-15 overall and fifth in the Big 12 at 9-7. "It's kind of like how it happened last week at Cincinnati. It was a really close ballgame on Friday night; it's 2-1, and then it's not. Now, it's 5-1, and your whole decision-making process changes."
The Frogs (22-15, 8-8) struck first in the top of the second, when Brady Daltimore led off with a double and scored on an RBI groundout by Nolan Traeger. But in the bottom half of the frame, the Bears loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a hit by pitch and tied it up on catcher JJ Kennett's sacrifice fly to center.
Two innings later, Baylor starter Lucas Davenport (4-1) gave up a leadoff homer by Noah Franco and a triple by Daltimore that put TCU up 3-1. Baylor went quietly in the bottom half of the fourth but responded with a three-run fifth that included RBI singles by Travis Sanders and Tyce Armstrong, who combined for six hits and four RBIs.
That gave the Bears a 4-3 lead they would never relinquish.
"Whenever I get up there, and there's guys (on) in front of me, that makes my job easier," Sanders said. "We need runs to win, so I'm just going up there and not trying to do too much and put together a good at-bat and get us on the board. Shout out to the bottom of the lineup. We were getting on base with bunts, walks, hit by pitches, hits – you couldn't ask for anything else. They're out there competing their butts off."
The Nos. 7-9 batters were a combined 2-for-8, but they got on base six times, scored three runs and drove in three, with every starter scoring at least one run.
"Sometimes, good things happen (when you put the ball in play)," Thompson said. "You're sac bunting and you're willing to give up an out, but it doesn't always end up an out. And because you have speed, you're putting pressure on other people."
While the Bears certainly got the job done at the plate with 12 hits and six walks, the biggest difference in the game was on the mound. Davenport pitched through the seventh, allowing four runs on seven hits and only one walk with five strikeouts.
"When you get seven (innings) on Friday night, buddy, it helps a ton," Thompson said. "That's just not something that we've had. In today's college athletics world, it's hard to go get it. So, it's great to have (Davenport), and he's been so consistent throwing his stuff for strikes. He gave us a great effort, and it was fun to watch him pitch."
And then, out of the bullpen, RJ Ruais struck out the only batter he faced before turning it over to closer Caleb Bunch. Picking up his sixth save of the year, Bunch struck out each of the five batters he faced.
"I was pretty locked in," Bunch said. "It helped that the crowd was pretty into it. When they come out and support like they did tonight, it makes it real easy for us to come out here and play as well as we did. I'd say that had a lot to do with it."
After Baylor stretched its lead to 5-3 in the sixth with another RBI single by Sanders, TCU made one last push and made it a one-run game again on a leadoff homer by Traeger in the top of the seventh.
But the Bears answered again, scoring a run on a bases-loaded walk by 9-hole hitter Bo Carraway in the seventh, and then throwing the knockout haymaker with a five-run eighth that included Pearson Riebock's first home run of the season.
"Our guys played aggressive, and it was a lot of fun watching them play tonight," Thompson said. "I'm going to be honest with you, this was a very different environment in this ballpark than it's been in a long, long time. It was exciting for this old coach to see it again. I can't wait to get the crowd back."
He won't have to wait long. Game 2 of the three-game series is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, with the Bears getting a chance to win a series against TCU for the first time since 2019.
"This is the first time I've ever been here in two years that I felt the crowd, the energy, just everything," said Sanders, who raised his team-high batting average to .347. "I was lowkey speechless at one point, because it blew up, and I was like, 'Man, this is awesome.'''
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas– Baylor didn't throw the first punch in Friday night's nine-inning fight at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark.
But every time the visiting TCU Horned Frogs threw a punch, the Bears answered, coming back from early 1-0 and 3-1 deficits and then blowing it open with a five-run explosion in the eighth inning that lifted BU to a series-opening 11-4 win before a crowd of 3,505 that was their largest in nine years.
"When they got ahead 3-1, it was important that we got back in it quickly," said Baylor coach Mitch Thompson, whose team improved to 22-15 overall and fifth in the Big 12 at 9-7. "It's kind of like how it happened last week at Cincinnati. It was a really close ballgame on Friday night; it's 2-1, and then it's not. Now, it's 5-1, and your whole decision-making process changes."
The Frogs (22-15, 8-8) struck first in the top of the second, when Brady Daltimore led off with a double and scored on an RBI groundout by Nolan Traeger. But in the bottom half of the frame, the Bears loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a hit by pitch and tied it up on catcher JJ Kennett's sacrifice fly to center.
Two innings later, Baylor starter Lucas Davenport (4-1) gave up a leadoff homer by Noah Franco and a triple by Daltimore that put TCU up 3-1. Baylor went quietly in the bottom half of the fourth but responded with a three-run fifth that included RBI singles by Travis Sanders and Tyce Armstrong, who combined for six hits and four RBIs.
That gave the Bears a 4-3 lead they would never relinquish.
"Whenever I get up there, and there's guys (on) in front of me, that makes my job easier," Sanders said. "We need runs to win, so I'm just going up there and not trying to do too much and put together a good at-bat and get us on the board. Shout out to the bottom of the lineup. We were getting on base with bunts, walks, hit by pitches, hits – you couldn't ask for anything else. They're out there competing their butts off."
The Nos. 7-9 batters were a combined 2-for-8, but they got on base six times, scored three runs and drove in three, with every starter scoring at least one run.
"Sometimes, good things happen (when you put the ball in play)," Thompson said. "You're sac bunting and you're willing to give up an out, but it doesn't always end up an out. And because you have speed, you're putting pressure on other people."
While the Bears certainly got the job done at the plate with 12 hits and six walks, the biggest difference in the game was on the mound. Davenport pitched through the seventh, allowing four runs on seven hits and only one walk with five strikeouts.
"When you get seven (innings) on Friday night, buddy, it helps a ton," Thompson said. "That's just not something that we've had. In today's college athletics world, it's hard to go get it. So, it's great to have (Davenport), and he's been so consistent throwing his stuff for strikes. He gave us a great effort, and it was fun to watch him pitch."
And then, out of the bullpen, RJ Ruais struck out the only batter he faced before turning it over to closer Caleb Bunch. Picking up his sixth save of the year, Bunch struck out each of the five batters he faced.
"I was pretty locked in," Bunch said. "It helped that the crowd was pretty into it. When they come out and support like they did tonight, it makes it real easy for us to come out here and play as well as we did. I'd say that had a lot to do with it."
After Baylor stretched its lead to 5-3 in the sixth with another RBI single by Sanders, TCU made one last push and made it a one-run game again on a leadoff homer by Traeger in the top of the seventh.
But the Bears answered again, scoring a run on a bases-loaded walk by 9-hole hitter Bo Carraway in the seventh, and then throwing the knockout haymaker with a five-run eighth that included Pearson Riebock's first home run of the season.
"Our guys played aggressive, and it was a lot of fun watching them play tonight," Thompson said. "I'm going to be honest with you, this was a very different environment in this ballpark than it's been in a long, long time. It was exciting for this old coach to see it again. I can't wait to get the crowd back."
He won't have to wait long. Game 2 of the three-game series is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, with the Bears getting a chance to win a series against TCU for the first time since 2019.
"This is the first time I've ever been here in two years that I felt the crowd, the energy, just everything," said Sanders, who raised his team-high batting average to .347. "I was lowkey speechless at one point, because it blew up, and I was like, 'Man, this is awesome.'''
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