Baylor Baseball Sweeps Saturday Doubleheader, Takes Series Over Rival Texas Tech

WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball (25-21, 11-12) swept its doubleheader and clinched a series win over Texas Tech (22-24, 6-17) on Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark, taking the first game of the series, 8-1, while sweating out a 10-9 victory in the second game.

“We’ve had doubleheaders a lot this year, so we know it’s really important to get the first one first and then carry it over and not lose momentum into the second one,” first baseman Tyce Armstrong (RSr.) said. “We had a close one there at the end, but we stuck it through, and I’m glad we got that done.”

Ace Lucas Davenport (RJr.) dominated in the earlier contest, tossing a complete game with 11 punchouts, while allowing just four hits and one run; he became the first Bear since Kobe Andrade (2022) to go the distance.

Armstrong and shortstop Travis Sanders (RJr.) carried the batting order in the first game, combining to go 4-for-5 at the plate with two extra-base hits. Armstrong clubbed his team-leading 19th home run, while Sanders scored three runs.

Right-handed pitcher Zack Wallace (So.) built on Davenport’s excellent outing with a quality start of his own in the second game of the doubleheader, as he surrendered just two runs across six frames.

The Bears scored in 13 of Saturday’s 16 innings and out-hit the Red Raiders, 24-to-19, across both games of the doubleheader. Armstrong and Sanders didn’t slow down in the second game either, as they both recorded three hits apiece, four of which were for extra bases.

“I talked to the guys about them being able to see that [Tech] can really swing the bats up and down that lineup,” head coach Mitch Thompson said post-game. “They can put some charges in it, and they weren’t doing it against chopped liver, which goes back to, ‘Jeez. How good was Davenport, and how good was Wallace in their starting roles?’”

Thompson continued, “They were both outstanding. Davey had his good stuff going. He wanted to finish it. I struggled with letting him, but at the same time, we haven’t had anyone do it, so I was proud of him.”

Game 1

The Bears got on the board early and often in the first game of the doubleheader, as Sanders led off the bottom of the first with a double into the left-center field gap and later came around to score on an RBI groundout from right fielder Brady Janusek (Fr.).

Texas Tech, which leads the Big 12 in batting average, added its lone run off of Davenport in the second inning, but the Prosper native settled in and hung seven straight zeroes to throw his first career complete game. Davenport punched out 11 Red Raiders and didn’t issue a walk.

Meanwhile, the Bears added runs in five of the next seven frames, spear-headed by the bottom of the order — center fielder Ty Johnson (5Sr.), left fielder Dylan Perez (Fr.) and third baseman Cole Lanclos (Fr.)  — that collected six of Baylor’s 11 base knocks in the contest.

Lanclos tallied his first collegiate hit in the win, which was a timely go-ahead RBI single up the middle in the second inning; he is hitting .167 on the season across four starts.

Final: Baylor 8, Texas Tech 1

W: Lucas Davenport (5-2) L: Kayson Raineri (4-1)

POTG: Lucas Davenport (9 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 32 BF, 29 AB, 109 TP, 75 ST)

Game 2

Coming off back-to-back great outings against TCU and No. 25 Arizona State, Wallace kept up his hot streak on Saturday, as he retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced. Wallace earned the win and added another quality outing to his ledger, allowing two runs and five hits across six innings to go along with three strikeouts.

The Bears tabbed at least a run in each of the first seven frames, highlighted by three extra-base hits from Armstrong: two doubles and a solo shot.

The star slugger has 20 long balls on the year, the second-most in a single season program history behind Charley Carter’s 21 in 1998. Across his last four games, Armstrong is 11-for-14 at the plate with six homers and 11 RBIs.

“It’s really fun, first and foremost,” Armstrong said of his big day. “It’s a big confidence booster whenever you can go to the plate and know that you can compete with anything anyone throws.”

Sanders, as well as catcher JJ Kennett (Jr.), each recorded three hits apiece in the victory, and combined to score four runs. Baylor totaled 13 hits, drew nine free passes and went 8-for-24 (.333) with runners on.

“When you look back at the one-run win, you’ve got to look back in the bottom of the seventh when their guy makes 10 pitches, gets two outs and then the next 28 pitches, we draw three walks,” Thompson said. “Guys fought them off, fought them off, fought them off and walked in a run. In a one-run game, that’s a pretty freaking big deal. The lesson there is it’s never over until it’s over.”

Right-handed pitcher Charlie Atkinson (Jr.) entered in place of Wallace and didn’t have his sharpest stuff, as he allowed a three-spot to the Red Raiders in the eighth. Texas Tech trimmed Baylor’s lead to 10-5 and later 10-6 with another run off lefty RJ Ruais (Jr.).

Closer Caleb Bunch (5Sr.) got the Bears out of the eighth-inning jam, but then ran into trouble in the ninth, as he surrendered three runs and exited the game with runners on the corners and two outs, but side-winder Grayson Murry (Sr.) was able to get the final out and secure the victory.

Final: Baylor 10, Texas Tech 9

W: Zack Wallace (4-4) L: Adam Hayes (2-4) S: Grayson Murry (1)

POTG: Tyce Armstrong (3-for-5, R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, HR)

What’s Next

The Bears (25-21, 11-12) will finish their series against Texas Tech (22-24, 6-17) at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 3, at Baylor Ballpark. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.