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Baylor Leans On Its Strong Bullpen, Sanders’ Two‑Run Single To Defeat UT Arlington

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Baseball

(BCSNN) — Baylor continued its recent surge Tuesday night, using a dominant bullpen effort and timely hitting to secure a 5–2 win over UT Arlington at Clay Gould Ballpark. The victory marked the Bears’ seventh in their last nine games and improved them to 19–13 on the season.

Six Baylor relievers combined for eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks after the first inning. The Mavericks (13–18) managed only one baserunner in the final three frames and had just one player reach second base after the fourth.

Redshirt junior Travis Sanders delivered the decisive swing, a two‑run single in the fifth inning that broke a 2–2 tie and put Baylor ahead for good. The Bears also stole five bases and capitalized on several UTA miscues to control the game from the middle innings on.

UTA opened the scoring with a two‑run homer in the bottom of the first, but Baylor responded immediately.
In the second inning, redshirt sophomore catcher Brayden Buchanan drove in his second run of the season with a sharp RBI single. One inning later, fifth‑year senior Ty Johnson tied the game with an infield RBI knock.

Baylor’s pressure on the bases was constant.

  • Freshman Brady Janusek stole his team‑leading 12th base in the first.
  • Sophomore Pearson Riebock stayed perfect with his ninth steal in the second.
  • Freshman Bo Caraway added his third in the third inning.
  • Redshirt freshman Hunter Snow walked and stole second in the fourth.

The Bears broke the game open in the fifth, sending their first six hitters to the plate and all reaching safely. Sanders’ two‑run single gave BU a 4–2 lead, and Janusek later walked with the bases loaded to extend the margin to 5–2.

From there, Baylor’s bullpen took over. Four pitchers combined to retire 14 straight Mavericks, erasing the only walk allowed during that stretch on an attempted advance. A two‑out single in the sixth ended the streak, but UTA never mounted another threat.

Sophomore Cade Dodson added Baylor’s fifth stolen base in the eighth inning, though the Bears were unable to add insurance. It proved unnecessary, as relievers RJ Ruais and Caleb Bunch closed the door with a low‑stress ninth.