WACO, Texas — Baylor scored eight runs in the first three innings to chase West Virginia left-hander Ross Vance and clinch the weekend series with a 10-4 win Saturday.
West Virginia (9-10, 1-4 Big 12), which was outhit 14-7 and committed three errors, missed its chance at a huge first inning when Baylor starter Stone Austin hit a batter and issued four walks. Austin was lifted after two outs and 33 pitches, but Kody Hessemer (1-0) stranded the bases loaded to keep the Mountaineers’ lead at 2-0.
Baylor (9-13, 2-3) answered with a five-run bottom of the first, its biggest inning of the season, highlighted by Mitch Price’s two-run double.
WVU scored twice in the third to make it 5-4 when Justin Fox hit an RBI double and scored on scored on Shaun Wood’s single. But Baylor answered again on Joe Sabatini’s two-run triple and Kameron Esthay’s RBI single in the bottom half.
That spelled the end for Vance (2-2), who allowed eight runs, six earned, on eight hits with one walk and departed after throwing 52 pitches.
Freshman right-hander BJ Myers was a bright spot for West Virginia in four innings of one-run relief.
Price was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs to lead Baylor.
Hessemer pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
West Virginia looks to avoid the sweep on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Mountaineers will send sophomore right-hander Chad Donato (2-3) up against Baylor’s Drew Tolson (0-4). The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports Southwest.