WACO -- No. 6 Baylor took advantage of a passed ball which scored Landis Ware for the winning run with two out Monday night for a 7-6 victory.

That miscue improved Baylor’s record to 3-1, while the Cougars fall to 1-4 as BYU readies to open its home season on Thursday at 3 p.m., against the University of Portland.

Back-to-back home runs by Shaver Hansen and Raynor Campbell in the third inning gave Baylor two of its three runs that frame to take a 3-1 lead.

Steve Parker drew a lead-off walk, advanced to third via a groundout and scored on a a single by Jonathan Cluff to rightfield when BYU look a 1-0 lead.

Alex Wolfe led off with a double to left-centerfield and scored when Brandon Relf hit into a fielder’s choice with a throwing error. That play closed the gap, 3-2, in favor of the Bears.

The three-run sixth inning saw BYU reclaim the lead, 5-3. Sean McNaughton led off with a single to center, a smash that ricocheted off Baylor’s pitcher. Three bases on balls interrupted by a Parker strikeout set up Andrew Law to score when Cluff was hit by a pitch. Aaron Miller was replaced by Ross Speed on the mound, surrendering a two-out walk which scored Wolfe.

That lead was short-lived as Baylor responded with three runs for a 6-5 advantage in the bottom of the sixth, chasing freshman Nathan Bunch from the mound.

The Cougars tied the score, 6-6, in the eighth when Cluff drew a one-out walk, advanced to third on a shortstop error and scored on Michael Bowen’s groundout.

Bear Hansen was on third following a lead-off double and Cougar senior lefty Jake Wortham came in to relieve Marc Oslund with one out. Wortham struck out one Bear, then was quick enough to hit catcher Bryce Ayoso to tag out Hansen on a double steal attempt.

BYU at #6 BAYLOR
Feb 23, 2009 at Waco, Texas (Baylor Ballpark)
BYU 6 (1-4)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
McNAUGHTON, Sean lf......  4  1  1  0   1  0  1  0   0
LAW, Andrew 2b...........  4  1  0  0   1  1  2  2   0
WOLFE, Alex 1b...........  4  2  1  0   1  0  8  0   0
PARKER, Steve 3b.........  4  1  1  0   1  2  0  2   2
RELF, Brandon ss.........  3  0  0  0   1  0  1  2   0
CLUFF, Jonathan cf.......  2  1  1  2   1  1  3  1   0
KO, Kasey dh.............  4  0  0  0   0  2  0  0   0
BOWEN, Michael rf........  3  0  0  2   1  1  2  0   1
MUSSO, J.T. c............  3  0  0  0   0  0  7  1   3
 BILLS, Thomas ph........  1  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   1
 AYOSO, Bryce c..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  2  0   0
BUNCH, Nathan p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 HARDESTY, Shawn p.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 MICHON, Brandon p.......  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 OSLUND, Marc p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 WORTHAM, Jake p.........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 MILLER, Adam p..........  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
Totals................... 32  6  4  4   7  7 26 11   7
BAYLOR 7 (3-1)
Player                    AB  R  H RBI BB SO PO  A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Hansen 3b................  4  2  2  1   1  2  1  2   0
Campbell ss..............  4  1  1  2   0  0  1  4   0
Dickerson 1b.............  5  1  3  2   0  1 15  0   0
Miller p/dh..............  3  0  0  0   1  2  0  3   0
Hornung lf...............  4  0  0  0   1  1  2  0   2
Lambert rf...............  2  0  0  0   1  1  2  0   0
 Ware ph.................  1  1  1  0   0  0  0  0   0
Hainsfurther 2b..........  4  0  3  1   0  0  0  5   0
Kimmey c.................  4  1  1  0   0  0  6  1   2
Pinckard cf..............  2  1  0  0   1  0  0  0   1
 Evatt ph................  1  0  0  0   0  1  0  0   3
 Slater cf...............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Booker ph...............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Speed p.................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0   0
 Kempf p.................  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
 Verrett p...............  0  0  0  0   0  0  0  1   0
Totals................... 34  7 11  6   5  8 27 17  11
Score by Innings                    R  H  E
-------------------------------------------
BYU................. 010 103 010 -  6  4  0
BAYLOR.............. 003 003 001 -  7 11  3
-------------------------------------------
Note: 2 outs, 1 runner LOB when the game ended.
E - Campbell(6); Dickerson(1); Hainsfurther(1). LOB - COUGARS 7; BEARS 11.
2B - WOLFE(2); Hansen(2). HR - Hansen(1); Campbell(1). HBP - CLUFF;
Campbell; Miller; Lambert; Kimmey. SF - Hainsfurther(1). CS - RELF(1);
Hansen(1).
BYU                    IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
BUNCH, Nathan.......  5.2  6  6  6  5  4 22 28
HARDESTY, Shawn.....  0.0  0  0  0  0  0  0  1
MICHON, Brandon.....  1.0  2  0  0  0  2  4  6
OSLUND, Marc........  0.2  1  0  0  0  1  3  3
WORTHAM, Jake.......  1.0  2  1  0  0  1  4  5
MILLER, Adam........  0.1  0  0  0  0  0  1  1
BAYLOR                 IP  H  R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Miller..............  5.1  4  5  4  4  5 19 24
Speed...............  0.2  0  0  0  2  1  2  4
Kempf...............  1.1  0  1  0  1  0  5  6
Verrett.............  1.2  0  0  0  0  1  6  6
Win - Verrett (2-0).  Loss - WORTHAM (0-1).  Save - None.
WP - BUNCH(3); Miller(1). HBP - by Miller (CLUFF); by HARDESTY (Campbell); by
MICHON (Lambert); by MICHON (Kimmey); by WORTHAM (Miller). PB - AYOSO(1).
Umpires - HP: John Ausmus  1B: David Wellman  3B: Doug Williams
Start: 6:35p   Time: 3:15   Attendance: 2333
Weather: PC, 65 deg, wind 17 S
Game notes:
ID-739936
HARDESTY faced 1 batter in the 6th.
Speed faced 1 batter in the 7th.
Play-by-Play
BYU 1st - McNAUGHTON flied out to lf down the lf line. LAW, An. struck
out swinging, out at first c to 1b. WOLFE flied out to rf to right center. 0
runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BAYLOR 1st - Hansen struck out swinging. Campbell grounded out to 3b,
bunt. Dickerson singled to left center. Miller walked; Dickerson advanced to
second. Hornung reached on a fielder's choice; Miller out at second ss to 2b.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.
BYU 2nd - PARKER walked. RELF grounded out to 2b; PARKER advanced to
second. CLUFF singled to right field, RBI, advanced to second on the throw;
PARKER scored. KO grounded out to ss up the middle; CLUFF advanced to third.
BOWEN struck out swinging. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BAYLOR 2nd - Lambert struck out swinging. Hainsfurther singled through
the left side. Kimmey flied out to cf to right center. Pinckard grounded out to
2b up the middle. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 3rd - MUSSO grounded out to p. McNAUGHTON popped up to 3b. LAW, An.
grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BAYLOR 3rd - Hansen homered to left center, RBI. Campbell homered to
left field, RBI. Dickerson singled down the lf line. Dickerson advanced to
second on a wild pitch. Miller struck out swinging. Hornung walked. Lambert
walked; Hornung advanced to second; Dickerson advanced to third. Hainsfurther
flied out to cf to left center, SF, RBI; Lambert advanced to second; Hornung
advanced to third; Dickerson scored. Kimmey flied out to rf. 3 runs, 3 hits,
0 errors, 2 LOB.
BYU 4th - WOLFE doubled to left center. PARKER singled to shortstop.
RELF reached on a muffed throw by 1b, assist by ss; PARKER out at second 2b to
ss; WOLFE advanced to third, scored on the error, unearned. RELF out at first p
to ss to 1b, caught stealing. CLUFF struck out looking. 1 run, 2 hits, 1
error, 0 LOB.
BAYLOR 4th - Pinckard popped up to ss. Hansen struck out swinging.
Campbell grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BYU 5th - KO struck out swinging. BOWEN grounded out to 1b unassisted.
MUSSO grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
BAYLOR 5th - Dickerson flied out to lf to left center. Miller grounded
out to c. Hornung flied out to cf to center field. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors,
0 LOB.
BYU 6th - McNAUGHTON singled up the middle. LAW, An. walked; McNAUGHTON
advanced to second. WOLFE walked; LAW, An. advanced to second; McNAUGHTON
advanced to third. PARKER struck out swinging. WOLFE advanced to second on a
wild pitch; LAW, An. advanced to third on a wild pitch; McNAUGHTON scored on a
wild pitch. RELF walked. CLUFF hit by pitch, RBI; RELF advanced to second;
WOLFE advanced to third; LAW, An. scored. Miller to dh. Speed to p. KO struck
out swinging. BOWEN walked, RBI; CLUFF advanced to second; RELF advanced to
third; WOLFE scored. MUSSO grounded out to ss. 3 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3
LOB.
BAYLOR 6th - Lambert flied out to rf to right center. Hainsfurther
grounded out to 2b. Kimmey singled through the left side. Pinckard walked;
Kimmey advanced to second. Hansen walked; Pinckard advanced to second; Kimmey
advanced to third. HARDESTY to p for BUNCH. Campbell hit by pitch, RBI; Hansen
advanced to second; Pinckard advanced to third; Kimmey scored. MICHON to p for
HARDESTY. Dickerson singled, out at first cf to 1b, 2 RBI; Campbell advanced to
third; Hansen scored; Pinckard scored. 3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 7th - McNAUGHTON walked. Kempf to p for Speed. LAW, An. grounded out
to 2b; McNAUGHTON advanced to second. WOLFE flied out to lf to left field.
PARKER grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BAYLOR 7th - Miller struck out swinging. Hornung struck out swinging.
Lambert hit by pitch. Hainsfurther singled through the left side; Lambert
advanced to second. Kimmey hit by pitch; Hainsfurther advanced to second;
Lambert advanced to third. Evatt pinch hit for Pinckard. OSLUND to p for
MICHON. Evatt struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 LOB.
BYU 8th - Slater to cf for Evatt. RELF flied out to rf. CLUFF walked. KO
reached on a fielding error by ss, advanced to second on the error; CLUFF
advanced to second, advanced to third on the error. Verrett to p for Kempf.
BOWEN grounded out to 2b, RBI; KO advanced to third; CLUFF scored, unearned.
BILLS pinch hit for MUSSO. BILLS grounded out to 3b. 1 run, 0 hits, 1 error,
1 LOB.
BAYLOR 8th - AYOSO to c for BILLS. Hansen doubled down the lf line.
Campbell grounded out to p; Hansen advanced to third. WORTHAM to p for OSLUND.
Dickerson struck out looking. Miller hit by pitch. Hansen out at home p to c,
caught stealing. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.
BYU 9th - McNAUGHTON grounded out to 2b. LAW, An. reached on a dropped
fly by 2b. WOLFE grounded out to p; LAW, An. advanced to second. PARKER struck
out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.
BAYLOR 9th - Hornung grounded out to 3b. Ware pinch hit for Lambert.
Ware singled to right center. Hainsfurther singled down the rf line; Ware
advanced to second. MILLER, A. to p for WORTHAM. Kimmey reached on a fielder's
choice; Hainsfurther out at second ss to 2b; Ware advanced to third. Booker
pinch hit for Slater. Ware scored on a passed ball, unearned. 1 run, 2 hits,
0 errors, 1 LOB.

Friday is the season opener for BYU’s baseball team as it has a pair of doubleheaders in series at Stillwater, Okla.

The Cougars, who were 22-36 last season, return all starters as they face Manhattan College (31-20-1 in 2008) on Friday at 1 p.m., CDT, before tangling with host Oklahoma State (44-18) in a game starting at 4 p.m., CDT.

On Saturday, BYU has a rematch with the Jaspers at noon (CDT) and then close this portion of the road trip in a 6:30 p.m. (CDT) contest with OSU, ranked No. 13 by USA Today/ESPN, No. 14 Collegiate Baseball and No. 16 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

On Monday, BYU travels to Texas for an evening game at Waco against No. 8 (Baseball America) Baylor University (No. 15 Collegiate Baseball, No. 17 USA Today/ESPN and No. 19 NCBWA).

Seniors Jordan Muir (2-6, 6.81) and Jake Wortham (4-6, 6.90), a southpaw, are BYU’s probable starting pitchers on Friday against Manhattan and the Cowboys, respectively. On Saturday, juniors Blake Torgerson (6-5, 5.68) and Jeremy Toole (2-1, 4.42), a JC transfer, face the Jaspers and OSU in that order on the mound.

“We had a chance to play a couple of good schools,” said BYU coach Vance Law in explanation of this unique Oklahoma-Texas trip. “I hope our guys are not intimidated. We are very good offensively and while our pitching remains to be seen, I think we are good there as well.”

Links for live stats, live audio and live video for games this weekend can be found on www.byucougars.com.

BYU has been picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference by the MWC Coaches/Media and Baseball America magazine, and fifth by Rivals.com. BYU junior outfielder Sean McNaughton was selected by Baseball America as the MWC's projected Player of the Year.

BYU opens its home season next week against the University of Portland in Provo.

For more information on BYU's baseball series this week, please see the PDF file at the top of this article.