Roadrunners, Bears Set for Midweek Clash in Waco

WACO, Texas (Interstat) — A pair of Texas teams riding different recent trends will meet Tuesday when the UTSA Roadrunners visit the Baylor Bears in nonconference baseball action at Baylor Ballpark.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature near 79 degrees.

The Roadrunners (25-11) enter with the superior overall record but are looking to rebound after a 7-1 home loss to South Florida on Saturday snapped a four-game winning streak. UTSA had taken the first two games of that series, outscoring the Bulls 18-6.

Baylor (20-15), meanwhile, salvaged its weekend series at Cincinnati with an 8-3 victory Sunday after dropping the first two games. The Bears’ offense was key in the win, backed by a strong relief outing from Caleb Bunch (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K).

The midweek matchup features a compelling pitching storyline. UTSA is expected to start right-hander Conor Myles, who has been dominant in three of his last four outings. On April 3 at Rice, Myles carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, finishing with 6.1 scoreless frames in an 8-0 win. He followed that with 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run, in a victory over South Florida on April 11.

Baylor will counter with right-hander Ethan Calder. Calder has been inconsistent, mixing gems with rough starts. He was brilliant in a win over BYU on April 4 (6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 9 K) but was tagged for six earned runs in just 3.2 innings at Oklahoma State on March 22. In his last start Sunday at Cincinnati, he walked six but allowed no hits over 5.2 innings.

The teams last met on March 1 in Waco, with UTSA claiming an 11-6 victory. According to Interstat’s game simulator, another high-scoring affair is projected Tuesday, with a predicted final of UTSA 8, Baylor 6.

Both teams are preparing for crucial conference series this weekend. UTSA will host Charlotte, while Baylor opens a Big 12 series at home against TCU.