WACO, Texas (Interstat) — Baylor first baseman Wes Armstrong launched three home runs and drove in 12 runs, powering the Bears to a lopsided 15-2 victory over New Mexico State in the season opener for both teams Friday at Baylor Ballpark.

Armstrong’s historic day, which included a trio of grand slams, transformed a pitchers’ duel into a runaway, highlighting a dominant offensive performance by the Bears. The junior slugger connected for his first two homers in consecutive innings, both off different pitchers, to break the game open before adding a final exclamation point late.

The game began quietly, with both starting pitchers keeping the game scoreless through two innings. New Mexico State managed only a pair of walks against Baylor starter Lucas Davenport, while the Aggies’ Colton Sneddon worked around a hit batter in the second.

The momentum shifted decisively in the bottom of the third. After Cooper Reese relieved Sneddon for the Aggies, Baylor’s Ty Johnson led off with a triple and scored on a single by Kobe Dodson. Following two walks to load the bases, Armstrong stepped in and demolished a pitch to deep left field for a grand slam, staking the Bears to a 5-0 lead.

The onslaught continued an inning later against New Mexico State reliever Hazen Wright. With the bases loaded again, this time via a single and two hit batters, Armstrong repeated the feat. He sent another towering shot over the left-field wall for his second grand slam of the game, extending Baylor’s advantage to 9-0.

New Mexico State broke through in the top of the sixth when Keith Campbell hit a two-run homer off Baylor reliever Mason Green, scoring Brandon Vest to cut the deficit to 9-2. The Aggies managed only three hits total in the game.

Baylor put the game completely out of reach in the seventh, sending 10 batters to the plate. The Bears scored six runs, capped by Armstrong’s third grand slam of the contest, this one off Matthew Yarc. The three-slug, 12-RBI performance anchored a Baylor offense that drew 10 walks and was hit by five pitches to supplement its nine hits.

Baylor’s pitching staff combined to strike out 14 Aggies batters. Davenport earned the win with four scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four. Sneddon took the loss for New Mexico State.

The victory gives Baylor a 1-0 start to the season, while New Mexico State begins 0-1. The teams are scheduled to continue their three-game series Saturday.

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New Mexico State: Continues its series at Baylor on Saturday. Baylor: Hosts New Mexico State on Saturday in the second game of the series.