WACO, Texas. ? Aaron Miller went 2-for-3, scored three times and collected four RBI to lead No. 6 Baylor to a 14-4 win over the University of South Alabama in the QTI Baylor Classic Friday night at Baylor Ballpark.

South Alabama (5-5) starting pitcher Matt Jackson struggled with command early in the game, needing 23 pitches to get through a scoreless first inning.

After hitting two batters and issuing a walk to load the bases with one out in the second, Jackson was called for a balk to put the Bears (8-2) up 1-0. Raynor Campbell followed with a single and Brooks Pinckard drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, giving Baylor a 3-0 advantage.

USA answered with a run in the top of the third when Clint Reynolds led off with a double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and came home on Ryan Bohanan’s sacrifice fly, cutting the Bears’ lead to 3-1.

Baylor responded with two more runs in the bottom of the inning when Dan Evatt led off with a double and scored on Aaron Miller’s RBI single. Miller advanced to third on a balk before scoring on Shaver Hansen’s RBI groundout to put the Bears up 5-1.

The Jags got another run back in their next at-bat when Sean Laird walked and came around to score three batters later on a throwing error by Baylor shortstop Joey Hainsfurther.

Jackson was chased from the game with one out in the fourth after walking Pinckard and allowing back-to-back singles to Hainsfurther and Dustin Dickerson. Dustin Crenshaw came on in relief and stranded runners on second and third by inducing a popout to shortstop and a flyout to right-center, but the Bears took a 6-2 lead to the fifth.

Baylor tacked on three more runs in the fifth before Phillip Byrd came on in relief of Crenshaw with the bases loaded and no outs. Byrd struck out the first batter he faced, but allowed a two-run double to Dan Evatt and a towering three-run homer to Aaron Miller to extend the Bears’ lead to 14-2.

USA put up a run in the sixth when Sean Laird reached after being hit by a pitch and three batters later came home on Nathaniel Lami’s sacrifice fly. Byrd bounced back to work scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh before giving way to Chris LaGrow, who worked a scoreless eighth. Laird singled in a run in the ninth to cap the scoring.

Hainsfurther finished the game 2-for-2 with a run, two RBI and two walks, while Evatt went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and RBI for Baylor. Zach Grichor went 2-for-4 with a run, and Laird went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Jags.

The Jags return to action Saturday at 2 p.m. against Alabama-Birmingham. Brandon Sage is expected to start for USA, and fellow southpaw Shay Crawford is slated to start for the Blazers.

Notes:  Jackson’s streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run ended at 17.0 when Miller scored on a balk with one out in the second inning ... Reynolds extended his career-long hitting streak to eight games with his third-inning double ... Bohanan’s fifth-inning single extended his hitting streak to nine games and 18 of 19 dating back to 2008 ... Adam Heisler returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 22 ... He went 1-for-3 as USA’s designated hitter ... Matt Drake recorded the first hit of his collegiate career with a two-out single in the ninth.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).