SB Drops Game Two Against BYU, 4-3

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – Twice in the final innings, Baylor softball was poised to close out BYU and clinch a huge series win Friday night at Getterman Stadium.
 
But the Bears “let it slip away,” giving up two runs each in the sixth and seventh inning in falling to the Cougars, 4-3, to split the first two games of a crucial three-game series.
 
After freshman Karynton Dawson hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to put Baylor (24-24, 9-11) back on top, 3-2, the Cougars (30-13, 12-8) answered again with a 2-spot in the top of the seventh off Lillie Walker (10-8).
 
“We had opportunities earlier, I thought, that we didn’t take advantage of. But honestly, I never felt comfortable, because I know what they do,” Baylor coach Glenn Moore said. “They never throw the towel in. . . . I thought we played our hearts out and certainly answered with KD’s home run, but we came out on the short end.”
 
That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team with its NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, coming into the weekend with its RPI ranking at No. 55. BYU is on the bubble as well at No. 46, even before Thursday’s 2-0 loss in the series opener.
 
“That’s what’s so disappointing is you get that close to knocking one more (win) out of the way and let it slip away,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of people that think the winner of this series is going to be the final team taken from the Big 12. I think there’s too much to happen between now and then to make that decision . . . but this is a huge series for both of us.”
 
Baylor freshman Sadie Ross took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, retiring the first 13 batters she faced before giving up a one-out single up the middle by Keila Kamoku. With a pair of runners in scoring position after a two-base error, Ross got out of it when Bre Thomas lined out to first to end the inning.
 
No such luck in the sixth.
 
This time, Walker came out of the bullpen with runners at second and third and nobody out. She got the lead runner at home on a grounder to short, but Lindy Milkowski delivered a game-tying RBI single to right and Kamoku gave BYU its first lead of the series with a sac fly to right.
 
“I guess that’s the sad part of what happened here today,” Moore said. “This would have been another marquee win for (Ross). She pitched well enough to get the win, and we couldn’t hang on to it for her. But certainly, it’s promising to see her do this against good hitters.”
 
In the bottom of the sixth, cleanup hitter Turiya Coleman reached on a one-out bunt single and went all the way around to third on a throwing error by the catcher.
 
“She’s a power hitter, a great hitter, and you don’t expect it out of that type of hitter,” Moore said of Coleman, who had a pair of bunt singles in Thursday’s 2-0 win. “But she’s been doing it for so long, I don’t know how it surprises people. It was a good bunt. She’ll catch you sleeping, for sure.”
 
Dawson followed a hit that traveled a few feet in front of the plate with a towering two-run shot down the rightfield line that traveled 213 feet for her second home run of the season.
 
“It felt great, honestly, to do it on Senior Weekend for my seniors,” Dawson said. “I’m just doing what I can to help them, because they’ve helped me.”
 
Staked to a 3-2 lead and facing the bottom of the order in the seventh, Walker was in prime position to pick up her second win of the weekend and 11^th of the season. But the Cougars loaded the bases with nobody out on a pair of hits and a walk, scoring the tying run when Hailey Morrow was hit by a pitch.
 
Freshman Ilove’a Brittingham is still hitless for the weekend, going 0-for-5, but she came through with a sacrifice fly to right that scored Miranda Mansfield with the go-ahead run.
 
“I think Lillie’s been carrying us for so long, to beat her up over one bad outing for a couple of innings wouldn’t be fair to her,” Moore said. “I just like to give credit to what adjustments they made for her. Certainly, it changes the whole look whenever you bring her in from the left side and the lower velocity. So, I just tip my hat more so to what they did than what she didn’t do.”
 
Baylor freshman Faith Piper, who was 3-for-3 for the night, gave the Bears a chance in the bottom of the seventh with a one-out double to the gap in left-center field. She moved up to third on a fly to right by Presleigh Pilon, but Kaysen Korth picked up her fifth save when she retired Brooklyn Carter on a grounder to first base.
 
The Bears will try to bounce back in Saturday’s 12 p.m. series finale, when 11 seniors will be recognized in a postgame ceremony.
 
“Every game is big at this point,” Dawson said, “so we’re going to come out ready to go.”

WACO, Texas – Baylor Softball dropped game two of the three-game series against BYU, 4-3, Friday night at Getterman Stadium. The Bears are now 24-24 on the season and 9-11 in Big 12 play. 

 

THE RUNDOWN

Sadie Ross started the game in the circle retiring the first 13 Cougars of the game before allowing a hit in the top of the fifth inning. 

 

The Bears tried to threaten early after Shaylon Govan walked in the first and Abi Flores singled in the second but that would be it until the third when the Bears struck first. 

 

After a leadoff double from Faith Piper in the bottom of the third, Presleigh Pilon moved her to third on a sacrifice bunt. Brooklyn Carter then laced a single up the middle to bring home Piper and give Baylor the 1-0 advantage. 

 

With its first hit of the game in the top of the fourth, BYU threatened with runners on second and third after a single and a Baylor fielding error, but the Bears were able to work out of the jam. 

 

BYU battled back in the top of the sixth, after capitalizing on a hit batter, a walk and a couple of hits to go ahead 2-1. 

 

In the bottom half of the sixth, Turiya Coleman laid down a bunt to put one on for Karynton Dawson who launched her second home run of the season over the wall in right center to put Baylor back up 3-2. 

 

Continuing the lead changes, BYU plated two runs on a double and bases loaded hit-by-pitch in the top half of the last inning to again put the Cougars on top, 4-3. 

 

Baylor tried to tie things up in the bottom of the seventh when Piper roped a one-out double to the wall in left centerfield before moving to third on a fly out but an unassisted groundout ended the Bears’ chance at the comeback.  

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Bears out-hit the Cougars 7-5
• Faith Piper went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubled and a run scored
• Four other Bears recorded hits
• Karynton Dawson hit her second home run of the season, a two-run shot
• Brooklyn Carter picked up an RBI
• Shaylon Govan drew two walks
• Sadie Ross pitched five scoreless innings, only allowing two hits
• BYU evened the three-game series 1-1
• The Cougars now hold the all-time record over the Bears 6-5

 
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will face BYU for game three of the three-game series Saturday, April 26 at 12 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.    
 

 – BaylorBears.com –