No. 12/12 Baylor softball (17-3) rallied late to knock off Delaware (3-12), 5-3, before bouncing back with a 9-0 (6) win over Liberty (16-7) to close out a 5-0 trip to the Liberty Spring Classic on Saturday afternoon at Liberty Softball Stadium.
In game one, Regan Green started, but struggled early, allowing five hits and three runs, but striking out four with a walk. Gia Rodoni (9-2) entered with two outs in the fifth, striking out all seven batters she faced and picking up the win in relief.
The offense got off to a slow start, peppering in five hits in six scoreless innings, trailing 3-0 entering the final frame.
Goose McGlaun led off the do-or-die inning for the Lady Bears with a solo home run, cutting the UD lead down to 3-1.
With one out, Maddison Kettler roped a double down the left field line, coming around to score on an RBI single for Taylor Ellis, moving to BU within one score. Ellis would move into scoring position on a throwing error back into the infield on the play.
A single for Madi O’Neal moved Ellis to third, with a sac fly for Caitlin Charlton scoring Ellis to tie the game back at 3-3.
O’Neal would steal second to move into scoring position, coming around to score on an RBI single by Nicky Dawson, with Dawson moving to second on the throw in.
Jessie Scroggins added an insurance run, drilling an RBI double off the base of the wall in left to score Dawson, capping off a five-run inning to ice a 5-3 comeback victory for the Lady Bears.
In game two, Rodoni was untouchable, going the full 6.0 innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 12. Rodoni was perfect through the first four frames, finishing off the complete game shutout.
The Baylor bats wasted no time against the Liberty squad, posting five runs in the first two innings and never looking back.
Dawson and Scroggins went back-to-back with bunt singles, with both advancing on a fly out for Friudenberg.
McGlaun notched an RBI on a fielder’s choice, with Hannah Thompson lacing an RBI single up the middle to give BU the 2-0 lead after one.
Adding on in the second, Hannah Smith drew a full count walk, followed by back-to-back singles by Charlton and Dawson to load the bases.
Jessie Scroggins legged out an infield single, driving in the first run of the inning.
Shelby Friudenberg added another on an infield single, followed by a sac fly RBI by McGlaun to finish off a three-run inning and giving BU a 5-0 lead after two.
Looking to add on in the fourth, Dawson picked up infield single, stealing second to move into scoring position.
Scroggins drilled a single up the middle to score Dawson, pushing the lead to 6-0 after four.
The Flames managed their first baserunners on two leadoff walks and the first hit on an infield bloop single in the bottom of the fifth, but Rodoni picked up a strikeout to leave the bases loaded and keep the shutout alive.
The Lady Bears were back in the top of the sixth, with Dawson driving a triple to the wall in left center.
Scroggins found the gap through the left side to drive in Ellis, pushing the BU lead to 7-0.
Friudenberg poked another single through, with Avalos coming on to run at first.
A hit by pitch earned by Thompson loaded the bases for Kettler, who bounced a two-RBI single through the right side to score both Avalos and Scroggins, giving BU the 9-0 advantage and allowing Rodoin to close out the win in six.
HIGHLIGHTS
Jessie Scroggins was a perfect 8-for-8 over Saturday’s doubleheader, driving in a team-high four RBI and scoring two runs.
Nicky Dawson kept a hot bat in Saturday’s games, going 5-for-6 with a team-high five runs and career highs in hits and runs scored.
Goose McGlaun launched her sixth home run of the season, taking her career total up to 17.
Over Rodoni’s two appearances on Saturday, she went 2-0 with 19 strikeouts and just three hits over 8.1 innings of work.
Baylor finished off the Liberty Spring Classic hitting .415 as a unit, with the pitchers combining to strikeout 41, 31 of which were collected by Rodoni.
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor returns home for its first game at Getterman Stadium in over a month, hosting Texas State on Wednesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. CT.
