No. 16/17 Baylor softball (25-9, 3-3 Big 12) had a strong showing in the opening game of a two-game midweek set with McNeese State (27-14, 10-5 Southland), running away with a 10-2 (6) win over the Cowgirls on Tuesday evening at Getterman Stadium.
Regan Green (8-2) threw the complete game for the Lady Bears, going all 6.0 frames. Although she allowed eight hits by the Cowgirls, she held McNeese to just two runs, only one that was earned. Her seven strikeout, zero walk effort kept the damage to a minimum and allowed the Lady Bears to maintain their lead from the first inning on.
The offense provided early run support, with Nicky Dawson leading off the home half of the first with a single down the left field line, moving to second and on to third on back-to-back singles by Kyla Walker and Jessie Scroggins.
A walk with the bases loaded by Carlee Wallace earned an easy RBI, bumping the BU lead to 1-0. A line-out double play and groundout would cut the early scoring opportunity short, with BU holding the one-run lead after the first.
Walker got another offensive push going for the Lady Bears in the third, beating out an infield single.
An infield error by the Cowgirls allowed her to advance around to third, scoring on an RBI single up the middle by Wallace, pushing the Lady Bear lead to 2-0.
The Cowgirls would scratch back a run in the top of the fourth on a leadoff Baylor error and two-out RBI single, cutting the BU lead back to one, but the Lady Bears took it back in the home half of the fifth.
Walker legged out another infield single, advancing to second on the second Cowgirl defensive error.
Scroggins pounded a double off of the extended batter’s eye over the centerfield wall, easily scoring Walker from second to take the lead back to two, up 3-1 through five.
A leadoff solo home run for the Cowgirls in the top of the sixth again kept the pressure on the Baylor defense and Green, but the Lady Bear offense took over in the bottom of the sixth, hanging on to a 3-2 lead.
Goose McGlaun led off the inning with a triple off the wall in centerfield, with Ellis and pinch hitter Ashley Marchand both drawing walks to load the bases with one out.
An RBI single for Dawson would plate the first run, with a passed ball bringing home a second.
A four-pitch walk for Kyla Walker kept the bases loaded, with back-to-back RBI walks drawn by Scroggins and Shelby Friudenberg to score two more runs, with a third coming across on a wild pitch.
Needing two more runs to finish off the run rule victory, leading 8-2, Goose McGlaun singled through the right side of the infield, beating the throw to first to allow Scroggins to score.
With Madi O’Neal pinch running for Friudenberg and standing on third base, Taylor Ellis drove a ball through the left side of the infield into left field, scoring O’Neal to walk off with the 10-2 run rule victory.
