No. 19/18 Baylor softball (35-14, 12-6 Big 12) finished the regular season on a high note, topping Texas (30-23, 10-8 Big 12) in a tight, 2-0 decision on Sunday afternoon at Getterman Stadium.
Regan Green (11-4) combined with Gia Rodoni on the shutout effort in the circle, with Green working the first 5.0 innings allowing just four hits and a walk. Rodoni slammed the door shut over the last 2.0 frames, allowing two hits and a walk with three strikeouts to earn her second save of the season.
Despite being held to three hits in the ballgame, the Lady Bears made them count, scoring the only two runs of the ballgame in the home half of the fourth.
Jessie Scroggins led off with a single, with Kyla Walker reaching safely on an infield error to put two on. Shelby Friudenberg worked a walk to load the bases for Goose McGlaun.
McGlaun drove a ball deep enough into left field to score Scroggins, giving BU the 1-0 lead. A walk for Carlee Wallace kept the bases loaded, allowing a second sac fly RBI, this time for Nicky Dawson, to score Walker, putting BU in front 2-0 after four.
The Longhorns had late chances, including putting two in scoring position with one out in the top of the sixth.
Rodoni settled in to force a fly out and strikeout to end the inning, but UT came back with a walk and double to lead off the seventh, putting two in scoring position with no outs.
A pop up to Wallace and back-to-back looking strikeouts clinched the sweep for the Lady Bears, putting on a show in front of the second-straight sold out crowd and with BU celebrating Senior Day.
HIGHLIGHTS
Baylor finished off the first-ever three-game sweep of the season series with Texas, outscoring the Longhorns 13-5 this year. Neither team had previously finished off a full, three-game sweep since the conference adopted the three-game series format in 2012.
Regan Green improved to 11-4 on the season and combined with Rodoni on the shutout effort for BU. The shutout was the fourth in conference play this season for the Lady Bears, two of which came against Texas.
Jessie Scroggins (2-for-3) extended her program record with the 81st multi-hit game of her career, her 26th this season.
Goose McGlaun has now driven in at least one run in the last five-straight games and in seven of the last eight.
Kyla Walker (.461) and Scroggins (.458) continue to battle for the top batting average on the team and among the best in the country, both shooting to top the program’s single-season batting average record (.430, Lindsey Cargill, 2017). Walker’s average bumped past Vanessa Shippy (.460) from Oklahoma State for the top spot among the conference’s hitters.
Baylor celebrated its annual Senior Day, honoring Cailtin Charlton, Shelby Friudenberg, Jessie Scroggins, and Caitlin Charlton, as well as student manager Eva Milam.
The BU senior class improved to 75-20 at Getterman Stadium over the last four seasons.
TOP QUOTES
“I certainly think so. With our RPI being in the Top 16, you always have a case, and we were excited to see we were that high after the Iowa State weekend. You know, we are in the conversation and I keep repeating that and you know when you’re in the conversation and you continue to win and you win against good teams like Texas, the committee is able to see it. Who knows what they are going to look at, I think if we were able to win a couple of games in the Big 12 Tournament, we should be playing in Waco the next weekend.” – Baylor head coach Glenn Moore, on Baylor’s case to host a regional
“Oh my gosh, it’s incredible. This is the first time in program history that we have swept Texas. We’ve always tied the series up, we’re always 2-1. So, it was awesome, and especially on Senior Day. It’s incredible to give the seniors something to look at. Every game is just as important, but I also wanted it for them, too, because they’ve left so much for this program. I know how bad they wanted it so that helped.” – Baylor junior pitcher Regan Green
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor enters the 2018 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship as the No. 3 seed in Pool B, facing No. 2 Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. on OGE Energy Field at Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday, May 11, in Oklahoma City, Okla. BU will then play No. 5 Texas Tech later that afternoon at 2 p.m. on the adjacent Integris Field. The results of those games will determine BU’s position in the Saturday schedule, either playing for 5th place at 11 a.m., 3rd place at 1:30 p.m. or in the championship game at 4 p.m.
