Baylor
Texas Arlington
Bears Open Season With Doubleheader Sweep
8/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 8, 2000
ARLINGTON, Texas - The 2000 Baylor softball team looked sharp in their season opener sweeping host UT-Arlington 2-1 and 5-1 behind solid pitching and the help of the team's newcomers.
In game one, the Bears won 2-1 with freshman Sarah Caudle making her collegiate debut and pitching 4 2/3 innings of relief for the win and going 2-for-3 at the plate.
Senior starting pitcher Carrie Arn got out of a big hole in the bottom of the second when she loaded the bases with no outs and did not give up a run. After giving up a leadoff double, a walk and a single over third base, Arn then got Amanda Kirk to strike out, Mandy Molinar to line out to second and Lisa Verheul to pop out to shortstop.
UTA struck first in the third inning when Janna Todd hit a solo home run over the left field wall. This came moments after Laura Lewis doubled to start the inning, but was called out at second base for removing her helmet while play was still going on. Christine Allison followed the home run by hitting a single off Arn's leg, forcing her to leave the game. Caudle then came in to pitch and retired the next two batters to curtail the scoring.
Baylor tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth when sophomore transfer Sarah Sharp got her first hit as a Bear with one out, went to third on a throwing error on a ground ball by Caudle, and came home on a fielding error of a ground ball by Ryan Stukel. After Kelly Fleming was walked to load the bases, Kristen Lancaster grounded out to third to end the inning.
Caudle got out of a bases loaded jam of her own in the bottom of the fourth by striking out Todd with two outs. Caudle struck out the side despite putting three runners on base.
BU went ahead for good in the fifth when Sharp doubled home pinch runner Summer Rohde from second base with two outs. However, she was thrown out at third trying to stretch it into a triple.
In the top of the first inning, Caudle doubled over the left fielder in her first collegiate at bat and Baylor's first hit of the year, but was thrown out at third base trying to stretch the double into a triple.
Caudle gave up only one hit in her 4 2/3 innings of work while walking two and striking seven. She also retired 10 of the last 11 batters she faced, including nine in a row.
Baylor wasted no time in the second game going on top 2-0 in the top of the first inning. After Naomi Fitzgerald grounded out to open the game, Sharp reached first and went to second on a fielding error at first base, and went to third on Caudle's single through the right side. Sophomore catcher Ryan Stukel then doubled into the left centerfield gap to bring in both Sharp and Caudle.
BU added one more in the second when Fitzgerald tripled home Stacey Hundley, who reached on an error.
The Bears capped their scoring with a Bri Chambliss solo home run in the fifth inning and one more in the seventh when Chambliss singled home Sharp with one out.
Caudle finished the game with three singles and run scored and Chambliss had her two hits and two RBI. Stukel added two RBI and Fitzgerald had an RBI triple, the first triple for the team this year.
Miller was outstanding in her collegiate debut pitching 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball before giving up a two-strike, RBI single to Ali Lommel with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning bringing home Allison, who walked and stole second. After walking two batters in the first inning, Miller retired the next 15 hitters to face her before an error in the bottom of the sixth with one out. She finished with the complete-game one-hitter.
It was a good day for the newcomers as Caudle finished the doubleheader going 5-for-7 with a run scored and the win in the first game, Sharp went 4-for-7 with three runs scored and an RBI and Miller pitched her gem.
Baylor returns to Arlington this weekend for a tournament. There will be one day of pool play on Friday against the Mavericks, Illinois-Chicago and Ole Miss before playing two days of tournament play Saturday and Sunday.
Head Coach Paula Young is now just two wins away from 300 in her career.
