Baylor
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Softball Ties School Mark With 10th Straight Win
2/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 24, 2001
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After hammering host New Mexico State 23-9 earlier in the day, the Baylor softball team scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to narrowly pull out its 10th straight win. The Lady Bears beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 9-6 late Saturday evening at the Troy Cox Classic.
Baylor (18-4) tied the school record for consecutive wins at 10. The Lady Bears also won 10 straight in 1983 under head coach Paula Young, that team finished at 36-22 on the season. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi dropped to 3-19 with the loss.
The Lady Bears trailed 6-4 going to the bottom of the sixth inning. Kristen Lancaster led off with a pinch-hit walk and advanced to second as Brittany Baker reached on an error by the TAMU-CC second baseman. Naomi Fitzgerald followed with a infield hit, loading the bases. Sarah Caudle popped to second, invoking the infield fly rule, but when the second baseman dropped the ball, Lancaster scored and the other two runners moved up.
Ryan Stukel followed with a sacrifice fly that tied the game and moved Fitzgerald to third. Koral King then hit a two-run homer to put Baylor up 8-6, and Holly Fields followed with her second home run of the game for an insurance run.
In the top of the seventh, the Islanders loaded the bases with two away off Joni Miller (11-2), who had relieved in the previous inning. Centerfielder Shelley Oetken, who was 4-for-4 on the day with two home runs, flew out in foul territory to deep left field to end the game.
Fields finished the day 3-for-4 with two home runs and 3 RBI. Fitzgerald and Stukel each had two hits for the Lady Bears. TAMU-CC out hit Baylor, 16-11, but the Islanders also made five errors on the evening.
Caudle started the game on the mound for the Lady Bears, allowing six runs in three innings. Jill Smith relieved Caudle in the fourth and shut out the Islanders for 2.2 innings before Miller came in for the final 1.1 innings.
Earlier in the day, the Bears tied or broke nine team and individual offensive records during a 23-9 rout of New Mexico State.
The Lady Bears conclude play at the Troy Cox Classic Sunday at 8:30 a.m. MT against No. 20 Oregon. Both teams are 4-0 for the weekend entering the game.
