Feb. 1, 2002

Box Score

WACO, Texas - It was a tale of two games for Baylor's softball team here Friday night in first-day action of the inaugural Getterman Classic. After posting the second-highest run total in school history with a 21-1 five-inning blowout of Southern, the Lady Bears used a four-strikeout relief performance from freshman southpaw Cristin Vitek to get past Northwestern State 4-3.

With the victories, Baylor opens its season at 2-0 and joins Texas-Arlington as the only teams to escape the first day of the three-day double round-robin tournament unscathed. The Lady Mavs knocked off Southern 1-0 in the first game of the day and then rallied to defeat Northwestern State 4-2 in eight innings.

The notable performances from the Lady Bears in the Southern game were nearly too many to count. The 21 runs was a school record for a season-opener, just two runs shy of the school-record 23 Baylor scored in a game last season at New Mexico State. The previous school mark for runs in a season opener was eight, established last season against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Baylor did establish school records for largest margin of victory and total bases with 27. The Lady Bears ripped a school-record tying six extra-base hits, including five doubles. All of the above categories, along with 20 hits, established Getterman Stadium records.

Individually, Carrie Leerberg tied the school record for hits in a game with four. The Manitou Springs, Colo., native was 4-for-5 with three runs and four RBI. Nan Wilkins went 2-for-4 with three runs and four RBI, and Stepanie Pomes was 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI. Kelly Levesque, Sarah Caudle and Holly Fields all added two hits apiece, while Caudle and Fields drove in two and three runs, respectively.

Katie Decker (1-0) picked up the win for Baylor, she allowed one runs on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three innings of work. Vitek pitched the final two innings perfectly with three strikeouts.

In the nightcap, the Lady Bears scored three runs in the bottom of the first to take an early lead they never relinquished. Northwestern State cut into the lead with two runs in the top of the second, but Baylor padded its lead in the fifth when Caudle banged a triple off the right-field line to plate Leerberg from first.

That run proved big as the Demons plated a run on two hits in the top of the seventh. With two outs and the bases empty, Annie Johnson tripled to right-center. Nicole Martin plated Johnson with a bunt single, she then stole second and advanced to third on the errant throw. However, Vitek then struck out Jana Strickland on a 2-2 pitch to end the rally and the game.

Joni Miller (1-0) started for Baylor and got the win, she allowed two runs on eight hits with no walks and a pair of strikeouts in five and one-third innings of work. Vitek notched her first career save, tossing the final five outs with a run allowed one two hits, no walks and four strikeouts. Danelle Arnold and Kristen Lancaster each had two hits for Baylor, while Caudle drove in a pair of runs.

In the first game of the day, UTA pitcher Kelly Rhodes (1-0) tossed a four-hit shutout and recorded 14 strikeouts against Southern. Rhodes also drove in the game's only run on a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the second. Jacquetta Sands (0-1) took a hard-luck loss for Southern, allowing just one unearned run on two hits with three walks and one strikeout.

UTA used late-inning magic to rally past Northwestern State in the second game of the Classic. Trailing 1-0 in the top of the seventh, the Lady Mavs got an RBI single from Mindy Mollinar to tie the game and eventually send it into extra-innings. Arlington then erupted for three runs on two hits, keyed by Crystal Krebs' two-run homer.

Action will get underway again Saturday at 11 a.m. as Northwestern State takes on Southern. Baylor and UTA will follow at 1:30 p.m., Baylor against Northwestern State at 4 p.m. and Southern against UTA at 6:30 p.m.