Feb. 10, 2002
Box Score
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Joni Miller notched a Baylor-record 15 strikeouts and Danelle Arnold had a pinch-hit grand slam to propel Baylor's softball team to a 5-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin State here Saturday in the quarterfinals of the UTA College Classic at Mike Lewis Park.
Earlier in the day, the Lady Bears (10-1) defeated Texas-San Antonio 4-0 and Utah 9-1 in five innings to finish pool play with a 3-1 record. Baylor advances to Sunday's semifinals, where they will face No. 7 Oklahoma at 9 a.m.
After yielding a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, Miller was nearly untouchable against SFA. The junior right-hander allowed a leadoff double in the second, but she did not allow another hit until a two-out single in the sixth. Between, Miller sat down 13 of 14 batters, issuing only a one-out, fifth-inning walk.
Miller (5-0) entered the seventh inning having already broken her personal best of 11 strikeouts with 12 and needing to strikeout the side to break the school record. She struck out the first two batters in six pitches before going 3-0 on Erica Henrion. She then threw three straight strikes to break the record and end the game. Miller allowed just five hits and one walk on the day, she threw 97 pitches with only 24 balls.
However, Miller was not the only Lady Bear to provide heroics against the Lady Jacks. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning, Baylor got a leadoff single from Kristen Lancaster. Holly Fields followed with a single, and two batters later Stephanie Pomes walked to load the bases. That's when Arnold stepped to the plate and delivered her second home run of the season, a line-drive shot over the right-centerfield wall.
Baylor tacked on a run in the top of the seventh on a Kristen Lancaster sacrifice fly that plated Kelly Levesque.
In the first game of the day, Baylor scored four runs on four hits in the top of the third inning against UTSA. Sarah Caudle got the scoring started, driving in Levesque with a double to center. Lancaster followed with her second home run of the season, giving the Lady Bears an insurmountable 4-0 advantage.
Miller started and got the win for Baylor, going four scoreless innings and allowing just two hits with a pair of strikeouts. Katie Decker picked up her first save of the season, she allowed just one hit and a walk with five strikeouts over the last three innings.
A five-run fifth-inning allowed Baylor to run-rule Utah in the final game of pool play. Leading 4-1 through four and a half innings, the Lady Bears made good use of timely hitting and a Ute error to end the game.
Carrie Leerberg dropped a single down the right-field line to score Caudle and push Lena Keine to third, but Leerberg was caught trying to stretch the hit into a double. Decker followed with a bunt that scored Keine, however, Natalie Tyler's throw to first sailed high and Decker moved to second. After a Kourtny Westerfeld single and an Arnold walk, Holly Fields and Levesque drew run-scoring walks to push Baylor's lead to 8-1. Stacey Hundley then grounded into a fielder's choice to drive in Arnold and end the game.
Decker (3-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing one hit and a walk in one and two-thirds innings of work. Cristin Vitek started for the Lady Bears, allowing one first-inning unearned run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Levesque finished the game 3-for-3 with a run and three RBI.
