Feb. 16, 2002

Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas - Kristen Lancaster knocked her fourth home run of the season and second of the weekend to lead Baylor past McNeese State 2-0 here Saturday in second-day action of the Houston Invitational. With the victory, the Lady Bears improve to 12-2 on the season.

Baylor collected seven hits as a team, but the Lady Bears also left seven runners on base, leaving the bases loaded in the first and sixth innings. In the first, Kelly Levesque and Kim Wilmoth led off with back-to-back walks, followed by a bunt single by Sarah Caudle to load the bases. McNeese State starter Corrie Hale struck out Lancaster in a 10-pitch battle and then got Danelle Arnold and Stacey Hundley to pop up, ending the inning.

The Lady Bears had another chance to get on the board in the third after Caudle singled to the hole at short with two outs. Lancaster then laced a double to left-center, but Caudle was thrown out trying to score.

Caudle got things started again in the sixth, reaching on her third infield single of the game with one out. Lancaster then drilled a 3-2 pitch an estimated 250 feet over the left-centerfield fence. Through 14 games this season, Lancaster has already matched her career total entering the season. The Pflugerville, Texas, senior is now in a four-way tie for fifth in Baylor history with eight career home runs.

Meanwhile, Baylor starter Cristin Vitek silenced the McNeese State bats, holding the Cowgirls to just three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in six innings of work. Vitek (3-1) faced just two batters over the minimum before giving way to Joni Miller, who picked up her second save of the season, to begin the seventh. Miller now has seven career saves, one shy of Stacey Allison's school record.

Baylor faces host Houston Saturday night to conclude pool play. Tournament play begins Sunday morning with seedings determined by pool-play records.