Feb. 9, 2002
Box Score
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Baylor's softball team defeated Louisiana-Monroe 2-1 here Friday in first-day action at the UTA College Classic hosted by Texas-Arlington at Mike Lewis Park. However, the Lady Bears fell victim to stiff Oklahoma State pitching and explosive Cowgirl bats, falling in the second game of the day 7-3.
The victory over Louisiana-Monroe gave Baylor its seventh straight victory to open the season, tying the school record for most consecutive wins to begin a season. Just as the 1997 team that started 7-0, the Lady Bears were not able to make it eight straight.
Louisiana-Monroe scored a run on two hits and a Baylor error in the third to take an early 1-0 lead. With runners at second and third and two outs, Lori Tande bounced a grounder to short that Baylor's Kim Wilmoth could not handle.
Baylor answered in the fifth, though, as Kristen Lancaster led off the inning with a home run to left. The Lady Bears finally took the lead in the sixth. Stacey Hundley walked to lead off the inning, moved to second on a Danelle Arnold sacrifice bunt and then scored on a Sarah Caudle triple down the right-field line.
Joni Miller (3-0) hurled her second complete game of the season for the win. She allowed just one unearned run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. She out-dueled Annie VanOosbree (0-4), who surrendered both runs on six hits and five walks with four strikeouts. April Luce was the only Lady Bear with more than one hit, going 2-for-3.
In the nightcap, Oklahoma State's Lauren Bay (2-0) kept the Baylor bats at bay. She allowed just one hit and one walk with 12 strikeouts in six and two-thirds innings of work.
The Cowgirls drew first blood with four runs on three hits in the fourth and never looked back. With one out and runners on the corners, Ryan Realmuto laced a double down the left-field line to score both runners. Jade Lindy followed with a two-run homer to left, giving OSU a 4-0 lead.
OSU widened its lead to 7-0 in the sixth when Realmuto, Lindly and Calli Behmer hit back-to-back-to-back solo home runs to left field. Baylor scratched for three runs in the bottom of the seventh, keyed by a two-run single off the bat of Holly Fields. However, Bay, who had come out of the game at the beginning of the inning, came back in with runners at second and third and one out and ended the Baylor rally.
Cristin Vitek (2-1) was touched for four runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings of work. Katie Decker pitched the last two and one-third innings and was touched for the three solo homers with one strikeout.
The Lady Bears return to action Saturday, playing Texas-San Antonio at 10 a.m. and Utah at 1 p.m. Tournament play begins Saturday at 4 p.m. with pairings determined by pool-play standings.
