Feb. 16, 2003
Box Score
MONROE, La. - Baylor's softball team split a pair of games Sunday in the final day of the rain-shortened Mardi Gras Classic, hosted by Louisiana-Monroe. The Lady Bears (9-6) rallied to defeat Louisiana Tech 3-2 in the first game, but fell to the host Lady Indians 5-2 in the second contest.
The weekend event was shortened due to continual rains in the Northeast Louisiana area. All of Saturday's pool games were pushed to Sunday morning, and the tournament was shortened to a championship game between pool winners and a consolation game between the second-place teams in each pool.
Baylor, which finished second in its pool, was severely short-handed Sunday. The Lady Bears were minus pitching ace Joni Miller, who did not make the trip; pitcher Katie Decker, third baseman Stephanie Pomes and outfielder Harmony Schwethelm were inactive Sunday after developing flu symptoms. Decker started the Louisiana Tech but was forced to leave after just one inning of work.
Due to the illnesses and the cold, damp conditions in Monroe, Baylor opted to not participate in the consolation game that was scheduled for early Sunday evening.
The Lady Bears fell behind early against Louisiana Tech as the Lady Techsters pushed across an unearned run in the second and added another run in the third. However, April Luce knotted the game in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run, one-out double down the right-field line.
That set the stage for Sarah Caudle's game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Stacey Hundley singled over the shortstop's head and then moved to third on a Kelly Levesque double to center. Caudle followed with a single to left-center, scoring Hundley.
Cristin Vitek pitched the final five innings for the victory. She scattered four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Baylor again found itself behind early against Louisiana-Monroe, but this time the Lady Bears were not able to overcome the deficit. Casey Goodman put the Lady Indians on the board with a two-run, two-out home run to left. ULM added another run in the bottom of the second thanks on a Leslie Venissat two-out RBI single.
The Lady Bears pulled to within one run thanks to a two-run third. After a Caudle run-scoring fielder's choice, Kelly Osburn scored by way of a ULM throwing error. Baylor had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the fifth, but the Lady Bears could push a run home with the bases loaded and one out. That proved costly as the Lady Indians scored two more runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game away.
Vitek (5-2) went the distance for Baylor against Louisiana-Monroe. She was touched for five runs on eight hits with an uncharacteristic four walks and only two strikeouts.
Baylor returns to action Wednesday, traveling to Texas-Arlington for a 6 p.m. contest at Allen Saxe Field.
