Feb. 22, 2003

Box Score

WACO, Texas - Baylor pounded 34 hits on the day, including season highs of 13 in the first game and 14 in the third game, here Saturday en route to three wins in first-day action of the Compass Bank Invitational. The Lady Bears defeated Louisiana Tech 14-0 in five innings, UAB 6-0 and Tulsa 7-3. Baylor moves to 12-7 on the season with the victories.

The Lady Bears finished first in pool play, followed by UAB (2-1), Tulsa (1-2) and Louisiana Tech (0-3). UAB defeated Tulsa 2-1 and Louisiana Tech 8-1. Tulsa defeated Louisiana Tech 5-1.

Sarah Caudle, Kelly Levesque and Kelly Osburn led the offensive charge for the Lady Bears, who hit .410 as a team on the day. Caudle enjoyed a 7-for-10 day that saw her season batting average rise nearly 100 points; she also had a home run and four RBI. Levesque went 5-for-9 with a triple, a home run and six RBI, her first six of the season. Osburn went 5-for-11 with two home runs and four RBI. Harmony Schwethelm also went 5-for-10 on the day, and nine Lady Bears had at least two hits.

Baylor, playing as the visitor against Louisiana Tech, put four runs on the board in the top of the second and then exploded four eight runs in the third. Seven of the eight third-inning runs were unearned. The Lady Bears tacked on a run in the fourth and another in the fifth, closing the scoring in a mercy-rule shortened affair.

Meanwhile, Katie Decker (3-2) worked through control problems and was credited with the victory. She allowed just two hits in 2.1 innings of work, but she issued five walks with only one strikeout. Caudle pitched the final 2.2 innings for the save, allowing one hit and one walk with two strikeouts.

Levesque finished 2-for-3 with two runs and five RBI against Louisiana Tech; she also had seven total bases, one shy of the school record. Caudle went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Kim Wilmoth tied Shelley Green's school record with four stolen bases against the Lady Techsters. Baylor also established a school record with eight swipes as a team.

Baylor came out just as strong against UAB, putting four runs on the board in the first inning. The Lady Bears added two more in the second and coasted to the 6-0 victory.

Joni Miller (2-2) scattered three hits with two walks in 4.0 innings of work. Decker pitched the final three innings for the save; she allowed three hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Wilmoth went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Five other Lady Bears had one hit each.

The Lady Bears put another four-run first-inning together against Tulsa; Baylor tallied five hits in that first inning, a season high for hits in an inning. Tulsa answered with a run in the top of the second; however, Baylor tacked on another run in the second and two more in the third. That 7-1 lead stood until Tulsa took advantage of two Lady Bear errors for a couple unearned runs in the top of the seventh.

Levesque, Osburn and Caudle had three hits each against Tulsa; Caudle drove in two runs. Schwethelm and Nan Wilkins added two hits each, and April Luce had a run-scoring triple.

Cristin Vitek (6-2) started for Baylor and went 5.2 innings. She allowed one run on two hits with two walks and a season-high nine strikeouts. Caudle pitched the final four outs and was touched four two unearned runs on one hit and a walk with one strikeout.

Bracket play begins Sunday morning. No. 2 seed UAB plays No. 3 seed Tulsa at 9 a.m., followed at 11 a.m. by top-seeded Baylor against fourth-seeded Louisiana Tech. There will be a consolation game and a championship game to follow. Whichever game involves UAB will be played at 1 p.m. due to the Blazers' travel obligations.