March 18, 2003

Box Score

WACO, Texas - After a nine-day layoff, it took a little while for Baylor's offense to get going; but once it started raining, it poured as the Lady Bears defeated Stephen F. Austin 4-0 and 10-2 here Tuesday night in softball action. Baylor jumps to 23-11 with the sweep, while SFA falls to 17-17.

Kim Wilmoth sparked the Lady Bears offensively, going 1-for-3 with two RBI in the first game and 3-for-3 with two runs scored in the nightcap. Wilmoth's sixth-inning triple in the opener plated two runs and snapped a scoreless tie.

Before Wilmoth's heroics, though, SFA starter Crissy Autry had the Lady Bears handcuffed. Baylor, which had not played since a March 9 victory over Kent State, did not get a hit until Carrie Leerberg's bunt single with one out in the sixth. Kelly Levesque followed with a bunt single of her own, setting the stage for Wilmoth's game-deciding triple.

After a Kelly Osburn walk, she and Wilmoth executed a double steal for Baylor's third run of the night. After Sarah Caudle reached on an error, Stephanie Pomes singled in Osburn.

Cristin Vitek (11-5) scattered six hits and a walk with three strikeouts for her staff-best third shutout of the season. She worked out of trouble all night as SFA left runners on base in four innings, including two on in the top of the seventh.

Autry (7-10) was saddled with the loss, despite allowing only three hits. She was touched for four runs, two earned, with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Baylor's sixth-inning explosion carried over into the second game as the Lady Bears put five-spots on the board in each of the first two innings en route to a five-inning victory. Caudle started things with a two-run double in the bottom of the first, in which Baylor sent 10 batters to the plate. Nan Wilkins doubled in two more runs later in the inning, and Stacey Hundley added an RBI single.

The Lady Bears batted around again in the second. Amber Daniel and Wilkins both had doubles in the frame; Wilkins' was another two-run smash, and she tied her career high with four RBI on the game.

SFA scratched the scoreboard in the third with two runs on one hit. After a pair of walks, Crista Hargrove doubled in both runners. The Ladyjacks had runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, but a double play, one of three on the night for the Lady Bears, ended the game.

Katie Decker (5-2) worked through control problems and earned the victory. The junior right-hander went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on two hits and five walks with four strikeouts; she also surrendered three wild pitches. Caudle pitched the final two outs.

Devin Cobb (4-2) took the loss after yielding five runs on five hits and a walk in the first inning.

Baylor returns to action Wednesday, hosting Oklahoma City University, the nation's top-ranked NAIA team, for a 6 p.m. contest.

Notes: Baylor improves to 13-0 at home this season. The Lady Bears are 38-6 at Getterman Stadium since the beginning of the 2002 season. ... Osburn, a true freshman, drew three walks on the night and now owns Baylor's single-season walks record at 32. The mark was previously held by Bri Chambliss, who was walked 31 times in 52 games in 1997. Osburn extends her school-record streak of consecutive games reached base to 27.