Baylor
27-13, 0
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Kansas
25-20, 0
No. 21 SB Sweeps Kansas in Doubleheader
4/20/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Baylor Bear Foundation
Glenn Moore saw something in freshman Hannah Smith "that kept me going back to her."
It was belief without evidence by the Baylor softball coach, with Smith collecting just six hits in her first 18 games and batting below the Mendoza Line at .182.
"I almost made a change and put another hitter in today," Moore said of Friday's doubleheader against Kansas, "but I just saw something in (batting practice) that I was going to hang on a little longer. You never know when a kid's going to break out."
Smith's time came in the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader at Getterman Stadium. She drove in Goose McGlaun with an RBI single to center in the second and then had a two-out bloop single in the sixth that plated Nicky Dawson in the Lady Bears' 2-1 win that completed the twinbill sweep of the Jayhawks (25-20, 0-11).
"I'm pretty excited," said Smith, who went 2-for-2 in raising her batting average 47 points to .229. "I haven't been hitting my best, so it was good to turn it around and do something different for a change."
Two hits in one game might not necessarily be breaking out, "but she can certainly get in the box and put a little less weight on her shoulders, feeling more comfortable and breathe a little bit and let her true talent show," Moore said.
The top of Baylor's lineup (1 through 5) went 0-for-12 against Kansas starter Andie Formby (11-7), who allowed just two runs on five hits and three walks. But, Nicky Dawson (2-for-3) and Smith came through with two hits apiece to spark the No. 21 Lady Bears, who improved to 28-13 overall and 6-6 in the Big 12.
"We got them when we had to have them, I guess," said Moore, whose team had eight hits in the 4-1 win in Friday's opener. "I told the team our offense will come around. I really believe it will. Right now, I'm just going to tip my hat to Kansas' pitching, but we're a better offense than we've performed over the last few games or several games. But, we needed (the clutch hits)."
Junior transfer Regan Green (9-3) outdueled Formby in the nightcap, giving up just one run on four hits and one walk with four strikeouts. The Jayhawks scored their only run in the fourth, when Shelby Gayre drew a leadoff walk and came across on Annie Mehringer's two-out single through the left side after moving to third on a sac bunt and wild pitch.
"She threw a phenomenal game," Moore said of Green. "Her changeup early on was the best I've seen. If she can hit that, she can become a pitcher who can win big games for us. She held it in place when we didn't have a lot of offense backing her up."
Junior ace Gia Rodoni (16-9) wasn't as dominant in the opener as she was in Tuesday's 3-0 shutout of Texas, giving up seven hits and two walks. But, Kansas' only run came on Becki Monaghan's fourth homer of the season, a leadoff shot in the fifth that cleared the center-field wall.
"Gia was a little sore before the game and probably didn't feel the best. We've been riding her a whole lot," Moore said. "She's a warrior. If we had needed her to come out of the pen in the second game, she was warm and ready to go. But, it's going to be good to have a day's rest going into Sunday. She's thrown a lot of good ball for us."
Baylor's offense in the opener was led by Kyla Walker (3-for-4, 3 RBI) and Jessie Scroggins (2-for-3), who became the Lady Bears' all-time leader in career hits with 254. She passed Lindsey Cargill (253) on the previous record-holder's 23rd birthday.
"She was a great hitter," Scroggins said of Cargill, who finished her Baylor career last year and now serves as a volunteer assistant at Stanford. "She set the bar high and I get to set the bar higher, so that's awesome."
Scroggins tied Cargill's record with a bunt single in the first, scoring on Goose McGlaun's two-out double to right-center, and then broke it in the next inning with a line-drive single to left.
"When Cargill did it, it was amazing," Moore said. "And then to break it on Cargill's birthday, by the way. This program is old enough to where anyone who holds a record has done something amazing. So, to break any record is a feat (Scroggins) should be very proud of."
After back-to-back singles by Maddison Kettler and Scroggins in the second inning, Walker broke the game open with a two-run triple past diving leftfielder Erin McGinley to push the lead to 3-0.
Despite getting runners on base in every inning but one, the Lady Bears' only other run came in the sixth after a leadoff walk by Smith. Pinch-runner Madi O'Neal moved up to second on Kettler's sac bunt and over to third on a Scroggins groundout before Walker got an RBI single up the middle past a drawn-in infield.
With the schedule changed because of expected rain on Saturday, the two teams will wrap up the series with a game at noon Sunday.
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas - No. 21 Baylor softball (28-13, 6-6 Big 12) swept a doubleheader over Kansas (25-20, 0-11 Big 12) clinching its eighth-straight series win over the Jayhawks in the two-game tilt on Friday evening at Getterman Stadium.
Jessie Scroggins went 2-for-3 in the opening game of the day, with her second hit setting a new program record for career hits, passing Lindsey Cargill (253, 2014-2017) for the most ever by a Lady Bear hitter.
Gia Rodoni (16-9) and Regan Green (9-3) secured the wins in the circle for the Lady Bears, both working complete game efforts.
In game one, Rodoni allowed seven hits, but just a single run, striking out six and walking two.
The Baylor offense gave her another early lead to work with, with Scroggins leading off with a bunt single, stealing second to move into scoring position.
A flyout would move Scroggins to third, driven in on an RBI double from Goose McGlaun to give BU the 1-0 lead after one.
Adding on in the second, a two-out rally was started off the bat of Maddison Kettler on a single up the middle. Another single for Scroggins moved Kettler into scoring position.
Kyla Walker broke the game open for the Lady Bears, lacing a triple down the left field line that rolled into the corner to allow both Scroggins and Kettler to score, pushing the BU lead out to 3-0 through two.
After KU scratched a run out in the top of the fifth, BU would take it back in the home half of the sixth.
Ashley Marchand pinch hit and worked a full-count walk, with Madi O'Neal coming on to pinch run. A sac bunt from Kettler moved O'Neal into scoring position, while an infield groundout moved her 60 feet away on third base with two outs.
Kyla Walker cut a single up the middle, scoring O'Neal and icing the 4-1 victory for the Lady Bears in game one.
In game two, Green spun a gem, allowing just four hits and one run, striking out four and walking one.
BU once again grabbed the early lead, with Goose McGlaun drawing a full-count, 11-pitch walk with one out in the bottom of the second.
Nicky Dawson dropped a single in to right center, with both runners advancing on a sac bunt from Taylor Ellis.
Hannah Smith dropped her first RBI single of the ballgame into centerfield, scoring McGlaun and opening up a 1-0 lead for the Lady Bears after two.
The Jayhawks would tie the game with a single run in the top of the fourth, but BU rallied in the home half of the sixth to regain the lead.
Shelby Friudenberg drew a walk, with O'Neal pinch running on first.
A ground out moved her into scoring position, with a single by Dawson pushing O'Neal to third.
Smith came through in the clutch, dropping a single just out of the reach of the diving KU centerfielder, allowing Dawson to score to take the lead back at 2-1.
Green would finish off the win with a routine inning, closing the game retiring the last 10 KU batters in order.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor clinched its eighth-straight series over the Jayhawks, winning 15 of the last 16 meetings between the programs.
• Jessie Scroggins (254 career hits) took over the No. 1 spot in the BU record books, passing Lindsey Cargill (253, 2014-2017) for the program record in career hits.
• Scroggins (2-for-3, 2 R) collected her 22nd multi-hit game of the season, extending her program record with the 77th multi-hit game of her career.
• Kyla Walker (3-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI) had her 12th multi-hit game of the season and the 53rd of her career, as well as her second multi-RBI game of the season, the 11th of her career.
• Walker's 3 RBI set a new season-high mark and matched her career high (at Iowa State, 4/3/16)
• In game two, Nicky Dawson (2-for-3) and Hannah Smith (2-for-2, 2 RBI) both notched multi-hit games, with Smith picking up the first of her career and Dawson collecting No. 7 on the season.
• Smith also marked her second multi-RBI game, driving in both of BU's runs in game two.
TOP QUOTES
"We got them when we had to have them I guess. I thought we had several other opportunities. It would have been nice to have one or two. We've just got to be happy with wins right now. I told the team our offense will come around, I really believe it will. Right now, I'm just going to tip my hat to Kansas and the pitching as well, but we're a better offense than we performed over the last few games or several games but we got them when we needed them." - Baylor head coach Glenn Moore on Baylor's offense
"That's amazing. When Cargill did it, it was amazing, and then to break it - on Cargill's birthday by the way. This program is old enough to where anyone who holds a record has done something amazing, so to break any records is a feat she should be very proud of." - Baylor head coach on Jessie Scroggins record-breaking career
"I'm pretty excited. I haven't been hitting my best so it was good to turn around and do something different for a change." - Baylor freshman Hannah Smith
"It was exciting for my team to be able to do that for them. We struggled in the beginning but we've been working on playing Baylor softball so it's nice to take the dub today." - Baylor freshman Hannah Smith
"She was a great hitter. She set the bar high and I get to set the bar higher, so that's awesome." - Baylor senior Jessie Scroggins, on topping Lindsey Cargill's record
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor will look to finish off its fourth-straight home sweep of the Jayhawks, with the series finale set for noon on Sunday at Getterman Stadium.
#SicEm
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Green, Regan (9-3)
L: Formby, Andie (11-7)
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Batting:
RBI: Mehringer, Annie 1
SH: McGinley, Erin 1 ; Monaghan, Becki 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gayre, Shelby 1
Batting:
RBI: Smith, Hannah 2
SH: Ellis, Taylor 1 ; Smith, Hannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McGlaun, Goose 1 ; Dawson, Nicky 1
SB: Dawson, Nicky 1 ; Smith, Hannah 1
CS: Smith, Hannah 1
