By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            GAINESVILLE, Fla. – For most of Friday's opening-round game in the NCAA Gainesville Regional, sixth-year Baylor senior Gia Rodoni looked a lot like the pitcher that threw back-to-back no-hitters four years ago in the Waco Regional. 
             Striking out six of the first 13 batters she faced, Rodoni shut out South Alabama on one hit through the first 3 2/3 innings. But, Abby Allen had a solo homer in the fourth and Kamdyn Kvistad added another for insurance in the seventh as the third-seeded Jaguars (31-19) knocked off the third-seeded Lady Bears, 2-0. 
            South Alabama freshman Olivia Lackie (19-10) tossed her seventh complete-game shutout of the season, giving up just two hits and five walks with nine strikeouts. 
            "Obviously, disappointed in the outcome of the game," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team fell to 27-22 with its seventh-straight loss. "Gia pitched well, we just haven't been able to push runs across the plate for a while now. When we do get some momentum, we get a bad break. . . . They played a better ballgame than us all the way around. Our backs are against the wall, and we'll see. I know this team has a lot of fight, and we'll come out fighting."
            Baylor drops into the loser's bracket of the double-elimination regional and will face South Florida (29-18) at 3:30 p.m. CDT Saturday. The winner stays alive and will face the loser of the Florida-South Alabama game at 6 p.m. 
            "We can't dwell too much on this game," said senior third baseman Taylor Ellis, who had one of the team's two hits with a single to left in the sixth inning. "We've got to come out tomorrow and play another game and come out on trop. We've got to forget this one and move forward."
            While the Lady Bears managed just two hits off Lackie, they did have plenty of chances with five walks and two hit batters. Baylor was 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, starting in the first inning when Lackie struck out Emily Hott and Aliyah Binford and retired Goose McGlaun on a pop-out to shortstop after Lou Gilbert led off with a walk and stole second. 
            "We've had very few games this year that we had the opportunities we had in this one," Moore said. "We weren't in her face the whole game, but we certainly had opportunities with good hitters in the box. I've coached this game long enough that if a pitcher can get Goose McGlaun or Taylor Ellis out in those situations, they've done their job, and you've just got to say, well done."
            After Allen's homer to left, Rodoni gave up three-straight singles but left the bases loaded when she retired pinch-hitter Camryn McLemore on a fly to center. 
            "I started the game struggling to find the strike zone," said Rodoni, who allowed eight hits and two walks while striking out nine. "Once I found it, (catcher Zadie LaValley) and I just worked hard to make the batters miss the ball. Overall, I felt good physically."
            Baylor got two runners on base in the fourth on a two-out single by Josie Bower and a LaValley walk, but Lackie struck out Sydney Collazos on three pitches to end the threat.
            The Lady Bears' best threat came in the sixth, when they loaded the bases when Ellis singled, Bower was hit by a pitch and Collazos drew a 10-pitch walk. But again, Lackie buckled down and struck out pinch-hitter Hannah Thompson on a high 2-2 fastball.
            Moore expects to see South Florida ace Georgina Corrick (22-8) in Saturday's elimination game. Corrick tossed six shutout innings before the Gators broke through with a run in the bottom of the seventh to pull out a 1-0 win. 
            "They're very similar to South Alabama, a very good pitcher," Moore said. "I thought they were going to knock off Florida. They had an opportunity, had a play at the plate, a close call called out that would have given them a go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. They're very good, and I'm sure we'll see their ace. She's thrown over 200 innings, very similar to Lackie."
            Saturday's game will be streamed by ESPN3, with Beth Mowins and Michelle Williams calling the action. 


THE RUNDOWN
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Baylor softball dropped a 2-0 contest to South Alabama Friday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in the second game of the NCAA Gainesville Regional.
 
The score remained knotted in a scoreless tie until South Alabama hit a solo shot to give the Jaguars the lead in the fourth inning. USA used that shot to rally and load the bases with two outs, but Hannah Smith made the diving catch in center field to end the frame.
 
The Lady Bears, who had a runner in scoring position in five innings, made some noise in the bottom of the sixth inning as Taylor Ellis singled to left field and Josie Bower got hit to put two runners on with two outs. Sydney Collazos then battled through a 10-pitch at-bat to draw a walk and load the bases but a strikeout ended the inning.
 
Gia Rodoni threw her 13^th complete game of the season as she gave up two runs off eight hits with nine strikeouts and only two walks.
 
Ellis and Bower had BU's hits on the day, and Lou Gilbert drew three walks as the Jaguars mostly pitched around Baylor's leadoff hitter.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Lou Gilbert stole her 18^th and 19^th bases of the season. That moves her to first place in the conference in that category.
• Taylor Ellis now has a hit in 13 of the last 14 games. She's reached base in 14-straight games.
• With her walk in the sixth inning, Zadie LaValley has reached base safely in five-straight games.

 
STAT OF THE DAY
19 – Stolen bases on the season by Lou Gilbert

TOP QUOTES
Baylor head coach Glenn Moore on the game…
"Obviously disappointed in the outcome of the game. Gia (Rodoni) pitched well. We just haven't been able to push runs across the plate for a while now. When we do get some momentum, we get a bad break. You've got to give credit to (Olivia) Lackie. She threw really well, a challenging zone back there, and she dealt with it. Gia dealt with it. They played a better ballgame than us all the way around. Give them credit. It's one game of a double elimination. Our backs are against the wall, and we'll see. I know this team has a lot of heart and we'll come out fighting."
 
UP NEXT
Baylor faces South Florida at 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Saturday in the first elimination game of the Gainesville Regional. If the Lady Bears win that contest, they will move on to face the loser between Florida and South Alabama at 6 p.m. (CT). The Gators and Jaguars play Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT).