By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Baylor's pitchers did something that few teams have done over the last three seasons, quieting top-ranked Oklahoma's powerful bats. The Sooners (42-1, 12-0) had a combined 12 hits and six runs in Saturday's doubleheader at Getterman Stadium.
            But OU's pitchers were even better, tossing a pair of shutouts and allowing just six hits for the day in beating the 16^th-ranked Bears, 4-0 and 2-0, to complete the three-game series sweep.
            "We did as well as we could against that offense, that powerful offense, with our pitching," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team fell to 34-13 overall and 4-8 in the Big 12. "Really happy with Dari (Orme) and happy with the way Kaci (West) competed in game one today."
            Shut out 7-0 in Friday's series opener, Baylor was in a scoreless tie through the first five innings of game one. West (6-2) and the Sooners' Alex Storako (14-0) were locked in a pitchers' duel, before the Sooners broke through in the top of the sixth.
            After a leadoff walk by Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen broke up West's shutout bid with a triple past diving leftfielder Taylor Strain. And then, Cydney Sanders hit a three-run homer to break it open, her second long ball of the weekend and fourth of the season to make it 4-0.
            West, who gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 6.0 innings, said she was just "trusting my defense."
            "My defense behind me was making plays," she said. "They were working, they were competing. That's so important. McKenzie (Wilson's) amazing catch in center field, that gives us momentum going into offense. Shay (Govan's) catch at first shifts momentum and gives us a lot of energy."
            Baylor's best chance came in the fourth inning, when Govan had a leadoff walk and Ana Watson singled to put runners on the corners with only one out. But Storako threw out pinch-runner Ashlyn Wachtendorf at the plate on Emily Hott's bunt, then Watson got caught in a rundown between second and third and was tagged out to end the inning.
            "They're a great pitching staff," West said. "They go up and down in the zone and mix speeds and move the ball well. They attack hitters."
            The Sooners got the offense going a little earlier in game two, with Jennings blasting her 11^th home run of the season in the top of the first. And then, Alyssa Brito led off the second with a solo shot over the left-field wall for her 10^th homer, but was pretty much it off Orme (14-7).
            Over the last five innings, Orme gave up just three hits and two walks and held OU scoreless the rest of the way.
            "Dari is a competitor as soon as she steps on the field," West said. "You have to drag her off that field, no matter what. Just to see the way she competes for this team, she's going to war every single pitch."
            The Bears' only real chance in game two came in the fifth, when Hott walked and West reached base with a bunt single. But Hott was thrown out at third, then May retired the next two batters on a fly out and groundout.
            "They all throw hard," Moore said of the OU pitchers, "but they have movement. With the movement plus speed, it gives you less time to react, and May was changing speeds really well; probably even better than the other two. All three we faced were able to work multiple planes with speed and movement. That's why they have those ERAs that are phenomenal and why everybody else is struggling to hit them as well.
            "They have three of the best to ever play the game, and they've got them all on one ball club."
            Baylor will host Tarleton State (21-16) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday before traveling to Ames, Iowa, next weekend to play last-place Iowa State (18-27, 2-10).


WACO, Texas - No. 16 Baylor Softball fell against the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, 4-0 in game one and 2-0 in game two, of the Saturday doubleheader at Getterman Stadium
 
The Bears, now 34-13 on the season and 4-8 in conference play, pitched 11 shutout innings against the Sooners over the course of the two games. 
 
THE RUNDOWN
The Bears battled to the end in game one, holding the Sooners scoreless for six innings, and loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh. 
 
After the first two batters walked, Kaci West came into the game and sat the next three Sooners down in order in the first inning. 
 
Baylor capitalized again in the top of the second after a leadoff single was erased by a double play and West picked up her first strikeout. The Sooners then popped-up into a double play in the third, effectively erasing the runners again. 
 
Baylor got its first hit of the game in the bottom of the third when Zadie LaValley singled to right field. With two outs, McKenzie Wilson singled to put runners on the corners, but that would be all for the Bears in the third. 
 
The Bears threatened again in the bottom of the fourth, after a leadoff walk to Shaylon Govan and a sacrifice bunt from Sydney Collazos moves pinch-runner Ashlyn Wachtendorf to second base. Ana Watson then singled, before Emily Hott reached on a fielder's choice trying to bring Wachtendorf home, but she was ultimately called out after a review at the plate. 
 
A triple and a three-run home run plated all four of the Sooners' runs in the top of the sixth. 
 
The Bears tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, with Hott drawing a leadoff walk and Josie Bower getting hit by a pitch. Presleigh Pilon then reached on a fielder's choice and Wilson walked to load the bases, but a groundout ended the game. 
 
In the second game, Oklahoma took the early lead in the top of the first, after a solo shot put the Sooners up 1-0. They added a run in the next inning with another solo shot, but the Bears worked out of a jam and left them scoreless. 
 
The Bears only allowed one OU base runner in the following two innings. 
 
Baylor threatened in the fifth, after Hott drew a leadoff walk and Kaci West singled on a bunt that had Hott take third, but she was called out after a review. 
 
Dariana Orme sat the Sooners down in order in the top of the sixth, striking out one and recording the putout on the third batter. 
 
Down to its last shot in the bottom of the seventh, Hott drew a six-pitch walk, but a fly-out to center field stopped the Bears' chance. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Josie Bower moved to second all-time in Baylor records books for hit by pitches with 26
• Four different Bears recorded a hit in game one
• Kaci West effectively tossed six innings in game one, striking out two
• Amber Toven and Kaci West each recorded a hit in game two
• Emily Hott drew two walks in game two
• The Bears only struck out once in game two
• Dariana Orme pitched a complete-game in game two, only allowing two runs, while pitching five shutout innings

 
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Glenn Moore
"I wasn't happy with our game yesterday. And I thought we came out here a little too uptight, and I thought today we were relaxed and competed. Obviously, we didn't put up runs, but we threatened and we fought. I think we had one strikeout with a strikeout pitcher. Really thought we did well there but back to your point, we did as well as we could against that offense, that powerful offense with our pitching, and really happy with Dari and happy with the way Kaci competed in game one today."
 
Kaci West on the game …  
"Trusting my defense, I mean I only had two strikeouts today, so that proves it was a defensive game. My defense behind me was making plays, they were working, they were competing. That's so important. McKenzie's amazing catch in centerfield, that gives us momentum going into offense. Shay's good catch at first shifts momentum and gives us a lot of energy."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will play Texas State on Wednesday, April 26, at 6:30 p.m. CT at Getterman Stadium, before heading to Ames, Iowa, to face the Iowa State Cyclones in a three-game series.