No. 15 SB Falls Against Iowa State, 8-1

Thursday, May 11

Oklahoma City, Okla.

10 AM

Baylor

39-16

Iowa State

25-29

Iowa State

Baylor

Amber Toven at bat at the Bog 12 Tournament

No. 15 SB Falls Against Iowa State, 8-1

5/11/2023 2:42:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Bears knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament in the first round

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Glenn Moore is just hoping that the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee looks more at his 15^th-ranked Baylor softball team's first 54 games and doesn't put too much stock in Thursday's first-round game at the Big 12 Championship.
            No-hit through the first five innings by Iowa State pitcher Ellie Spelhaug (8-8), the fourth-seeded Bears (39-16) never got anything going offensively and gave up a season-high 16 hits in falling to the fifth-seeded Cyclones, 8-1, at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
            "I don't know everyone's resume, but I think our resume – minus this last game – stacks up well with anybody that's in that 14 through 16 possibilities," Moore said of potentially earning one of the 16 regional host sites when Sunday's selections are announced.
            "I certainly think it's hard to deny the number of top-five wins (six) that we've had when you look at awarding host sites. And when you look at the ones that might be contenders for that, I think our resume is better."
            With a chance to get to 40 wins for the first time in six years, the Bears fell behind in the third inning, when the Cyclones (25-29) struck for a pair of runs on a leadoff walk and RBI hits by Angelina Allen and Alesia Ranches.
            Freshman RyLee Crandall (15-5), the reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, lasted just 2.1 innings and gave up two runs on four hits and one walk with one strikeout. Kaci West held ISU to just one run through the next 2.2 innings, but staff ace Dariana Orme was roughed up for five runs on six hits in her first game back since facing the Cyclones two weeks ago in Ames.
            "It was kind of a tossup on which one we wanted to go with," Moore said. "I thought RyLee's problem was her same problems that she had early in the year in working behind in the count. Two-ball counts over and over, and now you're having to pitch to a batter that's confident that she's going to get something to hit. And they squared it up over and over."
            Leading 3-0 going into a 33-minute lightning delay, Iowa State tacked on another run in the sixth on doubles by Milaysia Ochoa and Allen in Orme's first inning of work.
            Baylor's only real glimmer of hope came in the bottom of the sixth, when Presleigh Pilon broke up Spelhaug's no-hit bid with a one-out single up the middle. And then, with two out and two on, first-team All-Big 12 pick Shaylon Govan drove in McKenzie Wilson with a hard-hit ball that bounced off the third baseman's glove and trickled into foul territory.
            That brought Sydney Collazos to the plate as the tying run, but she flied out to shallow right field as Spelhaug avoided any further damage.
            "I felt the energy from our team was good throughout the game," Moore said. "I thought it was better after the lightning delay, so there was a hope that we were close enough there to do some damage and make a game out of it. But we were running out of time, obviously."
            The Cyclones put the game out of reach with a four-spot in the seventh, capped by Mikayla Ramos' two-run blast over the left-field wall that made it 8-1.
            Working a quick 1-2-3 bottom half of the frame, Spelhaug tossed a complete-game two-hitter with six strikeouts, one walk and a hit batter, facing just four batters over the minimum.
            With a season-high 16 hits, Iowa State knocked Baylor out in the first round of the Big 12 tournament for the second-straight year and beat the Bears for the 11^th time in the last 15 meetings dating back to 2019.
            "I don't have an answer for why we struggle with them so much," Moore said, "but they were playing without a care. They were just free-spirited over there and enjoying it. And that's kind of the way it was on Senior Weekend for them up there (winning two of three). I think they're playing their best ball. It's not that big (of) a gap between us and them. I'm baffled by it myself, though."
            Already guaranteed of making an NCAA regional for the 16^th time in the last 19 seasons, Baylor will find out if it gets to host when the selections are announced at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2. The Bears are hosting a watch party open to the public Sunday night at the Letterwinners Lounge at McLane Stadium, with doors opening at 5:15 p.m.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - No. 15 Baylor Softball fell against No. 5 seed Iowa State, 8-1, Thursday in the Big 12 Tournament at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

The Bears, now 39-16 on the season, are knocked out of the conference tournament in the first round.

THE RUNDOWN
Iowa State starter Ellie Spelhaug (8-8) threw a gem of a game, not letting the Bears record a hit until the sixth inning.

The Cyclones got on the board first, when a double and a single plated their first two runs of the game. ISU then put back-to-back runs on the board in the fifth and sixth innings, extending their lead to 4-1.

Baylor second baseman Presleigh Pilon notched the first hit of the game for the Bears, a single up the middle. After McKenzie Wilson then reached on a fielder's choice, Emily Hott was hit by a pitch to put two on for Shaylon Govan. The first baseman then laced a double down the left field line to bring home the Bears' lone run of the game.

ISU plated four more runs in the seventh, extending the Cyclones' lead to 8-1 on a two-run home run.

The Bears weren't able to get anything going in the bottom half of the seventh inning and fell in the opening round of the tournament.

HIGHLIGHTS

BU has now been knocked out of the tournament two years in a row by Iowa State
The Bears only recorded two hits in the matchup – a single from Presleigh Pilon and a double from Shaylon Govan, both in the sixth inning
Dariana Orme returned to the circle after a three-game break
The Bears are now 39-16 on the season
BU gave up its most hits of the season (16)

QUOTABLE
Head coach Glenn Moore on the game: "They're the toughest team we've played this year besides Oklahoma, probably. We've had more trouble figuring them out and certainly have to take my hat off to the way they played against us. I said up there (in Ames) that we didn't play poorly up there. I thought we played poorly today, but it has a lot to do with how they played. They just played better up there than we did. But today we couldn't figure out Ellie (Spelhaug). She threw an outstanding game. We've got a decent offense and to shut us down completely more so than the great name pitchers have shut us down really this year; says a lot for her and shows you what kind of game we had."

WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will return home and await the results from the NCAA Selection Show. The Bears will host a Selection Show watch party Sunday, May 14, beginning at 5:15 p.m., with the show starting at 6 p.m. CT. The event will be located in the Letterwinners Lounge at McLane Stadium and is open to the public.

- BaylorBears.com -