Saturday, May 6
Waco, Texas
6 PM
Baylor
38-15, 0
5
vs
2
#5 Texas
40-11-1, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Texas
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
7
1
Baylor
2
0
1
0
0
2
X
5
6
1
No. 20 SB Clinches Series with 5-2 Win Over No. 5 Texas
5/6/2023 11:01:00 PM | Softball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
For the second-straight night, 20th-ranked Baylor softball got a lights-out performance from the next pitcher up and clinched the series against No. 5 Texas with a 5-2 win over the Longhorns Saturday before a sellout crowd of 1,250 at Getterman Stadium.
This time, it was sophomore Kaci West (8-3), who gave up just one run on five hits in six innings before getting "gassed at the end." Freshman RyLee Crandall came back to close it out in the seventh after going the distance in Friday's 9-1, run-rule win in Austin.
"I'm so proud of Kaci and RyLee for stepping it up," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team improved to 38-15 overall and 7-10 in the Big 12. "Kaci gave us everything she had against a great lineup. Another gem of a game, both of them. RyLee came in and shut the door."
Just like Friday's series opener, Baylor jumped out to an early lead with a pair of first-inning runs off Texas starter Citlaly Guiterrez (11-3). McKenzie Wilson reached base on an error, stole second and went to third on Emily Hott's sacrifice bunt before scoring on a wild pitch.
After Josie Bower drew a two-out walk, Amber Toven drove in a run with a seeing-eye single up the middle that made it a 2-0 game.
"Coach was talking a lot about get them on, get them over, get them in," said Toven, who was 2-for-2 with a walk, one run and an RBI, "so that was kind of our mindset coming into the game. And we had already faced all their pitchers, so there was a lot of confidence."
The Longhorns (40-11-1, 11-6) looked like they would answer right back when Leighann Goode led off the second inning with a single just over Toven's reach at short and Reese Atwood followed with a single to left. But West responded by getting the next two batters on fly outs to left and then speedy Bella Dayton on a grounder to second.
"Honestly, (I was) just trusting the defense behind me, because they played amazing tonight," West said. "There were some spectacular plays out there. I only had one strikeout, so again that's a defensive game, and they were making some amazing plays behind me."
Baylor had a chance to break it open in the third when four of the first five batters reached base with two walks and a pair of singles. Bower drove in her fifth run of the series with a single to left, but Mac Morgan came out of the bullpen to wiggle out of the bases-loaded jam without any more damage.
Texas got a run on the board in the top of the fourth, when Goode drew a one-out walk and scored on pinch-hitter Vanessa Quiroga's RBI double to center field.
The Longhorns had runners on second and third in the fifth, but West got 3-hole hitter Viviana Martinez on a comebacker to the circle and then left two more runners on base in the sixth when Dayton grounded out to the shortstop.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bears tacked on two more runs when Toven and West singled, moved up on a Taylor Strain sac bunt and scored on Presleigh Pilon's single. With the bases loaded, reliever Sophia Simpson got Shaylon Govan on a fly out to right field and struck out Sydney Collazos swinging to keep it at 5-1.
"There were a couple of times when I was a little greedy and thought if we could get a hit with the bases loaded with Shay up there," Moore said. "We expect her to be Wonder Woman every time she's at the plate. She rarely gets a great pitch to hit, so she has to do something with a bad pitch. And she does quite often. With a 3-0 count, I thought they were going to risk a run there, but they came back and pitched to her carefully and got her out."
Down to its last three outs, Texas rallied with a run in the seventh and brought the tying run to the plate, but Atwood popped up to second with a pair of runners on base. The Longhorns actually outhit Baylor, 7-6, but left nine runners stranded.
"I've said all along, this is one of the best defenses we've had," Moore said. "We've made some mistakes along the way, but our defense is playing at the top of its game right now. So, it's a full package, getting more offense, the defense and those two kids' (West and Crandall) trajectory heading the right way at the right time gives me great optimism."
Texas did clinch the No. 2 seed for next week's Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, with top-ranked Oklahoma (48-1, 17-0) scoring four runs in the seventh to hand No. 6 Oklahoma State (41-12, 10-7) a 4-2 loss in Stillwater. The Cowgirls have dropped nine of their last 11 games, including getting swept by the Longhorns in Austin.
The final game of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, with Bower honored as Baylor's lone senior.
WACO, Texas - No. 20 Baylor Softball secured the series over No. 5 Texas, defeating the Longhorns 5-2 Saturday night at Getterman Stadium.
The Bears, now 38-15 on the season and 7-10 in conference play, pick up their fifth win over a top-5 team this season.
THE RUNDOWN
The Bears came out swinging in game two of the three-game series, putting up two runs in the bottom of the first inning after shutting down Texas in the top half of the inning. After BU walked the first Longhorn of the game, a double play and strikeout from starting pitcher Kaci West sat UT down in order.
McKenzie Wilson led off the bottom half of the first, reaching on an error and stealing second base. After a sacrifice bunt from Emily Hott moved Wilson to third, Shaylon Govan was walked to put runners on the corners. Wilson then came home to score on a wild pitch before another walk was issued. With two on, Amber Toven singled up the middle to bring the Bears' second run of the inning home.
The Baylor defense worked out of a jam in the second inning, as Baylor was able to tack on a run in the bottom of third.
Hott was walked to lead off the third, before Govan singled and Sydney Collazos laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners in scoring position. Josie Bower drove a single to left field, scoring Hott and giving BU the 3-0 lead.
Texas got a run across in the top of the fourth to cut the Bears' lead by one, but the Bears were able to keep the 3-1 advantage after working out of a jam in the top of the fifth.
Baylor added some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, after back-to-back singles from Toven and Kaci West put two on for Taylor Strain who moved them over with a sacrifice bunt. Presleigh Pilon then laced a single up the middle, bringing home both runs to give Baylor the 5-1 lead. The Bears reloaded the bases after back-to-back walks were issued, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Texas got a run back in the top of the seventh, but the Bears secured the 5-2 series victory when a pop-up to second base ended the game.
HIGHLIGHTS
QUOTABLE
Head coach Glenn Moore on the pitching performance: "Kaci West pretty much did what RyLee Crandall did (Friday night). She was locating the ball really well. She had enough movement, and she was throwing with pretty good velocity that was deceiving. She's that small and throwing 66 and 67 mph a few times, that's big-time speed for a little kid like that. She's got a heart the size of Texas and she competes. I think everyone plays at a different level when they see her competing like that."
Sophomore shortstop Amber Toven: "As far as the team, I think they did amazing. I think they strung together a lot of hits. Coach (Moore) was talking a lot about get them on, get them over, get them in so that was kind of our mindset coming into this game. We already faced all the pitchers and so there was a lot of confidence."
Sophomore pitcher Kaci West on what was working for her: "Honestly just trusting the defense behind me because they played amazing tonight. There were some spectacular plays out there. I only had one strikeout so again that's a defensive game and they were making some amazing plays behind me."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will close out the series Sunday, May 7 at 1 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.
Baylor Bear Insider
For the second-straight night, 20th-ranked Baylor softball got a lights-out performance from the next pitcher up and clinched the series against No. 5 Texas with a 5-2 win over the Longhorns Saturday before a sellout crowd of 1,250 at Getterman Stadium.
This time, it was sophomore Kaci West (8-3), who gave up just one run on five hits in six innings before getting "gassed at the end." Freshman RyLee Crandall came back to close it out in the seventh after going the distance in Friday's 9-1, run-rule win in Austin.
"I'm so proud of Kaci and RyLee for stepping it up," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team improved to 38-15 overall and 7-10 in the Big 12. "Kaci gave us everything she had against a great lineup. Another gem of a game, both of them. RyLee came in and shut the door."
Just like Friday's series opener, Baylor jumped out to an early lead with a pair of first-inning runs off Texas starter Citlaly Guiterrez (11-3). McKenzie Wilson reached base on an error, stole second and went to third on Emily Hott's sacrifice bunt before scoring on a wild pitch.
After Josie Bower drew a two-out walk, Amber Toven drove in a run with a seeing-eye single up the middle that made it a 2-0 game.
"Coach was talking a lot about get them on, get them over, get them in," said Toven, who was 2-for-2 with a walk, one run and an RBI, "so that was kind of our mindset coming into the game. And we had already faced all their pitchers, so there was a lot of confidence."
The Longhorns (40-11-1, 11-6) looked like they would answer right back when Leighann Goode led off the second inning with a single just over Toven's reach at short and Reese Atwood followed with a single to left. But West responded by getting the next two batters on fly outs to left and then speedy Bella Dayton on a grounder to second.
"Honestly, (I was) just trusting the defense behind me, because they played amazing tonight," West said. "There were some spectacular plays out there. I only had one strikeout, so again that's a defensive game, and they were making some amazing plays behind me."
Baylor had a chance to break it open in the third when four of the first five batters reached base with two walks and a pair of singles. Bower drove in her fifth run of the series with a single to left, but Mac Morgan came out of the bullpen to wiggle out of the bases-loaded jam without any more damage.
Texas got a run on the board in the top of the fourth, when Goode drew a one-out walk and scored on pinch-hitter Vanessa Quiroga's RBI double to center field.
The Longhorns had runners on second and third in the fifth, but West got 3-hole hitter Viviana Martinez on a comebacker to the circle and then left two more runners on base in the sixth when Dayton grounded out to the shortstop.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bears tacked on two more runs when Toven and West singled, moved up on a Taylor Strain sac bunt and scored on Presleigh Pilon's single. With the bases loaded, reliever Sophia Simpson got Shaylon Govan on a fly out to right field and struck out Sydney Collazos swinging to keep it at 5-1.
"There were a couple of times when I was a little greedy and thought if we could get a hit with the bases loaded with Shay up there," Moore said. "We expect her to be Wonder Woman every time she's at the plate. She rarely gets a great pitch to hit, so she has to do something with a bad pitch. And she does quite often. With a 3-0 count, I thought they were going to risk a run there, but they came back and pitched to her carefully and got her out."
Down to its last three outs, Texas rallied with a run in the seventh and brought the tying run to the plate, but Atwood popped up to second with a pair of runners on base. The Longhorns actually outhit Baylor, 7-6, but left nine runners stranded.
"I've said all along, this is one of the best defenses we've had," Moore said. "We've made some mistakes along the way, but our defense is playing at the top of its game right now. So, it's a full package, getting more offense, the defense and those two kids' (West and Crandall) trajectory heading the right way at the right time gives me great optimism."
Texas did clinch the No. 2 seed for next week's Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, with top-ranked Oklahoma (48-1, 17-0) scoring four runs in the seventh to hand No. 6 Oklahoma State (41-12, 10-7) a 4-2 loss in Stillwater. The Cowgirls have dropped nine of their last 11 games, including getting swept by the Longhorns in Austin.
The final game of the series is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, with Bower honored as Baylor's lone senior.
WACO, Texas - No. 20 Baylor Softball secured the series over No. 5 Texas, defeating the Longhorns 5-2 Saturday night at Getterman Stadium.
The Bears, now 38-15 on the season and 7-10 in conference play, pick up their fifth win over a top-5 team this season.
THE RUNDOWN
The Bears came out swinging in game two of the three-game series, putting up two runs in the bottom of the first inning after shutting down Texas in the top half of the inning. After BU walked the first Longhorn of the game, a double play and strikeout from starting pitcher Kaci West sat UT down in order.
McKenzie Wilson led off the bottom half of the first, reaching on an error and stealing second base. After a sacrifice bunt from Emily Hott moved Wilson to third, Shaylon Govan was walked to put runners on the corners. Wilson then came home to score on a wild pitch before another walk was issued. With two on, Amber Toven singled up the middle to bring the Bears' second run of the inning home.
The Baylor defense worked out of a jam in the second inning, as Baylor was able to tack on a run in the bottom of third.
Hott was walked to lead off the third, before Govan singled and Sydney Collazos laid down a sacrifice bunt to put runners in scoring position. Josie Bower drove a single to left field, scoring Hott and giving BU the 3-0 lead.
Texas got a run across in the top of the fourth to cut the Bears' lead by one, but the Bears were able to keep the 3-1 advantage after working out of a jam in the top of the fifth.
Baylor added some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, after back-to-back singles from Toven and Kaci West put two on for Taylor Strain who moved them over with a sacrifice bunt. Presleigh Pilon then laced a single up the middle, bringing home both runs to give Baylor the 5-1 lead. The Bears reloaded the bases after back-to-back walks were issued, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Texas got a run back in the top of the seventh, but the Bears secured the 5-2 series victory when a pop-up to second base ended the game.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Baylor secures its fifth top-5 win this season
- Amber Toven recorded two hits, collecting an RBI and drawing a walk
- Presleigh Pilon had a team leading two RBIs
- This marks the second time this season the Bears have notched back-to-back wins over a top-5 team
- Seven Bears reached base in the matchup
- Kaci West pitched six innings and improved to 8-3 on the season
- RyLee Crandall closed out the game, pitching one inning
- Shaylon Govan is now at 43 walks on the season, good for second all-time at Baylor
- Five different Bears recorded a hit
QUOTABLE
Head coach Glenn Moore on the pitching performance: "Kaci West pretty much did what RyLee Crandall did (Friday night). She was locating the ball really well. She had enough movement, and she was throwing with pretty good velocity that was deceiving. She's that small and throwing 66 and 67 mph a few times, that's big-time speed for a little kid like that. She's got a heart the size of Texas and she competes. I think everyone plays at a different level when they see her competing like that."
Sophomore shortstop Amber Toven: "As far as the team, I think they did amazing. I think they strung together a lot of hits. Coach (Moore) was talking a lot about get them on, get them over, get them in so that was kind of our mindset coming into this game. We already faced all the pitchers and so there was a lot of confidence."
Sophomore pitcher Kaci West on what was working for her: "Honestly just trusting the defense behind me because they played amazing tonight. There were some spectacular plays out there. I only had one strikeout so again that's a defensive game and they were making some amazing plays behind me."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will close out the series Sunday, May 7 at 1 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.
- BaylorBears.com -
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: West, Kaci (8-3)
L: Gutierrez, Citlaly (11-3)
Batting:
2B: Quiroga, Vanessa 1
RBI: Martinez, Viviana 1 ; Quiroga, Vanessa 1
SH: Gilbert, Lou 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Goode, Leighann 1 ; Gilbert, Lou 1
SB: Scott, Mia 1 ; Goode, Leighann 1
HBP: Whitaker, Jordyn 1
Batting:
RBI: Bower, Josie 1 ; Toven, Amber 1 ; Pilon, Presleigh 2
SH: Hott, Emily 1 ; Collazos, Sydney 1 ; Strain, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wilson, McKenzie 1 ; Hott, Emily 1 ; Rowatt, Caroline 1 ; Toven, Amber 1 ; Wachtendorf, Ashlyn 1
SB: Wilson, McKenzie 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballBaylor Softball: Highlights vs. Texas Tech | May 8, 2025
Thursday, May 08
back-to-back-to-back 🫢
Thursday, May 08
Round Won 👏
Thursday, May 08
Baylor Softball: Highlights vs. Kansas | May 7, 2025
Wednesday, May 07
