Saturday, March 9
Waco, Texas
2 PM
Baylor
14-4, 0
2
vs
0
Oklahoma State
19-3, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Oklahoma State
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Baylor
0
0
0
0
0
2
X
2
2
0
No. 14 SB Takes Down No. 7 Oklahoma State, 2-0
3/9/2024 5:55:00 PM | Softball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – After retiring just two of the five batters she faced in Friday's series-opening 4-1 loss to seventh-ranked Oklahoma State, sophomore pitcher RyLee Crandall tossed a one-hit shutout and faced one over the minimum in a 2-0 win over the Cowgirls Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium.
"Yesterday, obviously, was tough for me," Crandall said of walking the leadoff batter in the seventh that led to the tying run, "because when I came in, things happened. . . . I know I don't have to pitch 21 strikeouts to win. The defense, for sure, is what keeps us in the game. I expect it, but I'm excited every single time, because I know what they're capable of doing.
"It's awesome to see it, and I can't wait to go back and watch all the pictures."
As shaky as she was Friday night, Crandall (7-0) was dominant in this one. She took a perfect game into the fifth inning and then retired the last nine batters in a row, getting help from a flawless defense that included a highlight-reel catch by centerfielder Ashlyn Wachtendorf.
"She was phenomenal," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team improved to 14-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 with its first win over the Cowgirls (19-3, 1-1) in five years. "(We) challenged her a little bit after yesterday. She came back and she didn't dominate with strikeouts (two), but she was hard to hit, hard to square up. And then, we played great defense behind her. Really proud of the team effort, but she was outstanding today, for sure."
Wachtendorf's hit-saving defensive play came in the fourth inning, when she made a diving catch on a sinking line drive by Claire Timm, who hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning Friday night.
"We saw Taylor Strain yesterday and Ashlyn Wachtendorf today, really big-time plays," Moore said. "Those are crowd-pleasing plays and (it) keeps you in the ball game. Because there were some balls that if they're a foot or two left or right or not quite as hard, (they) can blow a game open in a hurry and momentum changes."
The Bears had opportunities early, none better than in the second inning, when the first two batters reached base. Ana Watson was hit by a pitch and Abi Flores walked, but Kaci West lined out to short, Wachtendorf grounded out and Presleigh Pilon grounded out with both runners in scoring position.
Caroline Wang broke up the no-hitter and perfect game with a leadoff single up the middle in the fifth inning. But Crandall retired the next three, leaving pinch-runner Scotland David stranded at second after a stolen base.
Similarly, Pilon singled up the middle and stole second in the bottom of the fifth, but she was left there when Ivy Roseberry came out of the pen and retired Emily Hott on a grounder to second.
A Baylor offense that was mostly quiet through the first 13 innings in this series came alive in the bottom of the sixth. After Shaylon Govan drew her second walk to lead off the frame, pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt moved to third on a bad-hop infield single by Watson.
Watson stole second, putting two runners in scoring position. Rowatt then beat the throw home on Flores' grounder to second, and Watson scored on West's sacrice Fly to center, giving Crandall a 2-0 lead to work with.
Rosenberry (5-1), who came in with a 0.23 ERA after giving up one earned run in 31.0 innings, suffered her first loss and allowed two runs on one hit and a walk with no strikeouts in 1.1 innings.
"She kind of throws like (OSU ace Lexi) Kilfoyl in the first game," Watson said of Rosenberry. "We had a game plan going against Kilfoyl, so we kind of took it against (Rosenberry) as well and try to see the ball up as it goes down."
Facing the Cowgirls' 2, 3 and 4-hole hitters, Crandall worked a 1-2-3 frame for the sixth time in seven innings, getting Timm, Karli Goodwin and Wang on three-straight groundouts.
"Our whole staff really supports each other," Crandall said. "When Aliyah (Binford) goes in, we're all behind her. And when I go in, they're all behind me. It makes it so much easier when you have a defense. We just put in the work and God's got it. He blesses us with the talent to do it."
Baylor will go for the series win in Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale, which will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
"I guess I'm a little greedy," Moore said. "I'd like to have won it today. I thought we had a good shot at (winning the series) today. But that's asking for a lot playing against a top-five team. So, I'll take it where we are and be proud of the fact that the momentum shifted in our favor and see how much it means to the girls when they come out here on Sunday."
WACO, Texas – No. 14 Baylor Softball evened the series against No. 7 Oklahoma State, defeating the Cowgirls, 2-0, Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium.
The Bears have taken down Oklahoma State for the first time since 2019, when BU defeated OSU in Waco, 2-1.
THE RUNDOWN
RyLee Crandall dominated in the circle tonight, only allowing one hit and otherwise pitching a perfect game. The sophomore pitcher effectively retired the Cowgirls in order in six of their seven innings, only allowing a single up the middle in the top of the fifth.
The Bears had their first baserunner of the day in the bottom of the first when Shaylon Govan was walked for the 14thtime this season, but the Bears wouldn't have anyone come around to score.
Baylor threatened again in the second, when Ana Watson led off the inning getting hit by a pitch, followed by Abi Flores being issued a four-pitch walk, but after moving into scoring position on a groundout, the Cowgirls worked out of the threat.
Sydney Collazos was walked to leadoff the bottom of the fourth, but Baylor wouldn't find its first hit of the day until Presleigh Pilon singled up the middle in the bottom of the fifth and stole second to add a little spark to the Baylor offense.
BU started off strong in the bottom of the fifth when Govan drew a leadoff walk and pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt moved to third on a bad-hop single to shortstop off the bat of Watson. With runners on the corners, Watson stole second before Flores reached on a fielder's choice which allowed the runner to slide into home safely. With one run across and a runner on third, a sacrifice fly from Kaci West plated the Bears' second run and gave BU the 2-0 advantage.
Doing what they did all game, the Baylor defense was on-lock in the bottom of the seventh, forcing three straight groundouts to secure the series-tying victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
QUOTABLE
Ana Watson on winning today…
"It feels amazing. It feels like all our hard work is starting to show. Every moment that we have we're taking advantage of it. So, we have to keep pushing forward."
RyLee Crandall on the team support …
"Our whole staff really supports each other. When Aliyah (Binford) goes in, we're all behind her. When I go in, they're all behind me. It makes it so much easier when you have a defense. We just put in the work and God's got it. He blesses us with the talent to do it."
Head Coach Glenn Moore on the game …
"Took advantage of the opportunities. And I think (in the) last few years we've not done a great job of timely hitting or executing. I was disappointed in our bunting game, that was one of our goals at the beginning of the year, was (to) be a good bunting team and they've worked extra on it, but not enough. We got to get back in there and make sure that's an important part of what we're doing, and we lock into it. It's hard to create a game-like atmosphere in practice, but we have to do it because (we had) three opportunities to move runners and score earlier and we failed on all three of those. So bunting is probably the biggest negative, but the rest of the game I was pretty happy with."
UP NEXT
The Bears will close out the series against No. 7 Oklahoma State on Sunday, March 10, at 1 p.m. CT at Getterman Stadium.
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – After retiring just two of the five batters she faced in Friday's series-opening 4-1 loss to seventh-ranked Oklahoma State, sophomore pitcher RyLee Crandall tossed a one-hit shutout and faced one over the minimum in a 2-0 win over the Cowgirls Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium.
"Yesterday, obviously, was tough for me," Crandall said of walking the leadoff batter in the seventh that led to the tying run, "because when I came in, things happened. . . . I know I don't have to pitch 21 strikeouts to win. The defense, for sure, is what keeps us in the game. I expect it, but I'm excited every single time, because I know what they're capable of doing.
"It's awesome to see it, and I can't wait to go back and watch all the pictures."
As shaky as she was Friday night, Crandall (7-0) was dominant in this one. She took a perfect game into the fifth inning and then retired the last nine batters in a row, getting help from a flawless defense that included a highlight-reel catch by centerfielder Ashlyn Wachtendorf.
"She was phenomenal," said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose team improved to 14-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12 with its first win over the Cowgirls (19-3, 1-1) in five years. "(We) challenged her a little bit after yesterday. She came back and she didn't dominate with strikeouts (two), but she was hard to hit, hard to square up. And then, we played great defense behind her. Really proud of the team effort, but she was outstanding today, for sure."
Wachtendorf's hit-saving defensive play came in the fourth inning, when she made a diving catch on a sinking line drive by Claire Timm, who hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning Friday night.
"We saw Taylor Strain yesterday and Ashlyn Wachtendorf today, really big-time plays," Moore said. "Those are crowd-pleasing plays and (it) keeps you in the ball game. Because there were some balls that if they're a foot or two left or right or not quite as hard, (they) can blow a game open in a hurry and momentum changes."
The Bears had opportunities early, none better than in the second inning, when the first two batters reached base. Ana Watson was hit by a pitch and Abi Flores walked, but Kaci West lined out to short, Wachtendorf grounded out and Presleigh Pilon grounded out with both runners in scoring position.
Caroline Wang broke up the no-hitter and perfect game with a leadoff single up the middle in the fifth inning. But Crandall retired the next three, leaving pinch-runner Scotland David stranded at second after a stolen base.
Similarly, Pilon singled up the middle and stole second in the bottom of the fifth, but she was left there when Ivy Roseberry came out of the pen and retired Emily Hott on a grounder to second.
A Baylor offense that was mostly quiet through the first 13 innings in this series came alive in the bottom of the sixth. After Shaylon Govan drew her second walk to lead off the frame, pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt moved to third on a bad-hop infield single by Watson.
Watson stole second, putting two runners in scoring position. Rowatt then beat the throw home on Flores' grounder to second, and Watson scored on West's sacrice Fly to center, giving Crandall a 2-0 lead to work with.
Rosenberry (5-1), who came in with a 0.23 ERA after giving up one earned run in 31.0 innings, suffered her first loss and allowed two runs on one hit and a walk with no strikeouts in 1.1 innings.
"She kind of throws like (OSU ace Lexi) Kilfoyl in the first game," Watson said of Rosenberry. "We had a game plan going against Kilfoyl, so we kind of took it against (Rosenberry) as well and try to see the ball up as it goes down."
Facing the Cowgirls' 2, 3 and 4-hole hitters, Crandall worked a 1-2-3 frame for the sixth time in seven innings, getting Timm, Karli Goodwin and Wang on three-straight groundouts.
"Our whole staff really supports each other," Crandall said. "When Aliyah (Binford) goes in, we're all behind her. And when I go in, they're all behind me. It makes it so much easier when you have a defense. We just put in the work and God's got it. He blesses us with the talent to do it."
Baylor will go for the series win in Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale, which will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
"I guess I'm a little greedy," Moore said. "I'd like to have won it today. I thought we had a good shot at (winning the series) today. But that's asking for a lot playing against a top-five team. So, I'll take it where we are and be proud of the fact that the momentum shifted in our favor and see how much it means to the girls when they come out here on Sunday."
WACO, Texas – No. 14 Baylor Softball evened the series against No. 7 Oklahoma State, defeating the Cowgirls, 2-0, Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium.
The Bears have taken down Oklahoma State for the first time since 2019, when BU defeated OSU in Waco, 2-1.
THE RUNDOWN
RyLee Crandall dominated in the circle tonight, only allowing one hit and otherwise pitching a perfect game. The sophomore pitcher effectively retired the Cowgirls in order in six of their seven innings, only allowing a single up the middle in the top of the fifth.
The Bears had their first baserunner of the day in the bottom of the first when Shaylon Govan was walked for the 14thtime this season, but the Bears wouldn't have anyone come around to score.
Baylor threatened again in the second, when Ana Watson led off the inning getting hit by a pitch, followed by Abi Flores being issued a four-pitch walk, but after moving into scoring position on a groundout, the Cowgirls worked out of the threat.
Sydney Collazos was walked to leadoff the bottom of the fourth, but Baylor wouldn't find its first hit of the day until Presleigh Pilon singled up the middle in the bottom of the fifth and stole second to add a little spark to the Baylor offense.
BU started off strong in the bottom of the fifth when Govan drew a leadoff walk and pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt moved to third on a bad-hop single to shortstop off the bat of Watson. With runners on the corners, Watson stole second before Flores reached on a fielder's choice which allowed the runner to slide into home safely. With one run across and a runner on third, a sacrifice fly from Kaci West plated the Bears' second run and gave BU the 2-0 advantage.
Doing what they did all game, the Baylor defense was on-lock in the bottom of the seventh, forcing three straight groundouts to secure the series-tying victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
- RyLee Crandall one-hit the Cowgirls, only striking out two in her nearly perfect game
- Ana Watson and Presleigh Pilon recorded the Bears' only two hits
- Caroline Rowatt and Watson each recorded a run
- The Bears drew four walks on the day
- This is the Bears first win over Oklahoma State since March 23, 2019, when the Bears won 2-1 in Waco
- Watson and Pilon each recorded a stolen base
- The Bears and Cowgirls evened the series at 1-1
QUOTABLE
Ana Watson on winning today…
"It feels amazing. It feels like all our hard work is starting to show. Every moment that we have we're taking advantage of it. So, we have to keep pushing forward."
RyLee Crandall on the team support …
"Our whole staff really supports each other. When Aliyah (Binford) goes in, we're all behind her. When I go in, they're all behind me. It makes it so much easier when you have a defense. We just put in the work and God's got it. He blesses us with the talent to do it."
Head Coach Glenn Moore on the game …
"Took advantage of the opportunities. And I think (in the) last few years we've not done a great job of timely hitting or executing. I was disappointed in our bunting game, that was one of our goals at the beginning of the year, was (to) be a good bunting team and they've worked extra on it, but not enough. We got to get back in there and make sure that's an important part of what we're doing, and we lock into it. It's hard to create a game-like atmosphere in practice, but we have to do it because (we had) three opportunities to move runners and score earlier and we failed on all three of those. So bunting is probably the biggest negative, but the rest of the game I was pretty happy with."
UP NEXT
The Bears will close out the series against No. 7 Oklahoma State on Sunday, March 10, at 1 p.m. CT at Getterman Stadium.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Crandall, RyLee (7-0)
L: Rosenberry, Ivy (5-1)
Base Running:
SB: David, Scotland 1
Batting:
RBI: Flores, Abi 1 ; West, Kaci 1
SF: West, Kaci 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rowatt, Caroline 1 ; Watson, Ana 1
SB: Watson, Ana 1 ; Pilon, Presleigh 1
HBP: Watson, Ana 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballUTIL
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
Baylor 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
