Sunday, April 21
Waco, Texas
9:30 AM
Baylor
24-18, 0
1
vs
0
UCF
26-17, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
UCF
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
3
Baylor
0
1
0
0
0
0
X
1
7
1
SB Sweeps UCF in Sunday Doubleheader
4/21/2024 5:22:00 PM | Softball
Crandall and Binford toss back-to-back complete-game shutouts
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Logging 35 starts between them, Baylor pitchers RyLee Crandall and Aliyah Binford both rank in the top five in the Big 12 in innings pitched and strikeouts while combining for 16 complete games.
But if there was any concern about "arm fatigue," they seemed to answer that on Sunday, tossing back-to-back shutouts and completing a series sweep of the UCF Knights with a pair of 1-0 victories at Getterman Stadium.
"I think that was really great for both of us," said Binford (8-9), who lowered her ERA to 3.30 with a pair of wins this weekend, allowing just one run on seven hits over 14 innings. "Honestly, for our pitching staff as a whole, just being able to see that yeah, we've been put through the ringer constantly pitching, but being able to pull a sweep out like that is just amazing to see."
With neither pitcher having any cushion, obviously, both of them had to be on "their game." Crandall (12-7) worked out of bases-loaded jams in the third and seventh innings, ending the game with a sharp fielder's choice grounder to third base by Sona Halajian.
"They were really good. Three complete games, how often have you seen that this year?" said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose Bears (25-18, 8-13) swept a conference series for the first time this year.
"That's been our nemesis; we haven't been able to close games out in many instances. It's been a very frustrating time for them to maybe not have their best stuff and fight through a lack of run production. When we started scoring runs, they weren't at the top of their game. They were really at the top of their game (today)."
The Bears had plenty of opportunities in Sunday's opener, loading the bases in each of the first two innings. After Ana Watson lined out to third base to end the first, Kaci West had a leadoff walk in the second, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on third baseman Jada Cody's throwing error when Taylor Strain reached on a bunt single.
BU loaded the bases in the same inning with a single by Emily Hott and another UCF error, but Katelyn Cochran came out of the bullpen to retire Shaylon Govan and Sydney Collazos on fly balls to keep it a 1-0 game.
The Bears stranded two runners in three of the next four innings, 13 for the game, but Crandall closed it out with one of her best pitching performances of the season.
In the second game, Binford and the Knights' Sarah Willis (8-7) locked into a pitcher's duel for the second time in three days, Binford winning the series opener Friday night, 2-1.
Willis took a two-hit shutout into the fifth, with Binford registering a pair of singles at the plate. But the bottom part of the lineup got it going for the Bears in the bottom half of the inning when catcher Zadie LaValley singled to left and Taylor Strain walked.
After Hott flied to right, Presleigh Pilon delivered an RBI single that glanced off second baseman Samantha Rey's glove and trickled into right field, allowing pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt to score from second.
"That was huge," Moore said of Pilon's run-scoring hit. "To be honest, she wasn't seeing the ball very well up (before) that at-bat. Had we been healthy and had certain people on the bench, I might have made a decision to go a different route there, but she came through. Having seen the pitcher a couple times, if they don't look completely out of sync, it gives them an advantage over someone that is a good hitter that hasn't seen them."
Binford worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth before giving up a two-out infield single to Willis that was initially ruled a game-ending groundout to short. Unfazed, Binford came back to get Sierra Humphreys on a grounder to second to finish it off.
"As soon as they overturned it, I was like, 'All right, let's do it again,''' said Binford, who matched Crandall's five-hit shutout while striking out nine and walking none. "I trust my defense so much. Our practices are brutal, and they work so hard, I trust everything they do behind me."
Moving up to a tie for sixth in the Big 12 standings, Baylor goes on the road to face future league opponent Utah (28-17) in a non-conference game at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday in Salt Lake City and BYU (26-19, 8-13) in a three-game series Thursday-Saturday in Provo.
WACO, Texas – Baylor Softball swept UCF in its Saturday doubleheader at Getterman Stadium, defeating the Knights 1-0 in both games.
The Bears (25-18, 8-13 Big 12) recorded their first conference-series sweep of the season, as RyLee Crandall and Aliyah Binford tossed back-to-back complete-game shutouts.
THE RUNDOWN
Crandall shut down the Knights' offense in game one of the doubleheader, throwing only 15 pitches with 14 of them strikes in the first inning, while striking out two batters.
In the bottom half of the first, Emily Hott singled to lead off the game before Presleigh Pilon reached on a fielder's choice and two other Bears drew walks to load the bases.
After not capitalizing in the first inning, Baylor re-loaded the bases in the bottom of the second and scored the game's only run. Kaci West kicked things off with a five-pitch walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring after a bunt single from Taylor Strain and a UCF throwing error. Hott and Pilon then reached to load the bases, but back-to-back flyouts ended the threat.
UCF loaded the bases in the top of the third, but Crandall and the Baylor defense were able to keep the Knights off the board.
A couple of hits and walks through the next three innings put runners on for the Bears, but they weren't able to bring any more runs home.
After Crandall retired six-straight Knights, UCF threatened by loading the bases in the top of the seventh, but an unassisted groundout to third base kept the Kights off the board to give Baylor the 1-0 game-one victory.
Binford was in the circle for game two, effectively retiring the first 14 batters by turning a double play in the top of the third before giving up just the second hit of the ballgame in the top of the fifth.
Baylor got runners on in the first and second innings but left three stranded through three complete innings.
Scoreless going into the fourth inning, Binford singled and stole second for the second time in the game to put herself in scoring position before heading to third on a groundout, but the Bears weren't able to push her across.
Baylor was finally able to capitalize in the bottom of the fifth inning after Zadie LaValley singled to lead off the inning. Following the single, Strain walked to move pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt to second before a single from Pilon through the right side brought home the Bears' only run of the game.
Binford worked around a pair of singles in the sixth before shutting UCF down in order in the seventh to take the game two win.
HIGHLIGHTS
QUOTABLE
Head coach Glenn Moore on getting the sweep …
"Where we've been and knowing how well they've been playing, it's huge, mainly for our confidence. I haven't seen a kid give up on this team yet, but at some point, you start worrying about that, especially when the balls don't fall. I think it was two evenly matched teams, and for us to go head-to-head and take advantage of the home field advantage, momentum of the crowd, to see it work out in our favor. Of course, knowing what kind of work we have to do to be rewarded at the end of this took a big chunk out of it and gave us momentum moving forward."
Aliyah Binford on the pitching this weekend …
"I think that was really great for both of us. Honestly, for our pitching staff as a whole, just being able to see that, yeah, we've been put through the ringer constantly pitching, but being able to pull a sweep out like that is just amazing to see."
UP NEXT
The Bears will head on the road to face Utah in a nonconference matchup on Wednesday, April 24, in Salt Lake City before continuing down the road to face BYU in Provo, Thursday-Saturday, April 25-27.
Baylor Bear Insider
Logging 35 starts between them, Baylor pitchers RyLee Crandall and Aliyah Binford both rank in the top five in the Big 12 in innings pitched and strikeouts while combining for 16 complete games.
But if there was any concern about "arm fatigue," they seemed to answer that on Sunday, tossing back-to-back shutouts and completing a series sweep of the UCF Knights with a pair of 1-0 victories at Getterman Stadium.
"I think that was really great for both of us," said Binford (8-9), who lowered her ERA to 3.30 with a pair of wins this weekend, allowing just one run on seven hits over 14 innings. "Honestly, for our pitching staff as a whole, just being able to see that yeah, we've been put through the ringer constantly pitching, but being able to pull a sweep out like that is just amazing to see."
With neither pitcher having any cushion, obviously, both of them had to be on "their game." Crandall (12-7) worked out of bases-loaded jams in the third and seventh innings, ending the game with a sharp fielder's choice grounder to third base by Sona Halajian.
"They were really good. Three complete games, how often have you seen that this year?" said Baylor coach Glenn Moore, whose Bears (25-18, 8-13) swept a conference series for the first time this year.
"That's been our nemesis; we haven't been able to close games out in many instances. It's been a very frustrating time for them to maybe not have their best stuff and fight through a lack of run production. When we started scoring runs, they weren't at the top of their game. They were really at the top of their game (today)."
The Bears had plenty of opportunities in Sunday's opener, loading the bases in each of the first two innings. After Ana Watson lined out to third base to end the first, Kaci West had a leadoff walk in the second, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on third baseman Jada Cody's throwing error when Taylor Strain reached on a bunt single.
BU loaded the bases in the same inning with a single by Emily Hott and another UCF error, but Katelyn Cochran came out of the bullpen to retire Shaylon Govan and Sydney Collazos on fly balls to keep it a 1-0 game.
The Bears stranded two runners in three of the next four innings, 13 for the game, but Crandall closed it out with one of her best pitching performances of the season.
In the second game, Binford and the Knights' Sarah Willis (8-7) locked into a pitcher's duel for the second time in three days, Binford winning the series opener Friday night, 2-1.
Willis took a two-hit shutout into the fifth, with Binford registering a pair of singles at the plate. But the bottom part of the lineup got it going for the Bears in the bottom half of the inning when catcher Zadie LaValley singled to left and Taylor Strain walked.
After Hott flied to right, Presleigh Pilon delivered an RBI single that glanced off second baseman Samantha Rey's glove and trickled into right field, allowing pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt to score from second.
"That was huge," Moore said of Pilon's run-scoring hit. "To be honest, she wasn't seeing the ball very well up (before) that at-bat. Had we been healthy and had certain people on the bench, I might have made a decision to go a different route there, but she came through. Having seen the pitcher a couple times, if they don't look completely out of sync, it gives them an advantage over someone that is a good hitter that hasn't seen them."
Binford worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth before giving up a two-out infield single to Willis that was initially ruled a game-ending groundout to short. Unfazed, Binford came back to get Sierra Humphreys on a grounder to second to finish it off.
"As soon as they overturned it, I was like, 'All right, let's do it again,''' said Binford, who matched Crandall's five-hit shutout while striking out nine and walking none. "I trust my defense so much. Our practices are brutal, and they work so hard, I trust everything they do behind me."
Moving up to a tie for sixth in the Big 12 standings, Baylor goes on the road to face future league opponent Utah (28-17) in a non-conference game at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday in Salt Lake City and BYU (26-19, 8-13) in a three-game series Thursday-Saturday in Provo.
WACO, Texas – Baylor Softball swept UCF in its Saturday doubleheader at Getterman Stadium, defeating the Knights 1-0 in both games.
The Bears (25-18, 8-13 Big 12) recorded their first conference-series sweep of the season, as RyLee Crandall and Aliyah Binford tossed back-to-back complete-game shutouts.
THE RUNDOWN
Crandall shut down the Knights' offense in game one of the doubleheader, throwing only 15 pitches with 14 of them strikes in the first inning, while striking out two batters.
In the bottom half of the first, Emily Hott singled to lead off the game before Presleigh Pilon reached on a fielder's choice and two other Bears drew walks to load the bases.
After not capitalizing in the first inning, Baylor re-loaded the bases in the bottom of the second and scored the game's only run. Kaci West kicked things off with a five-pitch walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring after a bunt single from Taylor Strain and a UCF throwing error. Hott and Pilon then reached to load the bases, but back-to-back flyouts ended the threat.
UCF loaded the bases in the top of the third, but Crandall and the Baylor defense were able to keep the Knights off the board.
A couple of hits and walks through the next three innings put runners on for the Bears, but they weren't able to bring any more runs home.
After Crandall retired six-straight Knights, UCF threatened by loading the bases in the top of the seventh, but an unassisted groundout to third base kept the Kights off the board to give Baylor the 1-0 game-one victory.
Binford was in the circle for game two, effectively retiring the first 14 batters by turning a double play in the top of the third before giving up just the second hit of the ballgame in the top of the fifth.
Baylor got runners on in the first and second innings but left three stranded through three complete innings.
Scoreless going into the fourth inning, Binford singled and stole second for the second time in the game to put herself in scoring position before heading to third on a groundout, but the Bears weren't able to push her across.
Baylor was finally able to capitalize in the bottom of the fifth inning after Zadie LaValley singled to lead off the inning. Following the single, Strain walked to move pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt to second before a single from Pilon through the right side brought home the Bears' only run of the game.
Binford worked around a pair of singles in the sixth before shutting UCF down in order in the seventh to take the game two win.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Bears pick up their first conference sweep of the season
- Emily Hott and Taylor Strain each recorded multiple hits in game one
- BU out-hit UCF 7-5 in game one
- Strain recorded the only extra-base hit of the day, a double
- RyLee Crandall pitched the complete-game shutout, striking out four
- Crandall improves to 12-7 on the season
- Aliyah Binford had two hits in game two with two stolen bases
- Binford pitched the complete-game shutout in game two, striking out nine and not walking a single batter
- She led the Bears this week with a 0.50 ERA, 13 strikeouts and only one earned run
- Presleigh Pilon recorded the Bears' only RBI of the day
- Baylor is now 9-2 all-time against the Knights
QUOTABLE
Head coach Glenn Moore on getting the sweep …
"Where we've been and knowing how well they've been playing, it's huge, mainly for our confidence. I haven't seen a kid give up on this team yet, but at some point, you start worrying about that, especially when the balls don't fall. I think it was two evenly matched teams, and for us to go head-to-head and take advantage of the home field advantage, momentum of the crowd, to see it work out in our favor. Of course, knowing what kind of work we have to do to be rewarded at the end of this took a big chunk out of it and gave us momentum moving forward."
Aliyah Binford on the pitching this weekend …
"I think that was really great for both of us. Honestly, for our pitching staff as a whole, just being able to see that, yeah, we've been put through the ringer constantly pitching, but being able to pull a sweep out like that is just amazing to see."
UP NEXT
The Bears will head on the road to face Utah in a nonconference matchup on Wednesday, April 24, in Salt Lake City before continuing down the road to face BYU in Provo, Thursday-Saturday, April 25-27.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Crandall, RyLee (12-7)
L: Kaitlyn Felton (10-4)
Base Running:
HBP: Shannon Doherty 1 ; Jada Cody 1
Batting:
2B: Strain, Taylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: West, Kaci 1
SB: Pilon, Presleigh 1
HBP: Collazos, Sydney 1 ; Watson, Ana 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/INF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
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