Saturday, April 6
Waco, Texas
2 PM
Baylor
20-14, 0
2
vs
1
Texas Tech
24-11, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Texas Tech
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
5
0
Baylor
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
7
1
No. 21 SB’s West Walks Off Texas Tech, 2-1
4/6/2024 5:03:00 PM | Softball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas - After a frustrating 4-3 loss in Friday night's series opener against Texas Tech, Baylor softball coach Glenn Moore challenged his team to "just find a way."
That's what the 21st-ranked Bears did Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium, when Emily Hott led off the game with her team-best eighth home run of the season and then Kaci West walked it off in the seventh with a two-out RBI single up the middle to plate pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt in a 2-1 win over the Red Raiders.
"To have something left in the tank shows their maturity and obviously that they're not throwing the towel in, and they can still win games," said Moore, whose team improved to 20-14 overall and 4-10 in the Big 12. "We've been preaching to them that the tide is going to turn. . . . Not that it's going to happen because of one game, but at some point in time (the schedule we've played) has got to work in our favor. Hopefully today was the start of that."
Down to their last two outs, the Red Raiders (24-11, 4-7) tied it at 1-1 in the top of the seventh when catcher Kennedy Crites launched her third homer of the season over the wall in left field. Pulled in the third inning in Friday's game, sophomore RyLee Crandall (10-5) gave up just one run on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts in Saturday's complete-game victory.
After several late-inning losses, Moore said, "when the home run is hit, human nature says, 'Here we go again.'''
Not this time, though.
Sydney Collazos led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to right off Tech starter Mimi Blackledge (0-1). Presleigh Pilon moved Rowatt into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Taylor Strain flied to left for the second out of the inning.
Instead of pitching to Leah Cran, who was 2-for-2 for the game in improving her batting average to .328, the Red Raiders intentionally walked the freshman infielder.
"To be honest with you, when they pitched around Leah, I walked up (to West) and told her, 'Hey, they want you,''' Moore said. "In my mind, I was thinking, 'they don't really want her. She's the kid they don't want to pitch to right now.' They don't see it, but I've seen that so many times that she takes that challenge personally. Obviously, she came through for us."
Tech was certainly playing the odds. West was hitting just .146 when she came to the plate in the seventh and was 0-for-2 for the game.
But facing an 0-1 count, the junior from Liberty, Texas, singled up the middle for just her seventh hit of the season, with Rowatt scoring from second on the play.
"I've been kind of struggling lately," West said, "so I've been reciting this Bible verse that God's with me. So, yes, I took it personally. But God has put me in this position for a reason, and I really just took that to heart and leaned fully on Him."
After picking up its third walk-off win of the season, the Bears go for the series win in Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale.
"(This win) means that we're competing and fighting for every single pitch and finishing the game," West said. "I'm just really proud of this team, because we fought until the very last pitch."
WACO, Texas – No. 21 Baylor Softball walked off Texas Tech, 2-1, Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium to even the series against the Red Raiders.
THE RUNDOWN
The Bears got off to a strong start today, sitting the Red Raiders down in order in the top of the first with a strikeout from RyLee Crandall for the third out.
With Emily Hott leading off the bottom of the first, the left fielder launched a homer over the wall in right field to put the Bears on top 1-0.
Shaylon Govan and Leah Cran each recorded singles in the next two innings, but Baylor wasn't able to bring any more runs across as they held TTU scoreless through six.
Texas Tech threatened in the top of the fourth after they got the leadoff batter on with a double to right field. A follow-up single had the runner coming home from second, but a perfect throw from centerfielder Ashlyn Wachtendorf to catcher Sydney Collazos tagged the runner out to keep the Red Raiders off the board.
After allowing two more TTU baserunners in the fifth and sixth innings, the Red Raiders capitalized with a solo shot in the seventh to tie the game 1-1.
The Bears wanted to stay away from extra innings as Collazos hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh to get the Bears' rally going. After a sacrifice bunt from Presleigh Pilon had pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt standing on second, Cran was then intentionally walked to put runners on first and second with two outs. Kaci West stepped up to the plate and roped a single up the middle, allowing Rowatt to score from second and giving the Bears the walk-off win.
HIGHLIGHTS
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Glenn Moore on not getting down in the game …
"I complimented them on that because we've lost six games in the last inning, and five of those were Big 12 games. It would put us in a whole different situation if we had been able to hang on. When the home run is hit, human nature says, here we go again. To have something left in the tank shows their maturity and obviously that they're not throwing the towel in, and they can still win games. We've been preaching to them that the tide is going to turn, the fact that we've played a harder schedule than anybody else is going to work in our favor eventually. Not that it's going to happen because of one game, but at some point in time it's got to work in our favor. Hopefully, today was the start of that."
Kaci West on what this win means …
"It means that we're competing and fighting for every single pitch and finishing the game now. I'm just really proud of this team because we fought until the very last pitch."
UP NEXT
The Bears will face Texas Tech for game three of the series on Sunday, April 6, at 1 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas - After a frustrating 4-3 loss in Friday night's series opener against Texas Tech, Baylor softball coach Glenn Moore challenged his team to "just find a way."
That's what the 21st-ranked Bears did Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium, when Emily Hott led off the game with her team-best eighth home run of the season and then Kaci West walked it off in the seventh with a two-out RBI single up the middle to plate pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt in a 2-1 win over the Red Raiders.
"To have something left in the tank shows their maturity and obviously that they're not throwing the towel in, and they can still win games," said Moore, whose team improved to 20-14 overall and 4-10 in the Big 12. "We've been preaching to them that the tide is going to turn. . . . Not that it's going to happen because of one game, but at some point in time (the schedule we've played) has got to work in our favor. Hopefully today was the start of that."
Down to their last two outs, the Red Raiders (24-11, 4-7) tied it at 1-1 in the top of the seventh when catcher Kennedy Crites launched her third homer of the season over the wall in left field. Pulled in the third inning in Friday's game, sophomore RyLee Crandall (10-5) gave up just one run on five hits and no walks with four strikeouts in Saturday's complete-game victory.
After several late-inning losses, Moore said, "when the home run is hit, human nature says, 'Here we go again.'''
Not this time, though.
Sydney Collazos led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to right off Tech starter Mimi Blackledge (0-1). Presleigh Pilon moved Rowatt into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Taylor Strain flied to left for the second out of the inning.
Instead of pitching to Leah Cran, who was 2-for-2 for the game in improving her batting average to .328, the Red Raiders intentionally walked the freshman infielder.
"To be honest with you, when they pitched around Leah, I walked up (to West) and told her, 'Hey, they want you,''' Moore said. "In my mind, I was thinking, 'they don't really want her. She's the kid they don't want to pitch to right now.' They don't see it, but I've seen that so many times that she takes that challenge personally. Obviously, she came through for us."
Tech was certainly playing the odds. West was hitting just .146 when she came to the plate in the seventh and was 0-for-2 for the game.
But facing an 0-1 count, the junior from Liberty, Texas, singled up the middle for just her seventh hit of the season, with Rowatt scoring from second on the play.
"I've been kind of struggling lately," West said, "so I've been reciting this Bible verse that God's with me. So, yes, I took it personally. But God has put me in this position for a reason, and I really just took that to heart and leaned fully on Him."
After picking up its third walk-off win of the season, the Bears go for the series win in Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale.
"(This win) means that we're competing and fighting for every single pitch and finishing the game," West said. "I'm just really proud of this team, because we fought until the very last pitch."
WACO, Texas – No. 21 Baylor Softball walked off Texas Tech, 2-1, Saturday afternoon at Getterman Stadium to even the series against the Red Raiders.
THE RUNDOWN
The Bears got off to a strong start today, sitting the Red Raiders down in order in the top of the first with a strikeout from RyLee Crandall for the third out.
With Emily Hott leading off the bottom of the first, the left fielder launched a homer over the wall in right field to put the Bears on top 1-0.
Shaylon Govan and Leah Cran each recorded singles in the next two innings, but Baylor wasn't able to bring any more runs across as they held TTU scoreless through six.
Texas Tech threatened in the top of the fourth after they got the leadoff batter on with a double to right field. A follow-up single had the runner coming home from second, but a perfect throw from centerfielder Ashlyn Wachtendorf to catcher Sydney Collazos tagged the runner out to keep the Red Raiders off the board.
After allowing two more TTU baserunners in the fifth and sixth innings, the Red Raiders capitalized with a solo shot in the seventh to tie the game 1-1.
The Bears wanted to stay away from extra innings as Collazos hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh to get the Bears' rally going. After a sacrifice bunt from Presleigh Pilon had pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt standing on second, Cran was then intentionally walked to put runners on first and second with two outs. Kaci West stepped up to the plate and roped a single up the middle, allowing Rowatt to score from second and giving the Bears the walk-off win.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Kaci West secured the Bears' third walk-off win of the season with a single in the bottom of the seventh
- Emily Hott hit her seventh home run of the season
- Leah Cran recorded the Bears' only multi-hit performance with two singles
- Six Bears combined for seven hits
- The Bears out-hit the Red Raiders, 7-5
- RyLee Crandall improved to 10-5 on the season, with a complete-game pitching performance and four strikeouts
- The Bears didn't strikeout in any of their 23 plate appearances
- BU snaps a two-game losing streak
- Baylor evens the series against the Red Raiders, 1-1
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Glenn Moore on not getting down in the game …
"I complimented them on that because we've lost six games in the last inning, and five of those were Big 12 games. It would put us in a whole different situation if we had been able to hang on. When the home run is hit, human nature says, here we go again. To have something left in the tank shows their maturity and obviously that they're not throwing the towel in, and they can still win games. We've been preaching to them that the tide is going to turn, the fact that we've played a harder schedule than anybody else is going to work in our favor eventually. Not that it's going to happen because of one game, but at some point in time it's got to work in our favor. Hopefully, today was the start of that."
Kaci West on what this win means …
"It means that we're competing and fighting for every single pitch and finishing the game now. I'm just really proud of this team because we fought until the very last pitch."
UP NEXT
The Bears will face Texas Tech for game three of the series on Sunday, April 6, at 1 p.m. at Getterman Stadium.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Crandall, RyLee (10-5)
L: Mimi Blackledge (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Kailey Wyckoff 1 ; Arriana Villa 1 ; Kennedy Crites 1
HR: Kennedy Crites 1
RBI: Kennedy Crites 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kennedy Crites 1
HBP: Riley Love 1 ; Logan Halleman 1
Batting:
HR: Hott, Emily 1
RBI: Hott, Emily 1 ; West, Kaci 1
SH: Pilon, Presleigh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hott, Emily 1 ; Rowatt, Caroline 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
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