No. 12/12 Baylor softball (13-3) had a strong offensive effort, winning an 8-3 effort over Liberty (14-6) on Thursday afternoon at Liberty Softball Stadium.
Regan Green (4-0) worked 5.0 innings in the circle, holding the Flames to just three hits and one run, striking out two and walking one. After a two hit, one run first frame, Green shut out the Flames over the next four innings, allowing just one hit over that stretch.
Goose McGlaun closed out the final two frames, scattering three hits and two unearned runs, striking out one.
The Baylor offense posted eight runs and 10 hits, responding to Liberty’s 1-0 advantage after one with a three-spot in the second.
Carlee Wallace led off the frame drawing a hit by pitch, with Madi O’Neal pinch running for her on first.
Maddison Kettler got a start on her big game at the plate, drilling a double down the line in left, moving O’Neal to third.
Taylor Ellis roped a single into left, scoring O’Neal and moving up to second on the throw in.
Caitlin Charlton executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt for a single, with Kettler scoring to give BU the lead.
Nicky Dawson sent a sac fly to left field deep enough to allow Ellis to score, closing out a 3-1 lead after two.
Back to work in the top of the second, Shelby Friudenberg led off with a single in to left center, with Alyssa Avalos subbing on to run.
A full count walk for McGlaun set up for another double for Kettler, scoring Avalos and keeping two in scoring position.
With two outs, an infield single for Hannah Smith allowed McGlaun to score and pushed Kettler to third.
On the next play, Smith drew the Flames’ defenders into a rundown between first and second long enough to allow Kettler to score, finishing off the team’s second-straight three-run inning to carry a 6-1 lead into the fourth.
Adding on another run in the fourth, Caitlin Charlton led off with a double, scoring on a sac fly by Jessie Scroggins to push the lead to 7-2.
With Liberty cutting the lead back to four with a pair of runs in the home half of the sixth, BU took back a run in the top of the seventh, led by a leadoff walk by Friudenberg, her third of the game.
With McGlaun drawing another walk and Kettler loading the bases with a single, Taylor Ellis drove in Friudenberg with an RBI infield single to ice the 8-3 win for BU.
