ABILENE, Texas – No. 20 Baylor softball (40-12) slugged its way to a big midweek win over Abilene Christian (21-20), taking a 15-3 win in six innings on Wednesday evening at Poly Wells Field.
Kendall Potts (13-1) took the start in the circle, working 4.0 innings and allowing just two runs and two hits, striking out three.
Gia Rodoni closed out the game in relief, limiting ACU to one hit and no runs over the last two frames.
Sarah Smith broke through in the top of the first, launching a solo home run to give Baylor the early 1-0 lead.
ACU answered back in the home half, dropping a two-run home run in to erase the BU lead, taking a 2-1 advantage into the fourth frame.
In the top of the fourth, Linsey Hays roped a one-out double into the gap in right-center, setting up for a two-run shot by Shelby Friudenberg, taking back a 3-2 lead for the Lady Bears.
Carrying the momentum into the fifth, Caitlin Charlton led off with a single up the middle, with Jessie Scroggins swapping places with her on a fielder’s choice on the next play.
Kyla Walker dropped a single into the left field grass, moving Scroggins to second. A double steal would put two in scoring position, bringing up Smith.
The senior slugger came through again, drilling a three-run shot off the scoreboard over the left field wall, pushing BU up, 6-2.
The Wildcats cut the lead down to three in the fifth, but the Lady Bears put the game completely out of reach in the top of the sixth.
Ari Hawkins reached safely after a routine pop fly was dropped by ACU’s third baseman, Casey-May Huff.
Lindsey Cargill drilled a single back up the middle, her third hit in as many as bats.
Sydney Christensen reached safely on a throwing error by Huff, loading the bases.
With one out and the bases still full, Jessie Scroggins roped a single to center field, with the ball getting behind Taylor Brown to the fence, emptying the bases and putting Scroggins on third.
Walker laced another single into centerfield, scoring Scroggins, with Walker stealing second on the next play.
The ACU mistakes continued, with Smith grounding to Huff at third, with the ball slipping out of Huff’s hand on the attempted rundown between second and third, allowing Walker to move to third and Smith reaching safely.
A sac fly by Linsey Hays to deep right field plated another run, pushing Smith to second.
Baylor flexed its depth to finish out the inning, with Abby Langkamp pinch hitting and roping a single into center field, her first collegiate hit.
Riley Browder took her cuts, dropping a single into right field, scoring Smith from third.
Sarah Beth Toben drilled a double off the wall in left-center, bringing home Langkamp.
A wild pitch, followed by an illegal pitch would bring home both Browder and Toben, icing a nine-run sixth inning, putting Baylor up, 15-3.
Needing just three outs to end the mercy-rule shortened game, Rodoni struck out two to close out the 12-run win.
STAT OF THE DAY #1
2 – the number of home runs for Sarah Smith, driving in four RBI
STAT OF THE DAY #2
11 – the number of Lady Bears that scored Baylor’s 15 runs, with 10 different BU players recording the team’s 15 total hits
WHAT’S NEXT
The Lady Bears continue on to Lubbock, facing the Texas Tech Red Raiders for a weekend series, starting Friday at 6 p.m.
