By Nathan Keil | Sports Writer
Baylor softball (20-4) swept a doubleheader Wednesday night against Northwestern State University, defeating the Lady Demons 3-1 in the opener and 5-0 in the nightcap.
Baylor head coach Glenn Moore was happy to get two more road wins.
“I’ll take the wins, even though they weren’t pretty,” Moore said. “This is a grueling road trip, and to be 6-1 right now tells me this team is pretty good.”
In the first game, Baylor had to endure nearly an hour long lightning delay with the score tied at 1 in the top of the seventh inning.
After resuming play, the Lady Bears forced extra innings, where sophomore outfielder Jessie Scroggins delivered the game-winning two run double to right center.
Sophomore pitcher Gia Rodoni delivered a career best performance in the circle for Baylor. Rodoni went the distance, scattering two hits and one run while striking out 17 Lady Demons. Her 17 strikeouts are third most in program history and most by a pitcher this season.
Moore said Rodoni’s performance was remarkable.
“Gia [Rodoni] had one of the all-time great performances in game one,” Moore said. “As a former pitcher, I’m certainly aware of the significance of what she did, allowing only two hits but more amazingly striking out 17 total batters, including every NSU starter at least once.”
Rodoni also struck out the side in the second, fourth, sixth and eighth innings.
Northwestern State did take advantage of the one mistake Rodoni made. With two outs and nobody on, senior first baseman Brittany Jones put the Lady Demons up 1-0 with a solo home run to right field.
The Lady Bears responded with the tying run in the top of the sixth. After senior infielder Lindsey Cargill and freshman outfielder Maddison Kettler singled to start the inning, freshman infielder Shelby McGlaun brought Cargill home on a fielder’s choice to the second baseman.
Rodoni held off the Lady Demons until Scroggins’ hit in the eighth inning.
In the second game, McGlaun allowed five hits without a run while striking out seven in six innings of work to earn the win for the Lady Bears. Senior pitcher Kelsee Selman pitched a scoreless seventh frame to preserve the shutout.
Sophomore outfielder Kyla Walker got the Lady Bears on the board in the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly.
Baylor got some insurance runs in the seventh inning via the long ball. First, it was a two-run home run by junior infielder Shelby Friudenberg to left center field. Following a hit by pitch that put Cargill on first, Kettler hit a two-run home run to right field, putting the Lady Bears in front 5-0.
Northwestern State drops to 9-13-1 on the season. The Lady Demons will travel to Beaumont for a three game set with Lamar beginning at 5 p.m. Friday.
Baylor will travel back to Lafayette, La., for a 4 p.m. Thursday game against No. 18 Louisiana Lafayette.
The Lady Bears were originally scheduled for a doubleheader on Tuesday against the Rajin’ Cajuns, but storms forced a cancellation and led to a one game reschedule.
