By DJ Ramirez | Sports Writer
Baylor softball dropped the first two games of a non-conference series against the No. 10/7 LSU Tigers but bounced back to take game three 5-1 on Saturday at Getterman Stadium.
The Tigers had only been held to five hits or less five times this year, yet the Lady Bears’ defense managed to do just that in all three games over the weekend. According to head coach Glenn Moore, it was the best they had played all year despite the loss.
“I thought we saw the team that we’ve been wanting to show up all year. I told the team after the game, that was the best I’ve seen us play the entire year, even when we knocked off two top 10 teams earlier in the year, we played the best, solid ballgame,” Moore said. “ We forced them to make some great defensive plays to keep us off the scoreboard. And they did, and that’s what good teams do.”
After dropping the opener 2-0, redshirt sophomore Sydney Holman came to deal on Saturday for her start of game one in the doubleheader. Holman held LSU scoreless and hitless for five innings until a fielder’s choice and a throwing error allowed outfielder Aliyah Andrew and Savannah Stewart to score and tie the game in the sixth inning. Tigers’ utility player Shelbi Sunseri then took the lead for LSU with a home run over right center, sparking a late inning rally as LSU extended its lead with four more hits and another run in the seventh for a final score of 4-2.
Moore said that Holman did more than he expected her to even with the loss.
“You’re throwing a pitcher that hasn’t thrown, who’s been out for six weeks, just throwing the very minimum, and even Monday was feeling a lot of pain, and she goes in against a great lineup and throws really, really well. Went further than I thought she would. I thought we would have to use much more of our bullpen and again Kassidy [Krupit] keeps them off balance,” Moore said. “ Thank goodness we had a little bit of a cushion where we could leave her in there and didn’t have to go pull Sydney back out of there.”
Freshman infielder Kassidy Krupit ended the series where she began. Taking the loss on the mound on Friday night, she returned to close out the last three innings against the Tigers in game three, relieving senior righty Regan Green, who had a scoreless four-inning start. Krupit only gave up a home run to LSU senior transfer Amanda Sanchez but made some skilled defensive plays from the mound that only a third baseman doubling as a pitcher could make.
Krupit also had two RBIs in game three, hitting a two-run home run in the first inning to put Baylor on the board. Lady Bears’ second baseman Nicky Dawson put two more on the board with an RBI double in the second and scored run number five on a sacrifice fly by freshman center fielder Lou Gilbert.
Dawson said Baylor went into the series without any pressure, playing for the love of the game.
“I feel like we went up to bat this weekend with a , I don’t want to say a little league mentality, but just having fun not really over thinking it,” Dawson said.
The Lady Bears will play their last home game on Tuesday night versus UTSA at 6 p.m. and then travel down to Austin to wrap up Big 12 play against the Texas Longhorns.
