Nick Berryman | Lariat Photographer
BU returns after being swept over weekend
By Matt Larsen
Sports Writer
Lightning lengthened and then cut short No. 14 Baylor softball’s home matchup against Texas State Tuesday, but not before the Bears took a 4-1, five-inning win into the locker room.
An initial hour and fifteen-minute lightning delay interrupted the first inning and then a second round of lightning that brought with it tornado warnings for the Baylor area caused officials to call the game after the fifth.
“We did just in time,” head coach Glenn Moore said about playing enough innings to notch the win. “We haven’t experienced [a delay] much this year so it was good for us to see how we were going to come back out and warm up. The kids looked pretty good tonight [Tuesday].”
The Lady Bears displayed efficiency in the shortened game, cashing in four runs off four hits and three walks.
They accomplished that feat against Texas State’s right-handed ace, Chandler Hall.
“She has handled a lot of great hitting ball clubs,” Moore said of Chandler and her 2.90 ERA coming into the game. “Good pitching gets you better.”
Baylor was looking to bounce back from a disappointing pair of conference losses to No. 20 Oklahoma State this past weekend.
The offense struggled to convert as they stranded 19 base runners on the weekend and fell 4-2 and 5-1 to the Cowgirls at Getterman Stadium.
Redshirt sophomore Whitney Canion tossed eight innings of scoreless, two-hit softball Saturday before giving up five runs in the top of the ninth.
“We needed today to let go of the weekend,” Canion said.
Canion elected to pitch again Tuesday to make sure she was primed for No. 6 Texas today.
“She really wanted to throw a little bit [Tuesday],” Moore said. “She has been better on her second day so that was our plan with her.”
Canion went three innings giving up two hits, one walk and one earned run against the Bobcats to help Baylor improve to 20-6 on the season.
Meanwhile, her team’s offense virtually refused to leave runners on the base paths.
Senior Dani Leal led the way in the four run, four hit effort with a pair of base hits. Redshirt freshman Holly Holl and junior Sydney Wilson picked up RBIs in the second to respond to a RBI double from Texas State’s Allyce Rother in the top of the inning.
Leal then notched her first single to bring home junior Kayce Walker before stealing second.
In the fifth, Leal’s second single provided the chance to go to work on the base paths, again. This time her steal provided the distraction for Walker to score from third.
“I don’t think I’m the quickest on the team,” Leal said. “But, if I can help the team with some distraction I will do what I have got to do.”
The Lady Bears now quickly redirect their attention to hosting the No. 3 team in the country.
After throwing well on Tuesday and watching her team’s efficiency at the plate in the win, Canion relishes the underdog status going into today against the Longhorns.
“Every team is trying to knock them off,” Canion said. “So why can’t it be us?”
The first pitch is at 6:30 p.m. today at Getterman Stadium.
