Meagan Downing | Lariat Photographer
By Krista Pirtle
Sports Writer
The Baylor Lady Bears hosted the Battle of the Brazos for the final time as conference foes, falling to the Texas A&M Aggies 3-0.
For the seniors, this was the first time the Aggies have left Getterman Stadium victorious.
The Lady Bears only recorded four hits while Texas A&M hit 10.
“Ten hits to four hits,” Baylor head coach Glenn Moore said. “I’m very disappointed in our effort. We had mental breakdowns this late in the season, and that shouldn’t happen. It doesn’t allow you to play your best. I still don’t think this team had thrown in the towel, but we aren’t talented enough to make the mistakes we made. We got outplayed again tonight. Outplayed.”
Mel Dumezich for Texas A&M threw a complete game shutout with eight strikeouts and a walk.
“She’s the most underrated pitcher in the Big 12,” senior Kayce Walker said. “We couldn’t execute. I feel like if we could have gotten one run across we could had started passing the bat, but we couldn’t do it.”
Sophomore Liz Paul for Baylor pitched most of the game, allowing seven hits and one earned run.
Courtney Repka took the circle in the fifth inning and gave up three hits and two runs before Paul re-entered.
“She throws some good ball at times, but the consistency is very frustrating to me or the lack thereof,” Moore said.
The Aggies took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth off a blooper between shortstop and left field. Earlier in the inning with runners on first and second, Paul threw a wild pitch, advancing the runners to second and third.
The bases were loaded off an Aggie advancing to first off fielder’s choice, hitting a slow roller to Megan Turk at third, who could only stare down the runner at third.
After the run was scored, sophomore first baseman Holly Holl threw a runner out at first and senior center fielder Kathy Shelton caught a fly ball in center field to end the inning.
“She’s a warrior,” Moore said. “She’s having trouble getting the rest of the team to follow her. All she can do is play hard and hope the rest of the team jumps on the wagon. She’s going to be a warrior no matter what.”
The top of the fifth was not friendly for the Lady Bears either. With runners on second and third, Texas A&M hit a shot to shallow center field, one that a diving Kayce Walker could not keep in front of her, scoring the two base runners, making the score 3-0. To end that inning, Turk jumped and snagged a blazing line drive.
The bottom of the fifth looked promising for the Lady Bears as a grounder to first gave Walker the first Baylor hit of the evening. With two outs, Turk stepped up to the plate and hit a shot to left field, and Holl followed reaching on an error by the third baseman. However, no run was scored as Shelton grounded out to third.
Keeping the Aggies off the board, Baylor tried to bounce back in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Walker led off with a dink to shallow center field.
Freshman Sarah Crockett came in to pinch hit for freshman shortstop Jordan Strickland, working deep into the count, seeing 14 pitches before striking out swinging.
Walker stole second base on the final swing by Crockett.
Paul followed with a swinging strikeout of her own.
With two outs, Turk stepped up to the plate and grounded out to shortstop to end the game.
“We are not a great team, number one, so we have to be hitting on all cylinders,” Moore said. “We could be a good team but we aren’t even a good team right now.”
The Lady Bears have the weekend off to get ready mentally and physically for the rest of conference play.
“We just have to keep fighting,” Walker said. “That’s all we can do.”
