By Krista Pirtle
Sports writer
The No. 25 Baylor softball team scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the matchup with No. 5 Texas into overtime before senior Megan Turk delivered a walk off double to give the Lady Bears the 5-4 victory.
“It was a rally,” Baylor head coach Glenn Moore said. “That was a great team. They were hitting shots. We had some breaks but we also had some things go against us too. They were just warriors tonight.”
Junior pitcher Courtney Repka was in the circle all eight innings for the Lady Bears, giving up eight hits while striking out three and walking a pair.
“I watched her warm up and said she’s on her game,” Moore said. “Texas has a tough line up. They let you know when you make mistakes. I don’t have to yell at her when she makes a mistake because it’s usually going by her head.”
Texas got on the board first off a Longhorn long ball over the left field wall, taking a 2-0 lead. A double in the top of the third would increase the Longhorn lead to three.
Baylor crossed home plate off a senior right fielder Kayce Walker shot to left center, scoring Turk.
That same sequence happened again in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the Longhorn lead to one.
A hit to left field, however, would make the score 4-2 in favor of Texas in the top of the sixth inning.
Walker wasn’t done just yet, with junior center fielder Kathy Shelton on second, she doubled to center, scoring Shelton, and advanced to third off a throwing error by the center fielder.
Sophomore first baseman Holly Holl tied the game with a solid hit to first to score Walker.
“We were just trying to be selective,” Walker said. “It was our last chance. We were just trying to score runs. Just keep fighting. That’s all we were trying to do.”
Unable to capitalize with two ducks on the pond, the game went into extra innings.
The top of the eighth featured Longhorns on the corners with two outs but a diving catch by senior left fielder Sydney Wilson ended the threat.
“It was a total team effort,” Turk said. “You’ve got Sydney [Wilson] diving for balls in the outfield, and Kayce [Walker] making ESPN plays. Everybody put their work in.”
Baylor answered back on a one-out hit by freshman shortstop Jordan Strickland.
With her on first, Wilson struck out on three straight pitches.
A 2-1 count with two outs was all Turk needed to drive the ball over the tip of the left fielder’s glove to score the winning run.
“I think I was excited running around first,” Turk said. “I don’t know what it was about today. I’ve never hit their pitcher very hard. I just felt good.”
