By Nathan Keil | Sports Editor
No. 8 Baylor softball spit a pair of games Saturday afternoon in the Judi Garman Classic. In its opener, No. 2 Florida stymied the Baylor offense, no-hitting them in a 4-0 win. In the afternoon, Baylor erased a 1-0 deficit to beat Charlotte 7-1.
In the opener, the 2017 national runner-up Gators rode a strong performance from its ace junior Kelly Barnhill and got one inning of relief from senior Aleshia Ocasio as the two combined to toss a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts against the Bears.
Barnhill struck out 13, but walked five in six innings of work. Ocasio walked one and struck out three.
Three Bears had three strikeouts apiece and two others had two.
Baylor managed six base runners throughout the game against Barnhill and Ocasio, but all came on walks. The Bears stranded a runner in the second and third innings and stranded two in the fourth and seventh innings.
The combination of Baylor juniors Gia Rodoni and Regan Green limited the Gators to just six hits, but just like Michigan, two of them left the yard.
Senior third baseman Nicole Dewitt led the way with two hits, including a two-run home run. Senior first baseman Kayli Kvistad added a home run and drove in two runs for the Gators.
Florida used an error, a single and a sacrifice fly to grab a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Kvistad’s home run in the fourth to put Florida in front 2-0.
DeWitt then added a two-run shot to straight away center field to give the Gators a 4-0 lead.
Rodoni (5-2) picked up her second loss in as many days, going 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Green went 1 1/3 innings, did not allow a hit while walking one and striking out one.
Against Charlotte, Baylor trailed 1-0 heading to the top of the fifth when the bats finally woke up.
Sophomore second baseman Nicky Dawson put Baylor in front 2-1 when she drilled a two-run double in the gap in left-center field.
In the sixth, it was senior third baseman Caitlin Charlton, who came up big for Baylor. With two on and two out, Charlton turned on the 2-1 pitch and drilled a three-run home run to left field, giving the Bears a 5-1 lead.
With two outs and nobody on, senior first baseman Shelby Friudenberg launched a home run to left, her 41st career home run, putting her in a tie for second place with Brette Reagan on Baylor’s all-time home run list. Sophomore outfielder Goose McGlaun then turned on a 1-2 pitch and crushed it to straight away center field for a 7-1 lead.
Green (3-0) went the distance, picking up the win. She allowed one run, a home run in the fourth to freshman infielder Jude McGough, on three hits, with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
Baylor (10-2) will wrap up the Judi Garman Classic with a doubleheader Sunday with Iowa at 11 a.m. and No. 17 Louisiana-Lafayette at 4 p.m.
