By Nathan Keil | Sports Editor
Baylor softball swept its Saturday doubleheader in the Liberty Spring Classic. The Bears beat Ohio University of the Mid-American Conference 12-3 in the opener and then beat the University of Delaware 15-5 in game two.
Baylor used a six run fourth and a five run sixth inning to erase a 3-1 deficit and easily defeat Ohio University 12-3 in six innings.
The Bears pounded out 13 hits and were the beneficiary of some sloppy play from the Bobcats in the field, scoring seven unearned runs against Ohio sophomore starter Kendall Meeks.
Senior outfielder Jessie Scroggins had three hits, including a double and an RBI. Junior catcher Carlee Wallace had two hits, including a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Senior first baseman Shelby Friudenberg and sophomores Goose McGlaun and Taylor Ellis all had two hits apiece.
Junior Gia Rodoni (8-2) picked up the win and settled down after a rocky first inning, where she allowed three straight hits—two singles and then a three-run home run down the left field line from junior outfielder Michaela Dorsey to put the Bobcats in front 3-1.
Rodoni did not allow another run and gave up just two more hits after the first inning. She walked just one and struck out 12 in the victory.
Trailing 3-1 in the fourth, Baylor tied the game at three after an error by the Bobcats’ first baseman. After a Scroggins’ single loaded the bases, McGlaun drew an RBI Walk for a 4-3 lead.
McGlaun then came home on a wild pitch and Wallace delivered a two-run single to left center giving Baylor a comfortable 7-3 lead.
Scroggins started the Bears’ big sixth inning with a double and Friudenberg then delivered a single, putting a pair of base runners on for Wallace, who then lifted her second home run of the season on a 1-2 pitch to left field, extending Baylor’s lead to 10-3.
The Bears then loaded the bases again on a pair of singles and a walk. Freshman catcher Hannah Thompson and Scroggins both drew RBI walks for a 12-3 lead.
Rodoni then finished the Bobcats off, working around a walk with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts.
Against Delaware, Baylor scored in every inning but the first and cruised to a 9-0 lead before the Blue Hens scored five runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Bears, who notched 14 hits, closed out the game with a grand slam from Friudenberg. Friudenberg’s blast was one of four home runs off Delaware sophomore pitcher Maddi Marsh (1-1). McGlaun hit a three-run home run in the fourth and fellow freshmen, catcher Ashley Marchand and Thompson each hit home runs.
Marchand, who went three for four at the plate, got things going with a two-run single in the second inning as Baylor grabbed a 2-0 lead. Senior third baseman Caitlin Charlton made it 3-0 after her double and sophomore second baseman Nicky Dawson added an RBI single as the Bears led 4-0 after two innings.
In the third, Baylor used the long ball to extend its lead as Marchand and Thompson went back-to-back, with bombs to left-center field. In the fourth, McGlaun’s three-run blast put Baylor up 9-0.
McGlaun, who tossed the first four innings, exited for freshman Lexi Koltz, but after three straight walks, McGlaun was re-inserted to limit the damage. However, the Blue Hens took advantage of the command issues as all three runs came around to score, cutting the deficit to 9-3.
Scroggins got one back for Baylor in the fifth with an RBI double. But Delaware added two more in the sixth as senior infielder Leanna Gearhart’s single capitalized on back-to-back singles to open the frame.
But Baylor erupted for five more in the sixth, to end the game early. A pair of walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for the Bears. Scroggins then reached on an error and Friudenberg turned on a pitch and drilled her grand slam to left field, putting the final touches on Baylor’s 15-5 win.
Baylor (15-3) finishes up the Liberty Spring Classic with a Saturday doubleheader. The Bears will take on Delaware again at 9 a.m. and Liberty at 11:30 a.m.
