By DJ Ramirez | Sports Writer
Baylor softball fell to the Central Arkansas 8-5 on Wednesday as they continue their home stand.
Head coach Glenn Moore said the young team needed some more determination early on in the game.
“Well we didn’t perform well until the seventh inning and it was too big of a hole to climb out of by that time. I thought we had good energy and determination then,” Moore said. “That’s a sign of a very young team, inexperienced players, and we needed our upperclassmen to make sure that doesn’t happen, so that’s kind of what I challenged them to do after the game. To lead the younger ones so that we don’t start the game out in that big of a hole.”
Sophomore left fielder Hannah Smith was 2-for-3 with a run scored and junior first baseman Goose McGlaun was 2-for-4 on the night with two RBIs and a solo home run, her first at Getterman Stadium this season.
Redshirt sophomore Sydney Holman came in to pitch in the second inning, allowing eight hits and walking three but not allowing any runs. The righty posted five scoreless innings to shut down UCA. She took over the mound from McGlaun, who had moved in from first to relive starter Madison Lindsey in the first.
According to McGlaun, Holman’s work on the mound helped the team shut down UCA defensively.
“I think Syd did a great job coming in and shutting them down and when we got into situations like that. She really got to work and we got to work behind her and made the outs we needed to,” McGlaun said.
Baylor fell into an early deficit when Central Arkansas posted five runs in the first inning. UCA first baseman Kaylyn Shepard doubled to center field to drive in center fielder Kayla Crutchmer, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when shortstop Erin Blackburn was walked. Pinch hitter Erin Acors then hit a three-run RBI to put Central Arkansas on top.
The Lady Bears responded with a run the bottom of the first on an RBI by McGlaun, but UCA answered with three more runs in the second.
Baylor returned in the bottom half of the inning with two more runs. Smith hit a leadoff single and advanced to second when freshman infielder Kendall Cross was walked. Both advanced on a sacrifice hit by freshman right fielder Ana Watson. Smith scored on an RBI single by freshman outfielder Lou Gilbert and sophomore outfielder Alyssa Avalos, pinch running for Cross, followed on a wild pitch.
After 2 ½ scoreless innings, McGlaun blasted a homer over left field to cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fifth.
Freshman third baseman Kassidy Krupit doubled in the seventh, advanced to third on a flyout by McGlaun and proceeded to score on a passed ball. Junior infielder Taylor Ellis followed up with a two out, two-strike double to keep Baylor’s hopes alive but was left stranded to end the game.
The Lady Bears will host Oklahoma State for a three-game series this weekend to open up Big 12 play. First pitch of game one is at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
