By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
Just over four years removed from securing his 900th career win overall, No. 24 Baylor softball head coach Glenn Moore found his 900th win with the Bears.
The Bears crowned Moore thanks to a 2-1 victory over UTSA on Tuesday night at Roadrunner Field in San Antonio. The victory marked the 16th nonconference win out of the last 17, as only then-No. 21 Texas State found success against Baylor in that stretch.
Special game ball for No. 900 #SicEm | #andONE pic.twitter.com/YMWNO7QfuW
— Baylor Softball (@BaylorSoftball) April 10, 2024
The midweek bout was a defensive slugfest, though, as both teams combined for just three runs on nine hits. The Bears used two arms — junior right-handed pitcher Kaci West and sophomore right-handed pitcher RyLee Crandall — to hold the Roadrunners to four hits, stranding 12 runners in the process.
Crandall (11-5) earned the win in the circle after holding UTSA to two hits over the final 3.0 innings. She tallied one strikeout and walked three batters across 59 pitches. West struck out two, walked three and held the Roadrunners to one earned run on two hits in 4.0 innings of work.
Senior right-handed pitcher Jamie Gilbert (5-12) was handed the loss after hurling a complete game. Gilbert struck out four, walked one and allowed two runs — one of them earned — on five hits.
Junior outfielder Ashlyn Wachtendorf and senior outfielder Taylor Strain combined for four of Baylor’s five hits as a team, as they both went 2-for-3 at the plate. Senior catcher Sydney Collazos (1-for-2) was the only other Bear with a hit.
Wachtendorf came through with both of Baylor’s RBIs to push them to victory.
The Bears were retired in order in the first and third innings, and they couldn’t bring Collazos home in the second despite her making her way to third after a base hit. A sacrifice bunt and a right-field double from Strain put two runners in scoring position, but a line-out put an end to the side.
The Roadrunners put their lone run up in the bottom of the third. Their leadoff batter was hit by a pitch and a fielder’s choice and single through the left side put two runners on. A Baylor error plated the run, and UTSA loaded the bases once again, but the Bears evaded further trouble.
Baylor evened the game at one run apiece thanks to a base-hit RBI by Wachtendorf. She brought Strain home, who reached on an error and stole second before racing home on Wachentdorf’s single.
T5 | Ash ties the game single to right field!#SicEm | #andONE pic.twitter.com/YAUMsmFFEq
— Baylor Softball (@BaylorSoftball) April 10, 2024
The Roadrunners loaded the bases once again in the bottom of the fifth, but the Bears danced out of the jam to keep the score even.
Strain’s one-out single in the top of the seventh put the go-ahead runner on base, and she put herself in scoring position by stealing second. Wachtendorf dug in once more and sliced a single to left field to plate the go-ahead run.
Crandall shut the door in the bottom of the seventh to give Moore his 900th win.
Baylor will go toe-to-toe with No. 1 Texas in a Big 12 series this weekend. It’ll start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at Getterman Stadium before being finished on Saturday and Sunday in Austin. Friday’s outing can be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, while Saturday (ESPN2) and Sunday (Longhorn Network) will be broadcast on other networks. You can also listen on 101.3 FM radio.
