By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
Looking for revenge in the Big 12 Championship semifinals against its rival, No. 3 seed Baylor equestrian dropped an 11-9 heartbreaker to No. 2 seed Oklahoma State in the first postseason match of the season Friday at KSM Bear Creek Farms in Burleson.
Junior Lauren Reid picked up a season high 92 in Flat, helping the green and gold win the event 3-2. Senior Lauren Stebbins and fifth-year Madison Mitchell scored an 88 and an 83.67, respectively, landing the first two points. Sophomore Juliette Earley picked up the third highest score for the Bears, but fell in the final point to the Cowgirls’ Riley Hogan, 89-84.67.
Baylor struggled to find its footing in Reining, dropping the first three points in the event before Sophomore Sadie Peters scored the Bears’ only point in the event in a tight 67.83-65.33 contest. Going into the half, the green and gold trailed 6-4.
Senior Alexis Rutledge (75) and senior Nadalee Vasquez (72.83) picked up points in Horsemanship, but Baylor dropped the first and final two points to lose the event 3-2. Finishing the meet in Fences, Reid’s 84.33 put the Bears back on the board before OSU stole the next point to take a 10-7 lead.
But the green and gold weren’t done quite yet as Earley and junior Emma Covarrubias scored back-to-back points with scores of 75 and 79, respectively. With a shot to tie the match, Mitchell fell short against Emma Hechtman’s 80 to clinch Oklahoma State’s 11-9 win.
The Bears will eagerly wait to see if their name is called on Tuesday in the NCEA bracket reveal for the 2025 National Championship in Ocala, Fla.
