Carson Vercoe | Sports Intern
No. 13 Arizona completed its weekend sweep over Baylor on Sunday afternoon, 6-3, capping a dominant offensive weekend. The Wildcats scored 27 total runs in the three-game series.
The Bears (21-12, 5-4 Big 12) looked to take the final game of the set after the Wildcats (27-8, 8-4 Big 12) run-ruled them on Friday, 10-2, and won a high-scoring affair on Saturday, 11-5.
Both teams got some early traffic on the basepaths in the first inning, putting runners on first and second, but both Baylor sophomore pitcher Cambree Creager and Arizona pitcher Jalen Adams were able to get out of the inning without any damage.
In the top of the third, for the first time in the three-game series, the Bears struck first. After a two-out walk by sophomore left fielder Karynton Dawson and a single from senior center fielder Brooklyn Carter, the Wildcats were forced to take a mound visit. The break did not phase senior shortstop Amber Toven who stepped into the box and delivered a two-RBI single.
The Bears’ two-out rally did not stop there. After Toven singled and advanced to second, a double to left-center from junior first baseman Leah Cran scored Toven, giving the Bears a three-run frame.
The Wildcats’ hot bats couldn’t be contained for long, as the Wildcats had their own two-out rally in the bottom of the third. After a successful challenge on a double-play call allowed center fielder Regan Shockey to reach second base and a walk for catcher Sydney Stewart, right fielder Grace Jenkins delivered an infield RBI single, scoring Shockey.
The Wildcats were able to scratch out another run in the frame from an RBI single from freshman first baseman Kez Lucas, scoring Stewart.
The Wildcats continued to score in the next two innings. With runners on first and second in the fourth, Stewart sent a towering three-run home run over the center field wall and batter’s eye, giving the Wildcats a 5-2 lead. In the fifth, Shockey gave the Wildcats a 6-3 lead with her third hit of the game, an RBI single.
After the Bears’ three-run third inning, the bats went ice cold. The Bears did not record a hit or a run for the next four innings, allowing Adams to record a complete game and Arizona to finish the sweep.
After the game, softball Hall-of-Famer and former Arizona national champion Jennie Finch presented Stewart with an AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) golden ticket, given to players who have been drafted to one of the six AUSL teams. Arizona and Baylor players alike celebrated Stewart on the field.
The Bears will return home and seek to bounce back against Incarnate Word (22-13, 7-5 SLC) at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Getterman Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
