By Max Calderone | Sports Writer
On Friday, it was pitching that carried No. 13 Baylor over North Dakota State, but on Sunday, the Lady Bears’ bats heated up in an offensive explosion.
Baylor (20-6) scored 11 runs in a five-inning run-rule victory over NDSU (18-10) to finish the LSU Round Robin tournament with two wins, both coming against the Bison.
Sophomore first baseman Goose McGlaun and senior designated player Shelby Friudenberg combined to hit three home runs as the Lady Bears gave junior pitcher Regan Green her fifth win of the season.
Green allowed two walks in the top of the first inning, but escaped without giving up any damage. Baylor struck first in the bottom half when senior catcher Carlee Wallace drove in junior left fielder Kyla Walker to put the Lady Bears up 1-0.
The Bison got on the board in the top of the second inning with an RBI single by sophomore center fielder Madyson Camacho. To answer, McGlaun hit her first home run of the game in the bottom of the inning to give Baylor a 2-1 lead heading to the third.
After Green worked a scoreless top half of the inning, senior center fielder Jessie Scroggins started a five-run rally for the Lady Bears by hitting a triple. Wallace followed with an RBI single to the right-center gap and Friudenberg went yard to score two more.
Baylor kept rolling after an NDSU pitching change, with sophomore right fielder Madison Kettler, sophomore shortstop Taylor Ellis and sophomore second baseman Nicky Dawson all coming through with hits. Kettler scored on a sacrifice fly by senior third baseman Caitlin Charlton and Ellis came around on Dawson’s RBI triple which made it 7-1 Lady Bears.
In the bottom of the fourth, Wallace picked up her third knock of the day, driving in Scroggins. Then, Friudenberg singled home Wallace and McGlaun collected her second homer of the game with Friudenberg on base to put the Lady Bears up 11-1.
The Bison got one back in the top of the fifth with a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Tabby Heinz, but it wasn’t enough to extend the game and aviod the mercy rule.
After going 2-2 in Baton Rouge, La., Baylor will return home for a pivotal three-game conference matchup with No. 5 Oklahoma this week, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Getterman Stadium.
