Baylor SB Sweeps Double Header to Advance to Regional Final

[Roberts, Matt]

                                                                                                                                   BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – May 16, 2026

Baylor SB Sweeps Double Header to Advance to Regional Final
BU reaches the regional final for the 13th time in 17 NCAA appearances
For more information, contact: Matt Roberts, 254-227-2280, WM_Roberts at Baylor.edu<mailto:WM_Roberts at Baylor.edu>
Postgame press conferences: https://utexas.box.com/s/l36cvvfc9dh3yve6r85csmyvjyokqowz

AUSTIN, Texas – Baylor softball kept its season alive in emphatic fashion Saturday, sweeping a pair of games in the NCAA Austin Regional with a 9-0 no-hit run-rule win over Wagner before knocking off No. 8 seed Wisconsin, 5-2, at McCombs Field.

Nine different Bears recorded hits, and the pitching staff allowed just two runs across 12 innings, securing the double-header sweep. With the sweep, BU clinched a spot in the regional final against No. 2 overall seed, Texas. The Bears have now made a regional final for the second time in three seasons.

RUNDOWN
Game One
Sadie Ross delivered one of the most dominant postseason performances in program history Saturday afternoon, tossing a five-inning no-hitter to lead Baylor past Wagner in run-rule fashion.

Ross struck out six and allowed just two baserunners on a pair of walks while retiring 11 of the final 12 hitters she faced. Wagner never advanced a runner past second base as Ross recorded Baylor’s first NCAA Tournament no-hitter since 2005.

The Bears backed Ross immediately with offense, striking first in the opening inning when Brooklyn Carter singled, stole second and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Faith Piper.

Baylor then exploded for six runs in the second inning. Leah Cran opened the frame with a solo home run before Gianna Gusman doubled home a run, and Carter followed with an RBI triple. Sa’Mya Jones added an RBI single later in the inning, while Cran capped the rally with a two-run single to stretch the lead to 7-0.

The Bears added two more runs in the fourth inning behind a two-run double from Gigi Lindsey, pushing the game to run-rule territory.

Cran led the offense with a 3-for-3 performance that included a home run, double and three RBIs, while Carter, Jones, Jensen Vienne and Gusman all posted multi-hit games. Baylor finished 7-for-11 with runners in scoring position and swiped nine stolen bases in the win.

Game Two
The Badgers grabbed an early 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the first inning, but Baylor answered immediately with a four-run bottom half. Carter singled and stole home during a double steal with Sa’Mya Jones before Leah Cran drove in a run with a single through the right side. Later in the inning, Olivia Buettner delivered a two-run single to left to put BU in front 4-1.
Baylor added another run in the second inning after Carter singled and later scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Cran, extending the lead to 5-1.

Wisconsin cut the deficit to 5-2 with a solo home run in the fourth inning, but Baylor’s pitching staff slammed the door from there.

Lexie Warncke earned the win after allowing two runs over 3.0 innings, while Ross added a scoreless inning in relief. Peyton Tanner closed out the final three innings for her fourth save of the season, allowing just two hits while striking out two.

The Bears also shone defensively, turning a season-high three double plays to erase multiple Wisconsin scoring threats. Carter paced the offense with a 3-for-4 performance, while Faith Piper added two hits and Cran drove in two runs.

GAME NOTES

  *   Baylor has won a game in 16 of its 17 NCAA Tournament appearances.
  *   Saturday was the first time since Feb. 13th that Baylor had back-to-back games with a 4-plus run inning.
  *   Baylor’s season-high five stolen bases against Wagner tied the Bears’ NCAA postseason record.
  *   The Bears have turned five double plays in three games of the Austin Regional, setting a new program record for a single postseason.
  *   Six runs in the inning are BU’s most in an NCAA Tournament game since scoring seven in the second inning against Louisiana in game two of the 2024 Lafayette Regional.
  *   BU is 54-40 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
  *   The Bears are now 1-0 against Wagner and 1-3 against Wisconsin.
  *   Baylor has now used 48 lineups in its 57 games this season.
  *   Against Wagner, Sadie Ross threw the program’s 26th no-hitter and the fourth in postseason history.
  *   It was the first postseason no-hitter since Gia Rodoni no-hit McNeese in the 2018 NCAA College Station Regional Semi-final.
  *   It was the program's first no-hitter of any kind since Dariana Orme no-hit Maryland on Feb. 24, 2023.
  *   Leah Cran reached base six-straight times on Saturday with 5 RBIs, before finally being retired in the bottom of the sixth inning in game two.
  *   Entering Saturday, Jensen Vienne had one career hit, but tallied two against the Seahawks.
  *   Gigi Lindsey picked up her career-first double, and first RBIs of the season

QUOTABLE
Glenn Moore on his team’s performance with their backs against the wall — "I'm very, very proud of our girls and the way we played, especially Sadie throwing the no-hitter in the first game today and then the offense — The way we came out today swinging it well. In game two, our objective was to really throw the first punch and try to get them on their heels, and I think that first inning, we did that, and it was tough for them to recover from. I’m really proud of our girls doing that and continuing to put pressure on them throughout the game. We didn't score runs, but we had a lot of balls that were squared up, and I think we had close to 20 hits on the day, so I thought we did a much better job offensively today.”

Ross on what was working for her on Saturday — “I was just able to trust my defense behind me and know that they have my back no matter what I throw. No matter what gets hit at them, I know they're going to give 110%, so I had, you know, no doubt in them.”

Cran on her offensive output on Saturday — “It kind of started with the first game. We were saying, “Not today”. Today is not going to be our day to go home, and I just took that and ran with it. I thought to myself, I'm going to play for my team, and we created a lot of chaos, and it showed in our game. We were playing for each other, and there weren’t just a few big hits; it was pieced together by everyone.”

WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor will face No. 2 overall Seed Texas, needing two wins to advance to its second super regional in the last three seasons. All NCAA Tournament games will be available to watch on ESPN+, and can be heard on-air and online at 101.3 COOL FM.<https://listen.streamon.fm/kbhthd2>

Follow @BaylorSoftball on X, Instagram and Facebook for additional updates.

—BaylorBears.com—




Matt Roberts | Director of Athletic Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-227-2280
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