No. 22 Baylor Softball Takes Two Over No. 23 Louisiana for Series Win

[Gilmore, Katy]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Feb. 18, 2024
No. 22 Baylor Softball Takes Two Over No. 23 Louisiana for Series Win
Bears complete doubleheader sweep of Ragin’ Cajuns
For more information contact: Katy Gilmore, 254-252-2182, katy_gilmore at baylor.edu<mailto:katy_gilmore at baylor.edu>

LAFAYETTE, La. – No. 22 Baylor Softball took down No. 23 Louisiana twice Sunday afternoon, shutting out the Ragin’ Cajuns, 6-0, in game one and holding off a late comeback to win game two, 3-2.

THE RUNDOWN
The Bears found their offense in game one of the doubleheader, outhitting Louisiana, 13-4, in game one.

McKenzie Wilson set the tone with a leadoff double to left-center before a sac bunt from Taylor Strain moved her to second and a single down the left-field line off the bat of Shaylon Govan scored her. Pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt advanced to second on a passed ball but was thrown out at home plate after a single from Emily Hott.

With the 1-0 advantage, Louisiana put two on, but a double play and a groundout stopped the threat and held the Ragin’ Cajuns scoreless.

Baylor continued the scoring in the second inning, when a leadoff double from Amber Toven and a single from Presleigh Pilon put two on for Wilson. The senior outfielder then singled through the right side, scoring Toven. With runners on second and third, a groundout and a single from Govan plated two more and the Bears took the 4-0 lead.

Continuing the scoring trend, BU plated two more runs in the third after Sydney Collazos reached on an error and Toven doubled before a single from Shannon Vivoda brought both runners home.

RyLee Crandall and Dariana Orme combined for the shutout. Crandall started and pitched 4.0 innings with three strikeouts, and Orme allowed just one hit over the last three innings.

In game two, Govan singled in the first, but that was all the action the Bears saw through the first two innings.

Baylor got the scoring going in the third when errors by the Ragin’ Cajun defense led to the Bears’ three runs. Abi Flores walked to get the inning started before Pilon and Wilson each reached on errors to load the bases. On the next pitch, pinch-runner Rowatt came home on a wild pitch to give the Bears the 1-0 lead. With two outs, Hott reached on a fielding error by the first baseman, and both Wilson and Pilon came around to score.

The Bears strung together a couple more singles through the next two innings before loading the bases in the sixth on singles from Toven, Leah Cran and Pilon. No Bears came home to score, though, as back-to-back fielder’s choice plays ended the threat.

Louisiana hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to come within striking distance of the Bears, but clutch Baylor defense held the Ragin’ Cajuns at bay and the Bears took the 3-2 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS

  *   Shaylon Govan went 6-for-7 at the plate, with an intentional walk and two RBIs
  *   Seven Bears had multi-hit games
  *   Shannon Vivoda’s two RBIs in game two tied a career high
  *   Amber Toven’s two doubles in game one set a career high
  *   Aliyah Binford picked up her first win of the season in the circle
  *   RyLee Crandall picked up a win in game one and the save in game two
  *   Dariana Orme pitched three scoreless innings and got the save in game one
  *   McKenzie Wilson recorded two stolen bases on the day, while Presleigh Pilon had one
  *   The Bears had four extra-base hits in game one
  *   BU secured the series victory over No. 23 Louisiana
  *   Baylor is now 3-3 on the season
QUOTABLE
Head coach Glenn Moore on the game: "We are getting better. I think our defensive play this weekend was suffocating to a great offense. Offensively, we were much better. It’s difficult to stay confident even when you are having good appearances if you’re not producing runs, so I was glad to see the ball bounce our way. Good road wins today.”
UP NEXT
The Bears will continue their road swing as they Head to Palm Springs, Calif., to face five opponents at the Mary Nutter Classic Feb. 22-24.

-BaylorBears.com-

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__________________________________

Katy Gilmore | Associate Director of Athletic Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-2743 | C: 254-252-2182

[cidimage002.png at 01D79F3C.9D2300D0]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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