March 5, 2006
Box Score
WACO, Texas --- After falling to No. 13 Washington, 2-0, in the first game of the day, the No. 18 Baylor softball team rebounded with a 3-1 win over Mississippi State as the Lady Bears claimed the 2006 Compass Bank Invitational title with a 5-1 record on the weekend. With the split, Baylor improves to 16-6 on the season.
Washington pitcher Caitlin Noble kept the Lady Bears offense in check throughout game one as the Huskies pitcher tossed a complete game shutout, allowing only two hits while striking out 10 in seven innings of work to improve to 6-3 on the season.
The Huskies put the only runs on the board in the sixth as Washington scored two unearned runs in the frame to take a 2-0 lead.
Baylor could not get anything going throughout the contest as the Lady Bears were shut out for the first time this season and for the first time since an 8-0 loss against No. 2 Cal at the 2005 NCAA Waco Super Regional.
Tessa Lynam and Harmony Schwethelm picked up the Lady Bears only hits in the contest as Baylor fell to 3-2 this season against ranked opponents.
Lisa Ferguson pitched well for Baylor in the loss as she fell to 8-2 on the season after allowing two unearned runs on only four hits in six innings of work.
Baylor rebounded in game two; however, as the Lady Bears claimed the Compass Bank Invitational title with a 3-1 victory over Mississippi State to close out the tournament.
The Lady Bears got on the board in the second inning when Ashley Monceaux smashed a line drive over the center field wall for her second home run of the season, scoring Lynam, as Baylor grabbed a 2-0 lead.
Baylor would add a run in the third on Chelsi Lake's RBI single to take a 3-0 lead as Monceaux made sure the lead would hold up with a strong performance in the circle.
After Monceaux held Mississippi State without a hit for the first 4.2 innings, the Bulldogs finally scratched across a run with a single run in the sixth to cut the lead to two. The junior right-hander would not let the Bulldogs get any closer; however, as Monceaux recorded her first career complete game victory to improve to 2-2 on the season after allowing one run on three hits in seven innings of work.
Baylor placed three on the all-tournament team as Lynam, Lake and Ferguson made the squad for the Lady Bears while Gina Rango (Bowlling Green), Jeanine Baca (Bowling Green), Ashley Charters (Washington), Dena Tyson (Washington), Dominique Lastrapes (Washington), Stephanie Comeaux (Mississippi State) and Hayle Guess (Mississippi State) rounded out the all-Compass Bank Invitational team.
The Lady Bears will return to action on Wednesday, March 8, when Baylor hosts Houston in a doubleheader beginning at 4:00 p.m.
