March 11, 2007
Box Score
WACO, Texas --- Chelsi Lake's run-scoring RBI single in the bottom of the seventh gave the No. 14 Baylor softball team a walk-off victory over No. 2 Arizona as the Lady Bears defeated the Wildcats, 3-2, in action at Getterman Stadium on Sunday. With the win, Baylor took two-of-three from the Wildcats to win the Compass Bank Challenge and improve to 24-5 on the season while Arizona fell to 17-5 on the year with the loss.
"We took our program to a new level today," head coach Glenn Moore. "To win two-of-three over a softball program like Arizona is huge. It was probably the best weekend in Getterman Stadium history."
Once again, a two-out rally would decide the game as Baylor would come away with a thrilling, walk-off victory. After Nicole Wesley singled and stole second, Ashley Monceaux walked to bring up senior Chelsi Lake. The catcher responded as she drilled a single off the left-field wall to easily score N. Wesley from second as the team raced out of the dugout to mob Lake after the walk-off single.
Baylor was forced to comeback on the Wildcats for the second consecutive day as the Wildcats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning on runs by Chelsie Mesa and K'Lee Arredondo.
Lisa Ferguson would hold the Wildcats in check the rest of the way; however, as Baylor began to chip away at the Arizona lead.
In the bottom of the first inning, Baylor responded with a single run to cut the lead in half. After Tiffany Wesley led off the inning and came around to third on a stolen base, Monceaux drove home the first Baylor run of the game with a sacrifice fly to deep center field to score T. Wesley from third and cut the lead in half.
With both pitchers in control over the next three innings, Baylor managed to tie the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth. After the first two hitters were retired in the inning, T. Wesley and N. Wesley hit back-to-back singles to bring Monceaux to the plate. Like she has done all season long, Monceaux delivered when she laced a single into center field to plate T. Wesley, who just slid around the tag, to tie the game.
As the game remained tied heading into the top of the seventh the Wildcats had a great chance to push the go-ahead run across the plate when Adrienne Acton delivered a triple to the left-center field wall to give Arizona a runner at third with only one out. However, great defense by Baylor would keep Arizona off the board.
On a 0-2 pitch, Mesa ripped a line-drive that looked as if it was heading into center field; but, Alex Colyer made an incredible leaping grab to retire Mesa before Ferguson forced Arredondo to pop-out to short to keep the game tied.
The walk-off victory gave Baylor the Compass Bank Challenge title as the Lady Bears picked up their second consecutive win over a top five team.
Ferguson picked up the victory as she improved to 10-3 on the season after allowing only one earned run on four hits in seven innings of work.
The senior limited Arizona to its lowest hit total of the year after allowing only four hits while striking out three.
Mowatt took the loss for Arizona and fell to 11-5 on the season after allowing three runs on nine hits in 6.2 innings of work.
Baylor will return to action on Wednesday, March 14, when the Lady Bears face Liberty to open the Hawai'i Invitational in Honolulu, Hawai'i at 3:00 p.m.
