Box Score

WACO, Texas -- No. 19 Baylor softball (28-7) used clutch hitting and dominating pitching to get a 2-0 victory over the North Texas Mean Green (18-13) on Wednesday evening at Getterman Stadium.

Gia Rodoni (1-0) picked up her first decision in the circle for the Lady Bears, pitching 4.0 innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits with four strikeouts.

Kendall Potts took it the rest of the way for Baylor, pitching the final 3.0 frames of near perfect work, allowing just one base runner on a hit-by-pitch, while striking out two.

For the bats, a first inning run set the tone early, with Baylor taking the first crack at the scoreboard.

Jessie Scroggins led off with a single, stealing second, and advancing to third on the throwing error by UNT catcher Bryana Wade.

A sacrifice fly to deep center field by Shelby Friudenberg easily scored Scroggins, giving BU the early 1-0 advantage.

Baylor would add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, with Linsey Hays getting a late rally rolling on a two-out double to left-center.

With Kyla Walker pinch running for Hays, Sarah Smith stepped to the plate, drilling a double deep into the corner in left field, scoring Walker.

The 2-0 advantage was more than enough to win the day for the Lady Bears, with the pitching staff finishing off the combined shutout.

QUOTES
Baylor Head Coach Glenn Moore
On the victory...
"Perfect midweek game. We got some good work from Gia, and Potts came in and looked good again. Every game I think she's looking a little bit better. The scoreboard wasn't a good indicator of our offense, because I thought we had quality at-bats. The balls couldn't find holes and we hit a couple of long balls that probably would have been out on a still night. It wasn't bad coming off emotional games like we had last night and over the weekend. It's kind of hard to get up for a midweek and I thought they did a good job getting themselves ready to play a solid ballgame."

On Gia's first win...
"We hadn't really been able to get her in a game long enough for her to feel comfortable. She reached that point tonight and threw some good pitches. She got hit a time or two, but she went through three quarters of this season thinking she wasn't going to throw a pitch in a game. So it's not going to happen overnight to get her back. But we need little bits and pieces of games where she can build her confidence. The good thing about her is that she doesn't walk people. You know the problems we were having with giving up free bases and giving up six, seven, eight and as many as nine. She goes at them. If they're going to beat her they're going to beat her swinging. That's what I want to see out of my pitchers right now."

On momentum heading into Iowa road trip...
"I feel good. There are certain things the game keeps revealing to us that we need work on. We were able to play a couple more people to work on our depth. I certainly think we're in pretty good shape right now. We just can't be satisfied. We're chasing a Big 12 title, and it's still early in the season. We've got a lot of room to improve every weekend."

Sarah Smith
On avenging two losses to UNT earlier in season...
"We did not want to get swept, that was our goal. We came out here and tried as hard as we could and we won."

On playing the day after a doubleheader...
"It is hard to go from the school mindset, I feel we do a pretty good job at that. I know I have some serious studying tonight."

On Gia's pitching...
"She has been throwing really well, and she has been having a really good mindset. She kind of reminds me of Heather, the way she goes out there just focused, and goes just right at them."

Gia Rodoni
On what was working...
"Pretty much everything was working, I just had more confidence than I had in the past games. That was the key for me, just confidence, going in there and pitching comfortably."

On being more comfortable playing...
"I am definitely getting more comfortable and settled in, and it is getting easier every game."

STAT OF THE DAY #1
11 -- the number of doubles this season for Sarah Smith, already tying her previous career single season-high (11, 2014)

STAT OF THE DAY #2
6 -- the number of Baylor pitchers who have appeared in games this season, with all six Lady Bears having a hand in at least one of BU's 12 shutouts

WHAT'S NEXT
The Lady Bears take the first conference road trip of the season, traveling to Ames, Iowa for a three-game weekend series with the Cyclones, beginning on Friday, April 1 at 4:00 p.m.

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