Friday, May 6
Waco, Texas
6:30 PM
Baylor
27-22, 0
6
vs
10
Texas
36-15-1, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Texas
3
0
0
5
1
1
0
10
14
2
Baylor
0
0
0
2
1
3
0
6
13
4
SB Rallies but Falls Short Against No. 14 Texas, 10-6
5/6/2022 10:47:00 PM | Softball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Trailing 14th-ranked Texas by eight runs in the fourth inning of Friday's series opener at Getterman Stadium, Baylor softball could have gone quietly into the night. Not this team.
"This team doesn't quit, if you couldn't tell from that," said freshman outfielder Taylor Strain, who blasted her first career home run to spark a rally that came up short in a 10-6 loss to the Longhorns. "We had that game, in my opinion. Our sticks are going again, so we'll get them, for sure."
The Bears (27-22, 5-14) will get two more chances against the Longhorns (36-15-1, 11-5), but the series shifts to Austin for the next two games at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at McCombs Field.
"That's the offense we had earlier in the year when we couldn't get our defense situated and our pitching in synch," Baylor coach Glenn Moore said of the Bears' 13-hit explosion. "That's the most offense we've had in a while. We just dug too big of a hole."
A three-run first inning by Texas included a dropped throw at first base by Emily Hott and catcher Zadie LaValley allowing Janae Jefferson to score from third on a botched squeeze bunt attempt by McKenzie Parker. Before the Bears even got into the box against hard-throwing right-hander Hailey Dolcini (17-7), they were down 3-0.
"I don't know if it was nerves or what, the way we started so uptight," Moore said, "but you can't dig that kind of a hole. With the kind of pitching staff they have, you would almost think three runs was enough for them, especially the way we've been swinging the bat."
Baylor starter Dariana Orme (12-13) gave up five hits in that first inning, but "you just can't keep throwing to this lineup and not making plays behind her. I know it was frustrating to her," Moore said.
Orme settled in to put up zeroes the next two innings, but the Longhorns exploded for five runs in the fourth to extend their lead to 8-0.
Alyssa Popelka had a bunt single to lead off the fourth, with Moore arguing that Texas' 9-hole hitter dropped her bat in front of the plate to cause interference for LaValley's throw to first. With the play upheld, Popelka stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a seeing-eye single through the right side by Jefferson.
Orme exited after giving up a two-run double to Parker, then Mary Iakopo greeted reliever Maren Judisch with a two-run homer to left that made it 8-0. To her credit, Judisch gave up just one more hit and two runs over the last three innings to at least give the Bears a chance.
Facing reliever Estelle Czech leading off Baylor's half of the fourth, the 5-foot-3 Strain deposited a 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall for her first homer since her 2020 senior season at Robinson High School.
"Honestly, I went up there like, I'm going to hit this ball as hard as I can," Strain said. "We definitely needed a spark in that moment. And without all my teammates being there for me and pumping me up, I couldn't have done it. . . . I saw the inside pitch, and I just cranked it."
Held to one hit by Dolcini through the first three frames, Baylor's bats kept it going with an infield single by Hott and an RBI double by Aliyah Binford, who went 3-for-3 and a triple shy of the cycle.
"Sometimes, it just takes a spark, and we had that with Taylor Strain once again," Moore said. "With her out of our lineup for a while, we missed her badly, because she was that spark. And she sparked us again tonight with that home run. And then, the momentum, that was fun to see."
Texas tacked on a two-out run in the fifth, but Baylor answered with an RBI double to right by Hott after back-to-back singles by Ana Watson and McKenzie Wilson.
In the sixth, Josie Bower had a hustling leadoff double on a sharp grounder that glanced off Jefferson's glove and trickled into right field. And then, Binford hit a towering shot that sailed over the left-field foul pole for a two-run blast, her fourth of the season and 16th of her career.
The Bears added another run on two hits off reliever Courtney Dale, pulling within 10-6 and bringing the tying run on deck. But, Hott popped out to short to end the sixth, and Dolcini came back in the seventh to work around a pair of baserunners, striking out LaValley to end the game.
"The whole year, this team has shown fight," Moore said. "And it wasn't just one time, it was multiple innings where we were in their face and we were making them make plays.
"Whether it's too late to do anything for us postseason-wise because of that, it's still good to see a young team grow and fight. That will pay off somewhere down the road. And not only in the game, but in life, that kind of effort is going to pay off."
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor softball rallied late in the series opener against No. 14 Texas Friday night at Getterman Stadium, but fell 10-6 to the Longhorns.
Behind an error and some timely Longhorn hits, Texas plated three runs in the first before the Bears shut them down over the next two innings.
Aliyah Binford, who was 3-for-3 at the plate, singled up the middle in the bottom of the second, after a 12-pitch at bat, for the Bears first hit of the night.
Texas plated five in the top of the fourth to go up 8-0 before the Bears started to claw back.
Starting an offensive spark in the bottom of the fourth was Taylor Strain, who led off the inning with her first career home run over the wall in right field. Emily Hott then singled and advanced to second on an error before a two-out double down the left field line from Binford brought her home.
The Bears plated another run in the bottom of the fifth after singles from Ana Watson and McKenzie Wilson put two on for Hott who doubled for her second hit of the game.
With the 9-3 advantage, Texas put up another run in top of the sixth, before a three-run bottom half of the inning brought the Bears within four runs.
After a leadoff single from Josie Bower in the sixth, Binford blasted her fourth home run of the year over the wall in left field, making it a 10-5 game. Sydney Collazos and Watson singled to put two runners on for Strain, who singled to third base and moved the runners over before an error scored pinch runner Grace Powell.
Reliever Maren Judisch, worked out of the top of the seventh to give the Bears their last chance of the night. Bower singled for the second time in the game before Binford walked but that would be all for Baylor in the game.
HIGHLIGHTS
TOP QUOTES
Glenn Moore on the fight after being down early…
"That was the most offense we've had in a while. I don't know if it was nerves or what, the way we started so uptight, but you can't dig that kind of a hole with that pitching staff. You'd think almost three runs was enough for them. Sometimes, as I told them out there, it just takes a spark and we had that in Taylor Strain once again and I think I mentioned that earlier with her out of our lineup for a while we really missed her badly, she was our spark and she sparked us again. Her homerun was fun to see. That is the offense we had earlier in the year when we couldn't get our defense situated. So that was nice, we just dug too big of a hole. "
Taylor Strain on her home run…
"Honestly, I went up there and I was like I'm about to hit this ball as hard as I can. We needed a spark in that moment. Without my teammates being there for me, pumping me up, I couldn't have done it. Being able to do that was awesome. I saw the inside pitch and I just cranked it. That's what I did."
Baylor Bear Insider
Trailing 14th-ranked Texas by eight runs in the fourth inning of Friday's series opener at Getterman Stadium, Baylor softball could have gone quietly into the night. Not this team.
"This team doesn't quit, if you couldn't tell from that," said freshman outfielder Taylor Strain, who blasted her first career home run to spark a rally that came up short in a 10-6 loss to the Longhorns. "We had that game, in my opinion. Our sticks are going again, so we'll get them, for sure."
The Bears (27-22, 5-14) will get two more chances against the Longhorns (36-15-1, 11-5), but the series shifts to Austin for the next two games at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at McCombs Field.
"That's the offense we had earlier in the year when we couldn't get our defense situated and our pitching in synch," Baylor coach Glenn Moore said of the Bears' 13-hit explosion. "That's the most offense we've had in a while. We just dug too big of a hole."
A three-run first inning by Texas included a dropped throw at first base by Emily Hott and catcher Zadie LaValley allowing Janae Jefferson to score from third on a botched squeeze bunt attempt by McKenzie Parker. Before the Bears even got into the box against hard-throwing right-hander Hailey Dolcini (17-7), they were down 3-0.
"I don't know if it was nerves or what, the way we started so uptight," Moore said, "but you can't dig that kind of a hole. With the kind of pitching staff they have, you would almost think three runs was enough for them, especially the way we've been swinging the bat."
Baylor starter Dariana Orme (12-13) gave up five hits in that first inning, but "you just can't keep throwing to this lineup and not making plays behind her. I know it was frustrating to her," Moore said.
Orme settled in to put up zeroes the next two innings, but the Longhorns exploded for five runs in the fourth to extend their lead to 8-0.
Alyssa Popelka had a bunt single to lead off the fourth, with Moore arguing that Texas' 9-hole hitter dropped her bat in front of the plate to cause interference for LaValley's throw to first. With the play upheld, Popelka stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a seeing-eye single through the right side by Jefferson.
Orme exited after giving up a two-run double to Parker, then Mary Iakopo greeted reliever Maren Judisch with a two-run homer to left that made it 8-0. To her credit, Judisch gave up just one more hit and two runs over the last three innings to at least give the Bears a chance.
Facing reliever Estelle Czech leading off Baylor's half of the fourth, the 5-foot-3 Strain deposited a 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall for her first homer since her 2020 senior season at Robinson High School.
"Honestly, I went up there like, I'm going to hit this ball as hard as I can," Strain said. "We definitely needed a spark in that moment. And without all my teammates being there for me and pumping me up, I couldn't have done it. . . . I saw the inside pitch, and I just cranked it."
Held to one hit by Dolcini through the first three frames, Baylor's bats kept it going with an infield single by Hott and an RBI double by Aliyah Binford, who went 3-for-3 and a triple shy of the cycle.
"Sometimes, it just takes a spark, and we had that with Taylor Strain once again," Moore said. "With her out of our lineup for a while, we missed her badly, because she was that spark. And she sparked us again tonight with that home run. And then, the momentum, that was fun to see."
Texas tacked on a two-out run in the fifth, but Baylor answered with an RBI double to right by Hott after back-to-back singles by Ana Watson and McKenzie Wilson.
In the sixth, Josie Bower had a hustling leadoff double on a sharp grounder that glanced off Jefferson's glove and trickled into right field. And then, Binford hit a towering shot that sailed over the left-field foul pole for a two-run blast, her fourth of the season and 16th of her career.
The Bears added another run on two hits off reliever Courtney Dale, pulling within 10-6 and bringing the tying run on deck. But, Hott popped out to short to end the sixth, and Dolcini came back in the seventh to work around a pair of baserunners, striking out LaValley to end the game.
"The whole year, this team has shown fight," Moore said. "And it wasn't just one time, it was multiple innings where we were in their face and we were making them make plays.
"Whether it's too late to do anything for us postseason-wise because of that, it's still good to see a young team grow and fight. That will pay off somewhere down the road. And not only in the game, but in life, that kind of effort is going to pay off."
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor softball rallied late in the series opener against No. 14 Texas Friday night at Getterman Stadium, but fell 10-6 to the Longhorns.
Behind an error and some timely Longhorn hits, Texas plated three runs in the first before the Bears shut them down over the next two innings.
Aliyah Binford, who was 3-for-3 at the plate, singled up the middle in the bottom of the second, after a 12-pitch at bat, for the Bears first hit of the night.
Texas plated five in the top of the fourth to go up 8-0 before the Bears started to claw back.
Starting an offensive spark in the bottom of the fourth was Taylor Strain, who led off the inning with her first career home run over the wall in right field. Emily Hott then singled and advanced to second on an error before a two-out double down the left field line from Binford brought her home.
The Bears plated another run in the bottom of the fifth after singles from Ana Watson and McKenzie Wilson put two on for Hott who doubled for her second hit of the game.
With the 9-3 advantage, Texas put up another run in top of the sixth, before a three-run bottom half of the inning brought the Bears within four runs.
After a leadoff single from Josie Bower in the sixth, Binford blasted her fourth home run of the year over the wall in left field, making it a 10-5 game. Sydney Collazos and Watson singled to put two runners on for Strain, who singled to third base and moved the runners over before an error scored pinch runner Grace Powell.
Reliever Maren Judisch, worked out of the top of the seventh to give the Bears their last chance of the night. Bower singled for the second time in the game before Binford walked but that would be all for Baylor in the game.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Aliyah Binford went 3-for-3 at the plate, a triple away from hitting for the cycle
- Binford hit her fourth home run this season, 14th of her career
- Taylor Strain hit her first career home run
- Baylor's 13 hits tie for the second most this season
- Five Bears recorded a multi-hit game
- Five Bears had extra base hits
- Maren Judisch struck out two in her 4.0 innings of work
- The Bears two home runs mark the first time two home runs have been hit by the same team, in the same game at Getterman this season
TOP QUOTES
Glenn Moore on the fight after being down early…
"That was the most offense we've had in a while. I don't know if it was nerves or what, the way we started so uptight, but you can't dig that kind of a hole with that pitching staff. You'd think almost three runs was enough for them. Sometimes, as I told them out there, it just takes a spark and we had that in Taylor Strain once again and I think I mentioned that earlier with her out of our lineup for a while we really missed her badly, she was our spark and she sparked us again. Her homerun was fun to see. That is the offense we had earlier in the year when we couldn't get our defense situated. So that was nice, we just dug too big of a hole. "
Taylor Strain on her home run…
"Honestly, I went up there and I was like I'm about to hit this ball as hard as I can. We needed a spark in that moment. Without my teammates being there for me, pumping me up, I couldn't have done it. Being able to do that was awesome. I saw the inside pitch and I just cranked it. That's what I did."
- BaylorBears.com -
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dolcini, Hailey (17-7)
L: Orme, Dariana (12-13)
Batting:
2B: Scott, Mia 1 ; Parker, McKenzie 1 ; Iakopo, Mary 1
HR: Iakopo, Mary 1
RBI: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; Parker, McKenzie 2 ; Iakopo, Mary 3 ; Washington, Alyssa 1 ; Popelka, Alyssa 1
SH: Gilbert, Lou 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jefferson, Janae 2 ; Scott, Mia 2 ; Dayton, Bella 2 ; Iakopo, Mary 2 ; Washington, Alyssa 1 ; Popelka, Alyssa 1
SB: Jefferson, Janae 1 ; Scott, Mia 2 ; Dayton, Bella 1 ; Popelka, Alyssa 1
Batting:
2B: Hott, Emily 1 ; Bower, Josie 1 ; Binford, Aliyah 1
HR: Strain, Taylor 1 ; Binford, Aliyah 1
RBI: Strain, Taylor 1 ; Hott, Emily 1 ; Binford, Aliyah 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Strain, Taylor 1 ; Hott, Emily 1 ; Bower, Josie 1 ; Binford, Aliyah 1 ; Powell, Grace 1 ; Watson, Ana 1
Game Leaders
ss/3b
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballUTIL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
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