Baylor Softball Sweeps BYU in Thursday Doubleheader

PROVO, Utah – Baylor Softball took down BYU twice in its Thursday doubleheader, 8-7 in game one and 12-9 in game two, at Gail Miller Field.

THE RUNDOWN

Game One

The Bears fell behind early in game one after a three-run home run from the Cougars in the bottom half of the first gave BYU an early lead.

Aliyah Binford singled in the second and Emily Hott singled in the third, but that would be all for the Bears after both teams went scoreless through the next two innings.

Baylor got on the board for the first time in the top of the fourth after back-to-back jacks from Shaylon Govan and Sydney Collazos. Binford then singled up the middle and Kaci West walked, but that would be it for the Bears in the fourth as they make it a 3-2 ballgame.

BYU battled back in the bottom of the fourth after a wild pitch and three-run bomb but the Cougars up, 7-2.

As the Cougars threatened again in the bottom of the fifth, Baylor was able to hold them scoreless to set the scene for the offense in the sixth inning.

After back-to-back singles from Collazos and Binford, a wild pitch moves them into scoring position. To get the scoring started, Ana Watson reached on an error by the second baseman that brought home two runs. With two outs, Wachtendorf singled and stole second to put two runners on for Hott. The left fielder then tripled to right field, bringing home both runs and putting Baylor within one run.

Presleigh Pilon followed up the triple with a single that tied the game 7-7.

Not wanting extras in game one, Collazos led off the top of the seventh with a four-pitch walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch. After a ground out had Collazos standing on third, a single from Watson plated the Bears’ eighth run and gave BU its first lead of the game.

After allowing a single base runner in the bottom of the seventh, the Bears were able to sit the next two Cougars down to secure the 8-7 victory in game one.

Game Two

Baylor started game two with a bang when Pilon launched her first-career homer over the wall in right field to give the Bears an early 1-0 lead. Govan followed up the home run with a single before Binford doubled down the left-field line to put runners in scoring position. A two-RBI single off the bat of Watson put the Bears up 3-0 in the first inning.

BYU answered in the bottom half of the inning with two runs of their own, but Baylor was able to keep them from tying the game with a groundout to third base.

After a quiet inning from both sides in the second, it was all offense from there on out as the Bears and Cougars would score a run in each of the next four innings.

Baylor started the scoring in the third after a leadoff double from Govan was followed up by a single from Collazos that scored pinch-runner Caroline Rowatt from second.

The Bears carried their 4-3 lead into the top of the fourth when they tacked on a run after a bases-loaded sacrifice fly off of the bat of Govan.

The Cougars took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth when they plated a four-spot to go up 7-4.

After a 10-minute rain delay to start the top of the fifth inning, Collazos walked and Binford singled to put two on for Watson. With Watson up to bat, the game entered a second rain delay, this one lasting 12 minutes before the teams took the field again and resumed play. Watson then launched a three-run bomb over the wall in center field to give the Bears back the lead.

One-out back-to-back walks put two more on for the Bears before a groundout moved them into scoring position. Pilon then stepped into the batter’s box and brought home both runners with a single to center field to put the Bears out front 10-7.

The Bears loaded the bases again in the top of the sixth when a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice plated two more to give Baylor the four-run lead.

BYU got a run back in the bottom of the sixth but that would be all the Bears needed as they took game two over the Cougars, 12-9.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Bears totaled 23 hits on the day, 11 in game one and 12 in game two
• Aliyah Binford went 6-for-8 in the day with a double and picked up a win in the circle
• Binford struck out eight in her complete-game pitching performance
• Ana Watson went 3-for-4 in game two with five RBIs
• Prelseigh Pilon hit her first career home run
• The Bears had four total home runs on the day
• Pilon had four RBIs on the day
• Three Bears had three-hit performances in game two
• With the two wins the Bears have secured the series over the Cougars
• Baylor’s double-digit hits mark the 11th and 12th time the Bears have hit double-digit hits in a game this season
• Thie is the first back-to-back games with double-digit hits
• Emily Hott now has five triples on the season

UP NEXT

The Bears will face BYU for the series finale on Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. CT, weather permitting.