No. 18 Softball Triumphs in 10-Inning Thriller over North Carolina
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – 18th-ranked Baylor softball (2-1) clawed its way back from a 9-6 deficit to defeat North Carolina, 10-9, in 10 innings on day two of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The 10-inning win was the longest Baylor game since a 3-2 loss at No. 8 Oklahoma on April 22, 2017. It was the first 10-inning victory for the Lady Bears since a 7-3 win at Texas State on April 9, 2013.
North Carolina struck first in the top of the first after a single down the right line and double to center field put the Tar Heels in front, 2-0.
The bats got rolling in the bottom of the second for the Lady Bears, picking up four runs on five hits. Hannah Smith’s double to right field put BU on the board, and Tyler Trott followed right after with a double down the right field line for the 3-2 lead. Nicky Dawson picked up an RBI when she brought in Madi O’Neal, ending the inning with a 4-2 advantage.
UNC followed right back with a three-run inning that included three hits. A triple to right-center field and a home run over the right field wall put the Tar Heels back in front, 5-4.
Baylor tied it up in the bottom of the fifth after a fielding error allowed Kassidy Krupit to cruise home and knot up the contest at 5-5.
Playing with the international tiebreaker rule after seven innings, each team opened the frame with a runner on second base. UNC took advantage quickly and converted it for the lead, 6-5, in the top of the eighth. Baylor would come back to tie it up after Trott used a sac bunt to bring in Maddison Kettler for a 6-6 game.
The Lady Bears found themselves in a hole late in the top of the ninth after the Tar Heels plated three runs on two hits to go up 9-6. BU fought back and used two hits from Lou Gilbert and Nicky Dawson to pull within one but then knotted it up again when Hannah Thompson had a sac fly to send the game to another inning at 9-9.
Sidney Holman kept UNC scoreless in the 10th as she recorded two of her five strikeouts in the frame, giving Baylor the chance to win the game after a bases-loaded Nicky Dawson single ended it in the bottom of the 10th.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor won its first 10-inning game since April 9, 2013 at Texas State (7-3).
• Baylor played its first 10-inning game since a 3-2 loss at No. 8 Oklahoma on April 22, 2017.
• Lou Gilbert and Nicky Dawson collected 2 RBIs against North Carolina.
• Nicky Dawson led the Bears for the second-straight day with a team-high two hits.
• The Baylor pitching staff combined for nine strikeouts.
• Sidney Holman collected the win after collecting five strikeouts in three innings.
• Freshman Tyler Trott made her Baylor debut on Friday.
• Baylor is now 2-1 in tournament play.
• Baylor is now 4-1 all-time against North Carolina, including 3-1 at a neutral site.
• Baylor is 1-0 in extra-inning games in 2019, recording a 1-1 record last season.
STAT OF THE GAME
10 – the amount of innings played and amount of runs by the Lady Bears in Friday’s win.
TOP QUOTE
Head coach Glenn Moore
On the win…
“While I wasn’t happy with our approach to that game, which led to the early deficit, I was very happy to see the fight and determination to get back up after being knocked down and win it.”
WHAT’S NEXT
The Lady Bears (2-1) take a day off from competition before closing out the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge with contests against Liberty (1-1) and No. 3/2 Washington (0-0) on Sunday. The games are slated for a noon CT and 6 p.m. start and will be live on FloSoftball.