Six-Run Inning Leads Gutsy Baylor Past GPS To Force Second Title Game

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Baylor and Girls Preparatory School squaring off for TSSAA Division II-2A softball championships during Spring Fling has become a ritual of spring.

It happened for the ninth time Friday at the Starplex on a windy, sunny day that each team could have marked on their sports calendar months ago.

Baylor was gunning for its 11^th team title.

GPS was seeking its ninth.

Other competitors in the division have been playing for third place for years.

The last time another team other than Baylor and GPS played in the title game was in 2009 when the Bruisers beat St. Benedict 5-1.

The Lady Red Raiders were in the position of having to win a game for the right to play a second title contest for the championship plaque. The Bruisers have been on both sides of that situation as well.

Baylor (26-4) got a three-run triple from speedy freshman center fielder Makayla Packer in a six-run fifth inning and went on to beat GPS 10-7 to force a second game at 5:30 p.m. with the Division II-2A title up for grabs.

The Lady Raiders couldn't be stopped, beating GPS 6-1 to claim their third straight championship and fifth in six years. GPS last won the title in 2014 when it clipped Baylor 12-7.

At the conclusion of the first tilt, each team had about an hour to rest and grab some food before the highly meaningful second-game showdown. They needed the time after the first game took three-plus hours to conclude.

Packer, who won the 100-meter sprint state title (12.28 seconds) at Middle Tennessee State University on Thursday, was hungry and matter-of-fact between games.

“It was an outside pitch a little low and when I hit it I was going to keep running until I saw the stop sign,” she said.

Packer slid head first into third base in likely record time. Ahead of her, Chandler Gentry, running for Brinley Garrison (reached on a fielder’s choice), Ashton Bazzell (single) and Emily Rye (single) scored.

All that running and scoring gave Baylor added juice. After the dust settled, Cheyenne Lindsey and Abby McNamara belted a RBI triple to right to cap the uprising against GPS reliever Hannah Kincer, who smashed solo and two-run homers as the Bruisers built an early lead. Kincer’s two-run blast came in a three-run first inning.

Before the first ended, Baylor coach Kelli Smith pulled starter Macy Ann McKnight with one out and Acelynn Sellers, an eighth-grader, gave up two hits but eventually escaped further run damage.

“The coaches told us before the game Macy and I had to be ready,” Sellers said. “GPS is a great hitting team and we wanted to do something to keep them off balance. They said we could make changes every inning if necessary.”

Said Smith of her gutty pitchers: “We came in with a plan with Macy and Acelynn, who don’t care who get the credit. All they want to do is get the job done. They came in here with no state tournament experience, but did whatever it took to help us win.”

McKnight got leadoff batter Kaitlin Songer to ground out in the first, but Elizabeth Warwick and Haley Smith each singled. Kincer followed with her first homer, a two-run shot down the left-field foul line.

The Lady Raiders (27-4) started with Emily Rye and Packer bunt singles in the third. Rye scored on McNamara’s groundout, the second out in the inning. Rich followed with a RBI single.

GPS (22-4) pushed its lead to 4-2 when Kincer hit a line-drive homer over the left-field fence.

“I was definitely due today,” Kincer said. “I’ve had a rough couple of weeks. We wanted this game so bad and I wanted to do everything I could to help my team.”

Just before Kincer slugged her one out solo homer in the third, play was stopped for 11 minutes as grounds crew personnel replaced the pitching rubber in the circle. The Baylor team left the field as the replacement strip was put in place.

Soon after play resumed Kincer smacked her second home.

Baylor got back-to-back bases-loaded walks from Rye and Packer to tie the game. Garrison and Bazzell each singled and scored on the walks.

Haley Smith delivered a two-run double in the fourth inning and regained the lead at 6-4.

Baylor nuked the Bruisers minutes later.

Sellers doubled, but was cut down at third when Kincer fielded Garrison’s grounder and threw to Karly Benefield. Bazzell singled and McKnight struck out. Rye’s single loaded the bases.

Packer hit a shot past the Bruisers’ right fielder and the race was on.

Gentry came around to score.

Bazzell came around.

And Rye, with Packer on her heels rounding second, also came around.

Packer bats ninth in the Baylor order.

“She leads our team with eight homers,” Smith said, “so that tells you what she can give us. And there’s a reason why she’s in the number nine spot. It’s like we have double leadoff batters with Makayla at nine and Lindsey in the number one slot. And both of them have speed.”

Said Kincer: “Their six-run inning put a damper on us. As a leader on the team I had to try and get the momentum back. We’ll get some food and go at it again.”

Baylor had eight of its 15 hits in the big inning. Every starter in the Lady Raiders’ lineup had at least one hit and six scored at least one run.

Sellers collected two doubles and Packer finished with four RBIs. McNamara, Kamrie Rich, Bazzell, Rye and Packer also had two hits.

In addition to her 100-meter title, Packer also helped relay teams to second- and third-place finishes. She chose not to run the 200-meter race in order to help the softball squad.

GPS added a seventh run in the sixth on Haley Smith’s solo homer to center into the stiff wind.

Undaunted, Sellers, showing maturity beyond her years, retired Kincer on an infield grounder to end the inning.

In the seventh, GPS’ Macie Stanfield grounded out, Walters was hit by a pitch, Ariana Whatley popped up and pinch-hitter Hannah Petty flied out to right.

“We’ve got an even shot now,” the Baylor coach said. “We had to beat St. Benedict (to reach the title game and we have to beat GPS twice to win it all. Now it’s anybody’s trophy to take back to Chattanooga.”

GPS’ Smith went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and scored twice. Kincer was 2-for-3, scored two runs and had four RBIs. Whatley stroked singles in four at-bats.

LINESCORE

Baylor                                              002 260 0 – 10 15 0 

Girls Preparatory School               301 201 0 – 7 10 1

McKnight, Sellers (1) and Rich; Walters, Kincer (4), Walters (5) and Smith.

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)