Everybody wants to write off the Baylor softball team after graduating a large number of veteran players last spring and then having two other starters not play for various reasons. Granted, it’s been quite a rebuilding year for veteran coach Kelli Smith and her assistants Susan Ross and Crosby Huckaby, but the Lady Red Raiders are doing quite well and have as good a chance as anyone of winning their 10th straight state title at the end of May.
There are a lot of new faces on the Baylor team and many girls are playing positions for the first time, but there’s one consistent factor and that’s a great coach who knows how to motivate her players and a group of talented young ladies who aren’t afraid to work hard to get the results they’re looking for.
Tuesday’s game at home against a vastly-improved GPS team is a prime example.
Baylor improved to 14-6-1 overall and 2-0 in region play with a 13-2 run-ruled victory over the Bruisers and they did so without Smith’s help. Baylor was involved in a tournament at Gibbs over the weekend when Smith had a disagreement with the umpires. She wasn’t ejected from the game, but restricted to the Baylor dugout. And just at the start of the week, they found out that she had to sit out a two-game suspension, which will included Tuesday’s game with GPS and Wednesday’s region clash with Knoxville Catholic.
Despite all of that, Baylor came out ready to play and the Bruisers did not.
Baylor jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning before making it 9-0 after two. They finished the game with a dozen hits. Winning pitcher Adison Wellington, who is an up-and-coming 16-year-old sophomore, did her job as well, limiting the Bruisers to just two hits while walking two and recording eight strikeouts. And Wellington was responsible for both of the GPS runs in the third inning when a bad choice led to a bad throw as those runs scored on the Baylor miscue.
Long-time assistant Ross served as the interim head coach on Tuesday and will do so again on Wednesday. She knows as well as anyone that the Lady Red Raiders were ready to play when the first pitch was thrown. All she had to do was kick back and enjoy it.
“That was another great team win,” Ross began at the end of a game that ended with only one out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
“We hit it hard and that early 3-0 took the pressure off the pitcher. We work every day on facing high-pressure situations and we continue to get better with each practice. I’m really proud of Adison as she pitched a really good game. She made the one mistake, but didn’t let that faze her as she was able to stay under control. We had a tough tournament at Gibbs and that prepared us for today, but we’ve been in tight situations before,” she added.
Wellington is one of those new faces who continues to impress with her performance on the field. She was all smiles when the final run had been scored.
“We all wanted to play well and win for coach Smith, but I feel like I came out sharp and was hitting my spots. That was just a mental error on my part, but I didn’t let it ruin my day as I just came back out there and kept battling,” she nodded.
GPS coach London Cornelius knows that her team is vastly improved and that one day, they will put it all together.
“We just have to bounce back,” Cornelius began.
“Baylor came to play today. We hit it hard in spurts, but the good news is that we’ll get to play them again,” she added.
Wellington retired the first eight GPS hitters she faced before allowing a two-out single to Sylia Hicks in the third inning. Jayla Gladden then walked on a 3-2 count to put runners on first and second. Calieah Reyes then hit a bouncer back to Wellington, who chose to go to third for a force out. Instead, her throw was off the mark, which allowed both Bruisers to score.
The Bruisers didn’t score again as Adriana Reyes had the only other hit for GPS in the sixth before Addison Smith reached on Baylor’s second error. Wellington never flinched as she retired the side with back-to-back strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Baylor bats came out swinging as eight of the nine starters all had at least one hit with half of them getting two.
Leadoff hitter Olivia Elkhill started the Baylor half of the first with a double before Chloe Cunningham walked. Both advanced on stolen bases and then scored when catcher Xahara Willis connected on a 1-1 pitch for a three-run homer over the fence in center.
Then in the second, the Baylor bats kept swinging and hitting as they batted around and collected four hits in addition to two walks and a GPS error. Cunningham had an RBI-single before the second run scored when Willis reached on another GPS error. Wellington then reached on a fielder’s choice when the second out was made, setting the table for Amiya Leach, who ripped an 0-1 pitch off the scoreboard in left for a grand slam and a 9-0 Baylor lead.
A sacrifice fly by Elkhill and another GPS error let two runs score in the fifth while Baylor ended the game with two more runs in the sixth. Wellington led off with an infield hit before Leach reached on a fielder’s choice Rylee Jasper then walked before Mary Blake Reese singled up the middle to drive in the 12th run. That single was misplayed, allowing Jasper to score the final run.
While GPS was limited to the two hits, Baylor finished the day with a dozen, including two each from Cunningham, Willis, Reese and Brenley Gentry.
Wellington was the winning pitcher after allowing those two hits and two walks while striking out eight. Sky Marshall took the loss after allowing the first five runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. Addison Smith came in to relieve in the second, but wasn’t much better as she allowed the final eight runs on eight hits with a walk.
While Baylor will be at home again on Wednesday to face Knoxville Catholic, GPS returns to action on Thursday with a road trip to Hixson. The Bruisers are now 15-6 overall and 4-2 in regino play.
GPS 002 000 – 2 2 4
BAYLOR 360 022 – 13 12 2
Marshall, Smith (2) and Long; Wellington and Willis.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)