Baker Softball Sweeps Conference Outings against Vikings, Bobcats

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - The Baker softball team posted back-to-back sweeps after taking both games of its Heart of America Conference series this past weekend with a pair of wins at home against Missouri Valley on Friday, followed by another set of wins at Peru State on Saturday.

The Wildcats came out on top of a couple of close games in Baldwin City on Friday, outlasting the Vikings in a 2-0 win in the first game and a 2-1 victory in extra innings in the nightcap. BU went on to sweep the Bobcats in Peru, Neb. with scores of 8-4 and 5-2.

Kira Baker allowed just one hit in both of her outings this past weekend, tossing a one-hitter against MVC on Friday for her seventh shutout of the season. She then came in and pitched five innings of relief on Saturday, racking up eight strikeouts and earning her second win of the weekend.

BU 2, MVC 0
K. Baker tossed a one-hit gem in her first appearance and the Wildcats finally cracked through against the MVC starter with a two-run bottom of the sixth that secured the 2-0 victory.

BU put runners at second and third in the bottom of the first, who were left stranded, but weren't able to string anything together again until the sixth inning. After a leadoff walk, Rachel Pederson broke the scoreless deadlock on a sacrifice fly from Riley Phillips and Ashlee Jackman drove in the other run with a two-single to left field.

After reeling off six straight 1-2-3 innings, K. Baker allowed her first baserunners in the top of the seventh with a leadoff walk and then a one-out single that came after a dropped foul ball on the same at-bat to break up the no-hitter.

BU 2, MVC 1 (10 inn.)
In Friday's game two, BU went to extra innings for just the second time this year with Pederson's walk-off single in the 10th giving the Wildcats their second straight sweep at home.

Tess Eubank put on an incredible performance in the circle, pitching all 10 innings and tallying eight strikeouts to notch her fourth win of the season.

A solo home run from Savannah Bray in the bottom of the first was BU's lone run in the game until the 10th inning walkoff. Bray's homer was her fourth of the spring and her first one against a Heart team.

With the international tiebreaker in effect, Baker won the game in the bottom of the 10th after Braxton Stainbrook moved the runner to third on a sac bunt and then Pederson came through with the game-winning hit.

BU 8, PSC 4
On Saturday, a huge eight-run inning helped the Wildcats storm back from a four-run deficit and take game one in Peru, 8-4.

The Bobcats totaled four runs in the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead before BU broke through with eight runs in the top of the fourth.

Stainbrook, Reese Curry and Taryn Hull each connected on three consecutive RBI singles and Pederson smoked a double to score Stainbrook to make it a 6-4 lead for BU. Phillips tacked on the eighth and final run of the inning with her second triple of the season.

Entering in the bottom of the third, K. Baker came in and completely silenced the PSC lineup with five innings of one-hit ball to earn her 10th win of the year.

BU 5, PSC 2
The Wildcats got another solid performance from their pitching staff with Eubank and Breana Barchak combining to clinch a 5-2 victory in the final game of the weekend.

BU scratched across a run in the second, third and fourth innings with Jackman scoring on an error in the second, Ava Greiner driving in a run in the third and Pederson recording another RBI double in the fourth.

After the Bobcats scored two runs in the fourth to make it a one-run game, Jackman and Curry tallied back-to-back RBI doubles in the top of the seventh to finish off a fifth straight victory for the Wildcats.

With a 15-5 record in conference, the Wildcats, currently, sit in fourth place in the Heart standings and head into the final week of the regular season with a couple of marquee matchups.

Baker will host its final home regular-season series with a doubleheader against the league frontrunner and No. 10 Central Methodist on Friday, April 25 at Cavaness Field. BU will then go on the road and face (RV) Benedictine, who sits right behind Baker in the conference standings with a 13-7 record, on Saturday, April 26 in Atchison, Kan.

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