Kira Baker Tosses No-Hitter, Wildcats Post Perfect Weekend at Top Gun Tournament

SHAWNEE, Kan. - Coming off a competitive showing at the NAIA SB Invite last weekend, Baker softball rattled off five straight wins in a 5-0 outing at the Top Gun Midwest College Classic on Friday and Saturday.

Kira Baker tossed a no-hitter against No. 11 Midland on Saturday to highlight an already memorable weekend as the Wildcats swept Friday's doubleheader against Bethany (8-4) and Bellevue (2-1) before going on to take all three games of a tripleheader on Saturday.

BU defeated the Warriors, 2-0, to earn its first ranked win of the season and closed the tournament with comfortable victories over Kansas Wesleyan (6-0) and Doane (5-1).

BU 8, BC 4
The Wildcats wasted zero time in making their presence known in Shawnee, Kan., scoring eight runs in five innings, including a three-run first, to open up the tournament with an 8-4 win over the Swedes.

Ashlee Jackman belted a two-run bomb in her first plate appearance of the weekend and Miley Rowe followed with the first of her two RBI as both players logged 3-for-3 outings at the dish. Rowe's second RBI capped the scoring for the Wildcats, bringing Jackman home on a sac fly in the top of the seventh.

Sidney Kill also went 3-for-3 in the game with an RBI single in the top of the third, while throwing 5.2 innings to earn a win in her first start in the circle in over a year. Kill came across for two of BU's runs in the third and fifth, scoring on a couple of infield balls from Emilee Burke.

Baker 2, Bellevue 1
After relying on a high-scoring offense in the opener, Baker rode the arm of pitcher Jordyn Beck in the second game on Friday to pull out a 2-1 victory over Bellevue.

Beck struck out seven and allowed just four hits in the first of her two complete-game performances of the tournament. With the Bruins plating their lone run on an error in the top of the third, Beck had just two hits tagged against her the rest of the way.

A heads-up double steal from Yarah Zuiver and Gracie Gallagher resulted in the Wildcats tying things up in the bottom of the fourth as Gallagher came home to score on the play. Zuiver would come around for the game-winning run on an RBI groundout from Ava Greiner.

BU 2, MU 0
Kira Baker recorded her first no-hitter since her freshman season to lead the Wildcats to a 2-0 victory over the 11th-ranked Warriors in a revenge game from last week's nine-inning heartbreaker in Shawnee, Okla.

Baker tallied six strikeouts and gave up three walks in an incredible performance by the two-time NAIA All-American.

The Wildcats offense broke through with the only runs Baker would need in the bottom of the fourth. Burke roped an RBI double to left field to score Jackman and Taryn Hull followed with a single to center to drive in Burke.

BU 6, KWU 0
Camrynn Yardley notched back-to-back shutouts from the BU arsenal after blanking Kansas Wesleyan in a 6-0 victory for the Wildcats. Yardley struck out seven and allowed just three hits in her first shutout as a Wildcat.

Baker once again got to the scoreboard quickly to provide a nice cushion for Yardley, scoring four runs in the top of the first before tacking on one more in each of the next two frames.

Greiner and Hull knocked in the first two runs in the opening frame before Burke followed with a two-RBI single to make it a 4-0 lead for BU. Kill plated the run in the second and Ellie Ruffin drove in the final Wildcat with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the third.

BU 5, Doane 1
Baker had another big inning pave its way to victory in the final game of the weekend, coming out on top, 5-1, over Doane.

Beck's second win in as many days came on another terrific display out of the circle, keeping the Tigers lineup at bay and allowing just one run late in the game.

After a bases-loaded walk on Rachel Pederson's at-bat, Gallagher cleared the bases with a three-run triple to give the Wildcats a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Grace Fryberger drove in the BU's final run of the weekend with an RBI single in the fifth.

With the 5-0 trip this weekend, the Wildcats have now won their last six games after closing out the NAIA SB Invite with a 7-1 victory over Avila a week ago. BU moves to 7-6 overall through the first few weeks of the season with half of its losses coming against top-11 teams.

Up next, Baker will turn around and host its home opener in the first of two back-to-back home doubleheaders scheduled for this week. The Wildcats will face Morningside tomorrow (March 2) at 12 p.m. on Caveness Field and then will take on Ottawa on Tuesday, March 3, at 5 p.m.

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