Wildcats Drop Tough Home Series to No. 17 Grand View

BALDWIN CITY - After sweeping William Woods at home on Tuesday, Baker softball kept both games close against No. 17 Grand View, but late runs by the Vikings proved the difference in a 5-1 and 4-0 sweep of a weather-adjusted conference doubleheader here Thursday at Cavaness Field.

With the series originally being scheduled for Friday, the Wildcats let a 1-1 tie slip away in game one as the Vikings scored four runs in the final two innings to steal the opener. GVU used a similar recipe in the nightcap, tallying a few timely runs and keeping BU off the scoreboard for the first time since mid-February.

Following three straight scoreless innings to start the doubleheader, both teams broke through in the fourth. Grand View scored in the top of the fourth on an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead before the Wildcats responded in the bottom half.

Rachel Pederson led off the frame with her fifth double of the spring and moved to third on a long flyout to foul territory. With two down, Taryn Hull came through with an RBI knock to score Pederson and tie the game at 1-1.

The Vikings opened up the sixth with back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners and then brought the go-ahead run across on a sac fly to deep center to jump in front, 2-1. Grand View took the wind out of BU's sails with a three-run top of the seventh, plating its final runs on a two-run home run.

Hull tallied her second hit of the game in the bottom of the sixth and Emilee Burke ripped a single to center in the seventh as the Wildcats tried to spark a two-out rally in each of the last two innings.

In game two, Grand View shut out Baker for the first time in conference play and just the second time all year with BU's last scoreless outing coming all the way back in the second game of the season (Feb. 15).

Despite outhitting GVU, 8-6, the Wildcats stranded all eight baserunners and committed an uncharacteristic five errors in the field. Gracie Gallagher and Yarah Zuiver each logged multi-hit games for BU, but the two pitchers the Vikings used held the eight Wildcats hits to single bases.

BU pitcher Camrynn Yardley put together a solid start in the circle, going seven innings with four strikeouts and only having two of the runs count against her.

The Vikings took advantage of three BU errors to plate their first run in the top of the second to ride a narrow 1-0 lead until the fifth inning. Just like in the first game, they tacked on a few insurance runs late with a two-run fifth and then a run in the seventh to finish off their doubleheader sweep.

Baker had a runner reach third in both the first and fifth innings, but both opportunities came up empty after GVU came through with some big outs. Hull and Sydney Kill connected on back-to-back two-out hits and then moved up on a wild pitch to threaten in the bottom of the first.

Trailing by three in the bottom of the fifth, Zuiver led things off with a single to left and Pederson reached safely on the next at-bat to give the Wildcats a couple of runners with nobody out. Zuiver eventually made it third, but the Vikings recorded three straight outs to escape the jam once again.

Hull, a senior from Olathe, Kan., finished the day with a three-hit performance and now has at least one in seven of her last eight games.

With the series originally scheduled for Saturday, Baker has moved its matchup against Culver-Stockton to Tuesday, April 6, with the two teams set to play a Heart doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Cavaness Field.

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