No. 10 Wildcats Complete Midweek Sweep of Coyotes in Home Opener

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – The newly-minted No. 10 Baker softball team delivered an all-around drubbing of visiting Kansas Wesleyan, outscoring the Coyotes 17-1 and taking both games of the doubleheader for a midweek sweep in the Wildcats' 2023 home opener at Cavaness Field on Wednesday.

With dreary conditions in Baldwin City, Kan., the Wildcats got great performances from their starters Kira Baker and Skyler Gorrell in the circle and had their offense come alive to tag a total of 17 runs in the two-game set against KWU.

BU 7, KWU 0
Starter Kira Baker notched a season-high 16 strikeouts and held the Coyotes to just two hits, while the BU offense found its rhythm later into the game, exploding for seven runs across the fifth and sixth inning to make for a late-stage blowout and taking the opener, 7-0.

Finch smacked a three-run home run to mark her second straight game with at least three RBI after driving in four runs against LSU Alexandria on Sunday. Savannah Bray collected two RBI and Makayla Akin recorded her fourth double of 2023 on a leadoff hit in the bottom of the fourth.

After receiving NAIA and Heart of America Pitcher of the Week honors this week, the lefty Baker was dominant in the circle yet again. She started off the game by striking out the side in the first two innings and never had a playable ball leave the infield until a one-out Coyotes single in the seventh.

The Wildcats' big fifth inning began on a walk from Parker Straight, who then immediately stole second to put BU in business. Later, Rylee Seymour rocketed a liner back up the middle, deflecting off the glove of the KWU pitcher and scoring Straight for the Wildcats' first run of the game. Then, with two outs, Bray found a hole in right center to plop a two-out single and bring Finch and pinch-runner Hailey Hatfield across for two more runs.

In the bottom of the sixth, pinch-hitter Emma Ancira came through with a clutch two-out knock to left field to bring Sydney Goss around to score. Then, Finch bombed a 3-1 pitch over the fence in right center for her second home run of the season, running the BU lead all the way up to 7-0.

The Coyotes had a rare scoring chance come in the top of the seventh, getting runners at first and third with one out, but a heads up play by Goss to get the runner at home and one last swing-and-miss from Baker preserved the shutout.

BU 10, KWU 1 (5 inn.)
In the nightcap, pitcher Skylar Gorrell tossed a one-hitter and Baker scored in every inning – including a six-run barrage in the second – to take the second game by run-rule, 10-1.

Gorrell fanned six in her five innings in the circle to bring the BU pitching staff's two-game total versus the Coyotes up to 21 strikeouts over 12 innings of action.

Goss and Finch each bagged a pair of RBI in the contest while Goss had a 3-for-3 outing at the plate with two runs scored as well. Finch continued to smack the cover off the ball, belting a two-out triple to tally her fifth multi-RBI game of the season.

After a double steal scored the Wildcats' run in the opening frame, BU burst out for six runs in the second inning, all beginning on a leadoff double off the bat of Bray. The Wildcats executed back-to-back textbook bunts that resulted in hits and bringing Bray across home on Gorrell's squeeze attempt.

Then, Morgan Loggins sent a shot up the middle to score pinch-runner Masyn Burnsides before Finch's triple to the right field corner cleared all the bases and allowed the BU shortstop to come home on a botched KWU relay to make it 6-1 in favor of the Wildcats.

In the bottom of the third, Mary Grace Hess just missed on another Wildcats homer, but was rewarded with a sac fly to score Goss again. Bray and Goss connected on a couple of run-producing hits in the fourth to cap Baker's offensive explosion to 10 runs.

Gorrell battled through a tough fifth inning that saw the bases full of Coyotes with two outs, but the veteran pitcher escaped the frame without any damage and ensured the run-rule for a BU sweep.

Baker is back in action this weekend with the McPherson College Classic in McPherson, Kan. as the Wildcats will play games against Presentation (11:15 a.m.) and McPherson (6 p.m.) on Friday and against Briar Cliff (11:15 a.m.) and the Saints (1:30 p.m.) again on Saturday.

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