Wildcats Add to Winning Streak with 5-0 Outing in McPherson

McPherson, Kan. - The No. 10 Baker softball team earned its 20th win of the season and extended its March winning streak out to 12 games after taking all five of its games at the McPherson College Classic this past weekend.

The Wildcats defeated Presentation (12-1), Mayville State (9-1) and McPherson (4-0) on Friday before going on to add two more shutout victories on Saturday against Briar Cliff (2-0) and Presentation (7-0).

Getting production from all facets of its roster, Baker outscored its opponents, 34-2 this weekend with three shutouts and two wins by run-rule. The devastating BU pitching staff - consisting of Makayla Akin, Kira Baker, Skylar Gorrell and Rachel Gray - combined to allow just two runs over their 33 innings of work and tally 49 strikeouts.

BU 12, PC 1 (6 inn.)
The Wildcats scored eight runs in the final two innings to bring the run-rule out against the Saints as BU came out on top of its weekend opener, 12-1. Gorrell had herself a day in this one, pitching all six innings and allowing just one run, while going 3-for-4 at the plate with 4 RBI and a home run.

Gorrell followed a Hailey Hatfield run-producing single in the top of the first with a double to make it 2-0 BU right out of the gate.

After tacking on a run in both the third and fourth inning, Baker brought three runs across in the fifth before exploding for a five-run sixth inning. Gorrell's two-run bomb in the fifth inning marked her first home run of the season and pushed the Wildcats ahead, 7-0. Gorrell, Hatfield, Kerstyn Finch and Emma Ancira each drove in runs in Baker's big sixth inning.

BU 9, MSU 1 (6 inn.)
The Baker offense continued to stay hot in the second game of the day, racking up nine runs and relying on another great outing in the circle, this time from starter Akin to defeat Mayville State, 9-1.

Akin struck out eight and allowed only four hits in the contest while Ancira and Mary Grace Hess sparked the scoring by combining to go 5-for-5 at the dish and each collecting two RBI apiece.

After the Comets scored one in the opening frame, the Wildcats scored nine straight runs to trigger their second straight run-rule win. Hess and Ancira drove in the first three runs for BU while a Rylee Seymour double and a Savannah Bray single brought the score to 6-1 in favor of Baker. Bray and Ancira capped the Baker scoring with a couple of runs in the sixth inning.

BU 4, MC 0
Closing out its opening day in McPherson, the Wildcats got a no-hitter performance from starter Kira Baker and leadoff hitter Parker Straight scored a pair of runs to boost Baker to a 4-0 victory.

After a scoreless first four innings, it was Straight who broke the deadlock with a single to left field that scored Hess before coming across home later in the inning on a Bulldogs error. Straight added her second straight RBI in the sixth inning with a two-out single.

With the clean outing against McPherson, the pitcher Baker kept the Bulldogs hitless while also racking up 15 strikeouts in Friday's nightcap.

BU 2, BCU 0
In its first game on Saturday, the Wildcats got a third straight no-hitter from Kira Baker and Seymour and Hatfield provided the game's only runs to see BU come out on top of a pitcher's duel, 2-0.

Baker lit up the strikeouts yet again, fanning 11 in the game while the only blemishes on her pitching line came via four walks.

The Wildcats got extra-base hits from a Morgan Loggins double and a pair of triples from Finch and Riley Phillips, but it was a Seymour single that brought the first run across in the third inning. Hatfield added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth with a sac fly to score Phillips.

BU 7, PC 0
Marking its third straight shutout, Baker used a five-run second inning to dispatch the Saints for the second time in as many days with a 7-0 victory in the Saturday finale.

Akin (3) and Seymour (2) combined to score five of Baker's seven runs in the contest with the pair hitting back-to-back two-run doubles in the second inning. Jayda Logan also added an RBI double in the top of the sixth.

The Wildcats got a combined shutout from its pitching arsenal of Akin and Gray with Akin tossing three scoreless innings to start before Gray came in and took care of the final four clean innings, sprinkling in five strikeouts in her second appearance of the season.

With the five wins in McPherson, Baker moves to 20-2 on the season. The Wildcats' next scheduled game is the conference opener against Culver-Stockton set for March 25.

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