Wildcats Sweep Evangel, Earn Heart Co-Regular Season Championship
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Baker (KS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 0 |
|
Evangel (MO) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 3 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Baker (KS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
|
Evangel (MO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - After winning both games of its regular season finale against Evangel, the Baker softball team clinched a share of the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season championship in the final day of conference action on Saturday.
With the program's second conference regular season title in hand, the Wildcats enter as the No. 2 seed in the Heart Softball Conference Tournament, which will be hosted by Baker on May 4-7 at Cavaness Field in Baldwin City, Kan.
En route to its title-clinching day, Baker defeated the Valor by scores of 8-3 and 5-0 to close out the regular season with a two-game sweep and polish off a 21-5 conference record - the program's most wins in league play since the 2019 team won the regular season championship as well.
BU 8, EU 3
The Wildcats were swinging a hot bat in the opener, totaling eight runs on 15 hits with multi-RBI games from Kerstyn Finch, who went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, and Emma Ancira.
After the Valor scored the first run of the game, Baker started its offensive barrage in the top of the second with an RBI single from Ancira. The senior first baseman came through with a run-scoring double in her next at-bat in the fourth as part of a four-run inning for BU.
While capping the fourth with an infield hit that scored Parker Straight, Finch added another run in the top of the sixth with an RBI single to put Baker ahead 6-1.
Skylar Gorrell and Makayla Akin each drove in a run in the sixth as well as the Wildcats scored their most runs in a league game since a 9-0 win against Culver-Stockton in the conference opener.
Akin tallied three hits in the game with two of them being doubles, while her and Gorrell teamed up in the circle with Gorrell drawing the start and allowing one run and Akin pitching the final four innings in relief.
BU 5, EU 0
Pitcher Kira Baker extended her scoreless inning streak to 24.1 innings with her third consecutive shutout as she blanked Evangel in game two where the BU offense continued to smack the cover off the ball on its end.
After recording five in the opener, the Wildcats had three extra-base hits in game two, including a home run by Mary Grace Hess and Akin notching her third double of the day.
It was Akin who opened the scoring in the top of the fourth with a double before coming around to score on an RBI single from Hess. Sydney Goss chipped in the third run of the frame with a sac fly that brought Hess across to put BU up, 3-0.
With their starter Baker cruising in the circle, the Wildcats tacked on a couple more runs in the sixth with Hess' second home run of the season and Hailey Hatfield coming through with a two-out double that plated Bailey Shuman.
The lefty Baker registered her 15th outing with double-digit strikeouts as she fanned 11 and allowed only two baserunners in the contest. She closed out the game by retiring the Valor lineup in order in the final three innings for her 18th victory of the year.
The 2023 Heart Softball Conference Tournament will begin with first-round action on Thursday, May 4 in Baldwin City. The Wildcats will face MidAmerica Nazarene at 2:30 p.m. on May 4.
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