Wildcats Earn Two Wins, Battle Stacked Field at NAIA SB Invite

SHAWNEE, Okla. - After opening up the season last weekend in Kansas City, the Baker softball team traveled down to Shawnee, Okla., this past weekend to compete in the NAIA SB Invite for the second straight year.

With three of their five games coming against top-11 teams, the Wildcats held their own against some of the toughest squads in the NAIA, taking No. 2 Oklahoma City and No. 11 Midland to extra innings and going toe-to-toe with defending national champions Southern Oregon. Baker defeated Columbia on Friday and capped the trip with a 7-1 victory over Avila on Sunday.

OCU 4, BU 3 (8 inn.)

The Wildcats opened up the weekend by facing off against the Stars, who were last year's NAIA runner-ups, and went to extras for the first time this season as OCU used a two-run bottom of the eighth to steal the upset bid from BU.

Yarah Zuiver broke the scoreless tie with a two-run double in the top of the third to spot the Wildcats and starter Kira Baker a 2-0 lead. The Stars tied things up in the bottom of the fourth with a two-RBI double of their own.

A bases-loaded walk in the top of the eighth pushed the Wildcats in front in extras, but OCU smacked another game-tying extra-base hit before walking off the game on a bases-loaded walk.

BU 5, CC 1

After Columbia came out on top of the matchup at Homefield last weekend, Baker exacted some revenge on the Cougars in Oklahoma, defeating them, 5-1, in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

The Cougars were first to the scoreboard, plating a run in the top of the third, before BU struck back with a two-run frame in the bottom-half. Ashlee Jackman followed up Gracie Gallagher's RBI groundout with a knock through the right side that allowed Zuiver to score and give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.

It would remain a one-score game until the bottom of the sixth when Sydney Kill's RBI single and Rachel Pederson's two-run hit sealed the rematch for Baker.

MU 2, BU 1 (9 inn.)

Coming off their first extra-inning game on Friday, the Wildcats battled through another marathon on Saturday, falling to No. 11 Midland, 2-1, in nine innings.

Gallagher's first triple of the spring gave Baker a 1-0 lead in the third, but that would be the only tally BU could scratch across in another pitcher's duel. Camrynn Yardley pitched all nine innings in a brilliant performance out of the circle for the Wildcats, striking out seven and only allowing four hits, while just one of the runs was earned.

After three straight scoreless innings, Midland finally broke the tie in the top of the ninth with a run that proved to be the game-winner. 

SOU 5, BU 1

Against the top-ranked Raiders, the Wildcats were in it for most of the game, trailing by two until Southern Oregon scored three runs across the fifth and sixth innings to pull away late.

BU managed to chalk up seven hits, but weren't able to string enough of them together to produce a run until the top of the seventh. Emilee Burke scored from third on Pederson's at-bat to avoid the shutout.

BU 7, AU 1

Playing its fifth game in three days, Baker posted a weekend-best seven runs to cruise past Avila, 7-1, in the tournament finale.

Grenier smacked a two-run triple in the bottom of the second to give the Wildcats an early lead before a five-run explosion in the fourth allowed BU to run away with it.

Jackman opened up the fourth with her first homer of the season and Pederson followed with another RBI extra-base hit to give her eight total hits for the weekend. Gallagher and Kill tallied the final two runs to make it a 7-0 lead before the Eagles broke up the shutout in the sixth.

Baker continues the non-conference tournament slate by heading to the Top Gun Midwest College Classic this weekend in Shawnee, Kan.

The Wildcats will face Bethany (5:30 p.m.) and Bellevue (7:30 p.m.) on Friday, Feb. 27, before turning around and playing a tripleheader on Saturday, Feb. 28, against No. 11 Midland, Kansas Wesleyan and Doane, starting at 10 a.m.

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