Wildcats Reel Off Perfect 6-0 Outing in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Competing in its final non-conference tournament of the regular season, (RV) Baker won all six of its games at last week's Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. to extend the Wildcats' winning stretch that has seen them lose just one game (15-1) in the past month.

The Wildcats started off the week with a pair of shutout victories over Penn State Schuylkill (12-0) and Rochester (8-0) before back-to-back 2-1 wins against Malone and West Virginia State. BU defeated the Yellowjackets again on the final day, 5-1 and knocked off Penn State-Dubois, 4-2 in the tournament finale.

BU 12, PSU Schuylkill 0
Baker scored all 12 of its runs across the third and fourth innings to earn a 12-0 run-rule victory over Penn State Schuylkill in BU's first game of the Spring Classic. In the circle, Tess Eubank gave up just two hits and racked up a total of 12 strikeouts in her five innings.

Mary Grace Hess and Riley Phillips each drove in a couple of runs to open up the scoring for the Wildcats before Bailey Shuman's two-run triple capped a bottom of the third that saw them take an 8-0 lead. Reese Curry collected two RBI as well with her triple in the fourth inning resulting in the Oskaloosa, Kan. native to come all the way around to score and seal the 12-0 win for BU.

BU 8, RU 0
The Wildcats secured their second straight mercy rule victory with a six-run fourth inning boosting them to an 8-0 win over the Warriors. Kira Baker became the second BU starting pitcher to blank an opponent as she tossed a one-hit shutout and added 11 strikeouts.

After the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead, Savannah Bray smacked the first grand slam of her career to push the lead out to 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Hess and Ashlee Jackman chipped in a couple more runs with Hess' infield single finishing things off in the bottom of the fifth.

BU 2, MU 1
After having their Wednesday game canceled due to rain, Baker and Malone battled each other for seven innings on Thursday where the Wildcats edged past the Pioneers, 2-1 in a game that featured both sides recording just five hits.

Rilee Bell's RBI double in the bottom of the first put the Wildcats on the board first before the Pioneers tied things up in the top of the fourth on a bases-loaded walk. Sydney Erlandson came through with a one-out single to break the deadlock in the bottom of the fifth in what would be the game-winner as K. Baker and Sydney Kill pitched a scoreless final three innings in relief of starter Breana Barchak.

BU 2, WVSU 1
The Wildcats backed up another solid outing from the lefty Baker, who earned her second complete game victory of the week and struck out another 11 hitters.

Bray roped a triple to left center to score Shuman in the top of the third to put BU on the board first and then a sac fly from Hess brought across the decisive insurance run in the top of the fifth as K. Baker squashed a seventh-inning rally from the Yellowjackets by getting a groundout and a strikeout to end the game.

BU 5, WVSU 1
With the two teams facing each other for the second straight day, a 1-1 deadlock sent things to extra innings where the Wildcats sparked a four-run top of the eighth to earn a 5-1 victory.

Eubank and Baker combined to throw eight innings of one-run ball with Eubank going for the first 3.1 innings and striking out five, while Baker came in and pitched the final 4.2 innings, allowing just two baserunners for the rest of the game.

An RBI single from Hess tied the game in the top of the fifth before the senior from Burlington, Kan. came through with another big hit to start the scoring for BU in the top of the eighth. After Hess' two-run single gave the Wildcats the lead, a WVSU error resulted in two more runs coming across for BU as the four-run cushion would be more than enough for Baker who ended the game on back-to-back strikeouts.

BU 4, PSU-Dubois 2
Baker closed things out in South Carolina with a hard-fought game against Penn State-Dubois in the final game of the tournament, using a two-run fourth to slip past them, 4-2.

Hess tallied another pair of RBI to finish the week with a total of 10 RBI with her two-run single giving the Wildcats a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Bray and Erlandson each had an RBI groundout to put BU up by one on separate occasions. Kill pitched all seven innings and was responsible for just one of the runs scored as the freshman hurler earned her fourth victory of the season.

Up next, Baker hosts a non-conference doubleheader with Cottey College on Friday, March 15 in the 2024 home debut for BU. Friday's first pitch is set for 5 p.m. from Cavaness Field in Baldwin City.

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