Wildcats Earn Fourth Straight Series Sweep with Pair of Wins over Yellowjackets and Statesmen

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - After winning all four games of its conference outing last weekend, (RV) Baker softball fired off another perfect weekend with a set of wins over Graceland and William Penn to make it four straight conference sweeps for BU.

The Wildcats used a couple of three-run victories to take care of a pesky Yellowjackets squad on the road on Saturday before completing the weekend sweep with two more hard-fought wins over the Statesmen at home on Sunday.

Game 1 - BU 4, GU 1
A Savannah Bray home run and a three-run third was more than enough support for Kira Baker, who tossed her second one-hitter of the year to give the Wildcats a 4-1 victory in the first game of the weekend.

Leading off the top of the second, Bray blasted her team-high 10th home run of the season with a solo shot to put Baker on the board first. It was the third straight home run for the junior from Olathe, Kan. after she recorded a pair of home runs in game two against Missouri Valley last weekend.

The Wildcats added to their lead in the top of the third with Mary Grace Hess coming home on an RBI groundout from Riley Phillips before Sydney Erlandson's two-out single drove in two more runs to make it a 4-0 lead for BU.

In the circle, the lefty Baker struck out the first four batters she faced before going on to notch at least two strikeouts in every inning besides the seventh where she followed up a double play from her defense with her 13th and final strikeout to secure the series-opening win.

Game 2 - BU 9, GU 6
Saturday's nightcap featured a frenzy ending that culminated with Hess delivering a game-winning home run in the top of the seventh to give Baker the series sweep with a 9-6 thriller in game two.

The Wildcats hit a total of three home runs with two of those coming off the bat of Hess, who hit a solo homer in her first trip to the plate, and Madi Ball, who followed Hess' homer with a two-run dinger in the top of the first.

After the Yellowjackets scored two in the bottom of the first, Ball and Hess each drove in another run for BU with an RBI double from Hess in the fifth making it a 6-2 lead. Graceland responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and tied things up in the sixth with another two-run frame.

With the score tied at 6-6 and two runners on, Hess went opposite field for her go-ahead blast, sending a three-run shot over the right-field fence to put the Wildcats in front, 9-6. Baker, who entered in relief in the sixth, earned her second straight win after a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to close the door on BU's road sweep.

Game 1 - BU 1, WPU 0
Returning to Baldwin City for Sunday's doubleheader, the Wildcats opened up with a pitcher's duel in its first game against the Statesmen with Kira Baker throwing her sixth shutout of the season to give BU a 1-0 win in the opener.

Baker battled with WPU starter Chelsey Huff as both pitchers logged three straight scoreless frames before the Wildcats broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fourth.

Back-to-back singles from Hess and Bailey Shuman put BU in business as a sac bunt brought Shuman to third and allowed her to race home on a sac fly from Bray to give the Wildcats the lone run in the game.

The Yellowjackets only had two baserunners the rest of the way with one of those coming on an error in the fifth as Baker finished off her one-run victory with six strikeouts in her final outing of the weekend.

Game 2 - BU 4, WPU 2
Trailing for the first time all weekend, the Wildcats scored four unanswered runs to complete a come-from-behind victory against the Statesmen, 4-2 in Sunday's finale.

After William Penn took a 2-0 lead in the third, Baker began its late rally in the bottom of the fifth with Bray coming around to score on Rylee Seymour's pinch-hit single.

In the bottom of the sixth, Hailey Ramirez was able to slide across safely on a squeeze-bunt play from Phillips that tied the game at 2-2 before Bray tacked on the go-ahead run on a sac fly later in the inning. Ball provided an insurance run with a two-out single that scored Phillips.

After using a double play to get out of a jam in the sixth, game two starter Breana Barchak worked around a one-out single in the seventh to finish off the Wildcats' eighth straight victory and give the junior from Lee's Summit, Mo. her sixth win of the spring.

Winners of eight straight, BU eclipsed the 30-win mark for the second consecutive season and sit at 31-11 overall, while moving to 16-6 in conference play. Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Wildcats are tied with Benedictine (36-10,16-6) for second in the Heart standings.

Due to projected inclement weather, Baker's final Heart series of the regular season has been pushed up as the Wildcats will now face MidAmerica Nazarene on Wednesday, April 24 at Noon in Olathe, Kan.

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