Baker Softball Splits with Pioneers in Monday Doubleheader

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - With the doubleheader being moved to Monday, Baker softball split its home conference series with MidAmerica Nazarene with BU seizing a 2-0 victory in game one before falling in the nightcap on Monday evening at Cavaness Field.

The Wildcats made the most of another scoreless outing from pitcher Kira Baker to take the opener, but the Pioneers flipped the script in game two by spoiling a solid start from Breana Barchak with a 6-0 win to force a series wash.

After having her scoreless streak snapped on the road at Park on Thursday, the lefty Baker came back with a brilliant outing on Monday, holding MNU to just four hits in the game and striking out seven for her sixth shutout of the spring.

BU was able to scratch a couple of runs across for K. Baker with an RBI groundout from Taryn Hull allowing Reese Curry to score in the bottom of the second.

Curry, who reached safely twice in the game with a hit and a walk, came around to score an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth. After reaching on a one-out single, the senior outfielder moved over to second on a groundout before stealing third and then coming home on a two-out bloop single from Sydney Erlandson to give the Wildcats a two-run lead.

Baker's only hiccup came in the sixth inning where MNU tallied two of its four hits in the game with a leadoff single and a two-out single giving them runners at first and second, but Baker was able to induce a foulout to get out of the inning as she finished off the 2-0 victory.

In game two, Barchak tossed six solid innings for the Wildcats before the Pioneers broke the game open in the seventh with a four-run rally to take the nightcap. She gave up six hits in the first six innings while keeping BU in the game for most of the outing with a two-run deficit going into the seventh.

Meanwhile, the BU offense was shut out for the first time this season, unable to turn its six hits in the game into any support for Barchak.

Savannah Bray had a multi-hit game and recorded her fifth double of the year with two outs in the bottom of the third. She led off the bottom of the sixth with her second hit of the game as the Wildcats tried to cut into the MNU lead.

Bray eventually made it to the third as Curry reached on an error to give BU runners at second and third with one out, but the Pioneers were able to get back-to-back groundouts to squash the threat.

Baker returns to Cavaness this weekend with a matchup against Graceland on Saturday, April 12, starting at 1 p.m. in Baldwin City.

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