Lady Raiders Use 7-Run Inning To Knock Off Central

Baylor softball coach Kelli Smith saw signs in a weekend tournament that her Lady Raiders were coming out of their early-season slumber at just the right time.

The Lady Raiders, coming off a championship performance in East Hamilton's Choo Choo Classic at The Summitt, spotted Central a second-inning run, scored seven runs in the third and cruised to a 15-3 non-league victory over the Lady Pounders at Central High School.

“Our bats really came alive over the weekend,” Smith said. “The girls were able to respond to adversity and I hadn’t seen that early in the season in March and first couple of weeks in April. I was hoping it was not us just having a good tournament.”

It wasn’t.

Baylor, limited to one hit in the first two innings by Central right-hander Lexie Ainslie, erupted for seven runs on eight hits in the explosive third. Twelve Baylor players batted in the inning and Chandler Gentry, the No. 8 hitter, reached base twice on a walk and one-out single. After the walk, Gentry eventually scored on Cheyenne Lindsey’s sacrifice fly.

After Lindsey’s fly ball to left, Abby McNamara, A.J. Johnson, Crosby Huckabay, Kamrie Rich, Kayla Hughes and Mary Gardner delivered -- in succession -- run-scoring hits to give Baylor a 7-1 lead. Huckabay and Gardner smacked RBI doubles.

With one out, Gentry singled for Baylor’s eighth base hit in the frame and raced to second on a throwing error by left-fielder Cheyenne Slaughter.

Hughes, the Red Raiders’ starting pitcher, had given up a double to Alexis Grampp leading off the second inning and Grampp later scored on one of three Baylor errors in the game.

But when Hughes went back to the circle to pitch the third, she went back to the circle feeling at ease with a six-run lead.

“Down by one run was nothing,” Hughes said. “We can score a run. We have a great offense and we all know how to hit the ball. We started hitting the ball and passing the bat.”

Central got to Hughes for another run in the third when Brooke Parrott reached on an infield hit, went to second on a groundout and scored on Grampp’s two-out double to right.

Still, Hughes was not worried and knew she was only going three innings against the Lady Pounders, so she bore down on Kerri Sylvester and retired the Central catcher on a groundout.

“My approach is the same in every game,” Hughes said, “even when I’m just going to pitch three innings. I have to hit my spots and I have a great defense behind me and I want to let them work.”

Why the short work for Hughes and reliever Macy Ann McKnight?

“I talked to both of them before the game,” Smith said. “Kayla knew she was on a three-inning deal. Whether the game was scoreless, we were up 10 or down 10, she was going three innings and Macy was going in at that point.

“We have two big region games (Friday) against Brentwood Academy and Ensworth and I didn’t want any of our pitchers (a third hurler was sick and sitting in the stands at Thursday’s game) throwing too much today. You want to win every time out, but the region games determine our postseason seedings and chance to make the state tournament.”

The Red Raiders (21-4) added to their lead with three more runs in the fourth inning.

McNamara, who had three singles in four at-bats, led off with a hit to left, Johnson singled to left and Huckabay delivered a run-scoring single to center. Rich, 2 for 4 with three RBIs, drove in Johnson and Huckabay scored on a Hughes fielder’s choice.

With a 10-2 cushion, McKnight went to the circle.

Emma Beach reached on Gardner’s error at short. Tare Morgan singled and Slaughter followed with a run-scoring single up the middle.

McKnight gave up a walk to Grampp and Sylvester reached on a fielder’s choice. McKnight struck out Beach in the fifth to end the game.

“I relieve more than I start,” McKnight said. “I try to stay ready for when (Smith) calls me. During the game I watch how Kayla is pitching the hitters and watch the umpire’s strike zone. We all know that even with a big lead we have to keep playing like we’re losing so we can beat them.”

Baylor delivered a knockout punch in the top of the fifth with five runs.

Lindsey stroked a run-scoring single to center, Huckabay and Rich had fielder’s choices that produced two runs and Johnson, who drew a walk, later scored on Grampp’s throwing error.

McNamara, Johnson and Huckabay scored three runs each. Those three players, plus, Rich, combined to go 8 for 15 with 10 runs scored and seven RBIs.

“Rich was frustrated early in the season, but has been one of our best hitters all year,” Smith said. “She’s a sophomore who has started for us since she was an eighth-grader and is a Division I commitment to Lipscomb University. Kamrie’s in the five-spot for a reason and that’s because she’s a RBI hitter for us.”

“Even though things weren’t going our way at all, my kids never let up,” Central coach LeeAnne Shurette said. “They weren’t just standing back and letting it happen. They were trying to make plays and trying to get hits and all that stuff.”

The Lady Pounders (14-11) have nailed down the No. 1 seed for the District 6-2A tournament, but will play six games between Thursday and May 6 when the tourney begins at Red Bank High School. Those games are against Sale Creek (twice), Tyner, Meigs County, GPS and Silverdale Academy.

“I hate to lose, but we did some good things today,” Shurette said. “I believe we can take bits and pieces from this game and apply them to our games heading toward the postseason.

“That why I play good teams every chance I have. We want the experience from those games and learn from them, even if we lose.”

Boxscore

Baylor                  007 35 – 15 15 3

Central                 011 10 – 3 5 5

Hughes, McKnight (4) and Rich; Ainslie and Sylvester.

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)