The Baylor softball team played its final regular-season home game Thursday night, which meant it was also Senior Night when the seniors are honored for their contributions to the Baylor program, but there was more celebrating in the other dugout as the Chattanooga Christian Lady Chargers headed back to South Broad following a stirring and inspiring 4-3 victory.
The Lady Chargers improve to 19-12-1 with the win while Baylor is now 17-6-1.
CCS will be at home on Tuesday to host CPA in a doubleheader with the winner of that best-of-3 series advancing to the Spring Fling in Murfreesboro the following week. Baylor will play a similar series against a yet-to-be determined opponent later in the week.
CCS coach Steven Rogers had total confidence in his girls and their ability to compete with and even beat a team like Baylor. Maybe they are beginning to believe it too.
But on a day when rain threatened early, the Lady Chargers did exactly what they needed to do to win, namely solid pitching, timely hitting and a defense that was tighter than Fort Knox.
Rogers could only smile after his post-game chat with his players.
“Just how awesome was Autumn Hughes today?” he began his conversation.
“She has been one of our best leaders all season and she had a special performance today. We talked about today’s game after practice yesterday and she said she definitely wanted the ball today and she responded with a great performance.
“A game like this gives us great momentum as we go to the state, but we made plays defensively when we needed to and got timely hits at the right time. We just had to believe we were good enough to play on the big stage with teams like Baylor and this just proves that we are,” he nodded.
Hughes is an 18-year-old senior who has split time in the circle with Hannah Smith. She admitted to being a bit nervous at the start, but it didn’t take long for her to settle in and perform like she is capable.
‘I think this may be the first time all season when we’ve finally put it all together, but the key was me throwing strikes. I was a little nervous when the game began, but I felt better after the first inning as things just fell our way today,” she smiled.
Baylor coach Kelli Smith is still looking for ways to motivate her team into believing they will get the other team’s best effort, regardless of who it is. The Lady Red Raiders have won an amazing seven straight state championships and 10 of the last 11, but their toughest opponent just might be themselves as they just don’t seem to have that run-through-a-wall toughness that past Baylor teams have had.
“Chattanooga Christian is young and really talented, so you have to give them all the credit for a job well done here today,” Smith began.
“We hit a few balls hard, but they made some great plays defensively as we just couldn’t find a way to put anything together offensively. We’re still the region champs and we’re going to the state tournament again, but we just have to find some fire in our bellies and realize that every game matters.
“We’re a much better hitting team than we showed today,” she added.
Baylor took a 1-0 lead with a run in the second before CCS tied the score in the third. It was still a tight game going into the fifth, but that’s when the Lady Chargers took charge by sending eight hitters to the plate and scoring three times.
Smith singled with one out in the CCS fifth before Emily Matthews got hit by a pitch. Lauren McGill walked to load the bases before Baylor made a pitching change, sending Avery Shamblin in to replace Kaylee Snyder.
Shamblin then walked Addi Lewis on a 3-2 count to force in the go-ahead run. She then got the second out on a fielder’s choice, but Nyla Halfacre then got the biggest hit with a screaming double down the line in right that drove in McGill and Lewis.
Baylor countered with single runs in the fifth and six innings, but never got any closer than 4-3.
Morgan Sharpe doubled with one out in the fifth and went to third when her hit was mishandled before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Addi Yates. Then in the sixth, Katie Raper hit the first pitch well into the woods in deep left before Hughes retired the next three Baylor hitters.
Then in the seventh, Kylie Henderson led off with a single and that’s when Rogers replaced Hughes with Smith, who retired the next three hitters, including Yates on a fly to left to end the game.
Baylor’s first run came when a double by Snyder drove in courtesy runner Mary Blake Reese, who had replaced Oleksik after a leadoff single.
A long home run to left center by McGill knotted the score in the third, setting the stage for the big rally in the fifth.
Hughes was the winning pitcher after going six innings and allowing all three runs on six hits. She also walked two and struck out one.
Snyder started for Baylor and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on three hits while walking two, striking out eight and hitting two. Shamblin pitched the final 2.2 innings and took the loss after being charged with one run on four hits.
Smith and Lewis were the only CCS players with two hits while no Baylor player had more than one.
Baylor’s three seniors who were honored included Morgan Sharpe, Raper and Henderson and all three had a key hit.
CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN 001 030 0 – 4 7 1
BAYLOR 010 011 0 – 3 6 1
Hughes, Smith (7) and E. Matthews; Snyder, Shamblin (5) and Oleksik.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)