The last time the Baylor Bears played in Hillenbrand Stadium is something Arizona Wildcat fans would rather forget. Arizona was the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats won the first game of their home super regional, then dropped two heartbreakers in a row to miss the Women’s College World Series.
While the stakes weren’t nearly as high, there were times it looked like the Bears were going to come back and hang another defeat on the Wildcats Friday evening. Instead, Arizona exploded
in the fifth and sixth innings to run-rule Baylor 10-2.
It was an up and down affair for both sides. Lots of errors and mental mistakes followed by spectacular defensive plays and clutch hitting.
One of the biggest stars for BU was former Wildcat Amber Toven. The shortstop, who used to call herself “glove first,” not only showed a first-rate glove but also did a solid job with her bat. The Wildcats just had a few more players come up as big or bigger.
Last Friday, Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe said that the scout indicated that freshman Rylie Holder was the best matchup to start the series against ASU. This week, the Friday night starter was senior Jalen Adams.
Adams threw the complete six-inning game. She dodged baserunners all evening, but she rarely broke. Her defense dodged their own mistakes, but they also came up big on several occasions.
Adams went deep into the count on several batters and walked three to go along with eight hits and two official errors behind her. She also gave up the 10th home run to Big 12 opponents this season by Arizona pitchers. It didn’t matter.
Arizona once again proved that it has a varied offense. Fourteen singles, three doubles, three home runs, a walk, a sac fly, a sac bunt, and a stolen base were all part of the attack. The Wildcats also took advantage of two Baylor errors.
The Wildcats also proved that the decision making part of the game can get away from them at times. A throw by Tayler Biehl from a seated position that was offline and a roller that skipped off her glove into centerfield. An attempt by Sereniti Trice to make a flashy play at second instead of taking the sure out at first base. A baserunning error by Molli Daley that ended an inning. A throw to first by Adams with no one covering. There was plenty of responsibility to go around.
They didn’t let that take them out of their game. In fact, they got better as the game unfolded. Regan Shockey, Sydney Stewart, and Addison Duke were especially key to that.
“I think Biddy could have gone first,” Lowe said. “She knows that. The slap to Jalen…they kind of both have to crash on that. But other than that, I mean, Tay got some dirty hops today, which are unfortunate, but she stayed right with it. And I thought we sent a message when we needed to with the play with Regan and Stew, with Addi just kind of being all over the place. So we were able to kind of turn the momentum around when we did give it away just a little bit.”
Adams threw up zeroes in four of six innings. Her offense struggled a bit for four innings, as well. The Wildcats had nine hits and a walk through four innings, but they could only manage three runs off the 10 baserunners. Then the fifth inning happened.
Adams and her defense allowed one run in the top of the inning, but it could have been much worse. A walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out. Leah Cran hit one up the middle by two diving infielders. Shockey was charging into shallow centerfield. She came up throwing. One run scored, but Stewart swung the ball back and tagged the second runner. Arizona’s lead was down to 3-2, but it got out of the inning with the advantage intact.
The crowd was getting tense, regularly booing when the umpire’s calls of balls and strikes didn’t go the Wildcats’ way. When Arizona squeaked out of the top of the fifth still ahead, the team finally responded.
Lowe credited hitting coach Amber Freeman with showing them the way, then Kez Lucas put it into practice in the bottom of the fourth. That carried over.
“They just started putting their swing on it,” Lowe said. “Ber came into the circle and said we were being too careful and just to go for it and be ourselves…I mean, it’s just silly for them to go in and not take some A swings, strike one, strike two. I thought we just got after it and had a different mindset the second half of the game.“
The Wildcats sent 11 to the plate and found its power in the fifth. Stewart went down and knocked a 1-2 pitch out to center field for a 2-run shot. Arizona’s lead was the largest of the game up to that point at 5-2.
Grace Jenkins followed Stewart and went back-to-back with a solo shot. Arizona led 6-2 with just one out.
Tele Jennings, starting at designated player for the second straight Friday, reached on an error. That brought up Duke with runners on the corners and two outs.
Duke smacked her first double of the night. Sniffen scored easily from third base. Jennings had more work to do. She motored around from first. A great throw from left-center was just a hair too late as she slid across the plate for Arizona’s eighth run of the game.
Duke was crucial to Arizona’s success on both sides of the ball. A leaping grab in the top of the second robbed Gianna Gusman of a double if not a home run. A long run and diving play in the top of the sixth retired Olivia Buettner on a foul out.
“She’s a feisty player,” Lowe said. “She comes out confident, she comes out as her best self every single day, and she’s just, I love outfielders who kind of patrol, and they don’t just sit back and wait for the ball to be hit to them. Regan does a great job of that, and Addi does a great job of that.”
The diving catch in foul territory was especially big because it kept the leadoff runner off the bases for the fifth time in six innings. With the run rule just two runs away, that was important. Duke was thinking about her pitcher, though.
“We were up by a lot, so it didn’t if I didn’t catch it, it was still foul anyway,” Duke said. “So I knew I could go all out for the team…It has Jalen pitching less pitches.”
On offense, Duke went 2 for 3 with two doubles, three RBI, and a sacrifice bunt. The second double was even bigger than the first.
Duke came up in the bottom of the sixth with her team leading 9-2 with two on and two out. Jenna Sniffen came in to end the game.
“I didn’t think about [the run rule] at all,” Duke said. “I mean, Grace said to finish it, but I just saw a good pitch and I hit it, and it just happened to work in our favor.”
It wouldn’t have been possible without Jennings, though. After several tough-luck outs and reaching on an error, she stepped into the box with two on and two out. Her single to center drove in one, putting Arizona within a run of the mercy rule.
“I just felt it the whole day, whether or not the outcome was there,” Jennings said. “I knew it was gonna happen at some point.”
Lowe was not surprised.
“I think it takes a great mindset to kind of hit the ball hard and see someone standing right there and still just plug away,” Lowe said. “And she’s been doing that every single day at practice, and it was a great matchup for her tonight. But also, she’s just been getting better every day, and I think that’s the biggest thing is it takes again a really special mindset to sit in the dugout and be ready for your moment. And she was ready for hers today, and I’m really proud of her.”
Arizona’s last game against Baylor came when the current Wildcats were in middle school, but many of those in the stands on Friday night were also there on that May afternoon in 2017. The win might not have exorcised the demons, but it didn’t hurt.
Arizona improved to 25-8 overall and 7-3 in conference play. Baylor’s record now stands at 21-10 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 competition. The two teams meet again on Saturday, Mar. 28 at 3 p.m. MST. The game will stream on ESPN+. The radio call will be on 1400 AM (KTUC).
