Kentucky's Christian Stokes (10) celebrates with Nikki Sagermann (77), Kelsey Nunley (33) and Lauren Cumbess (19) in the first inning of an NCAA Women's College World Series softball tournament game against Baylor in Oklahoma City on Saturday.OKLAHOMA CITY - Kaitlyn Thumann doubled and scored on an error in the bottom of the eighth inning as Baylor rallied from a seven-run deficit to stun Kentucky 8-7 and workhorse pitcher Kelsey Nunley from Soddy-Daisy in an elimination game Saturday night in the Women's College World Series.
Baylor (49-15), which earlier in the day knocked out Florida State, advanced to play fifth-seeded Florida today at noon CDT. The 13th-seeded Bears would have to beat Florida (52-12) twice to advance to the best-of-three finals that start Monday night.
Kentucky (50-19) led 7-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Nunley (30-11) gave up six singles during a three-run rally for Baylor. Ari Hawkins led off the seventh with a home run to make it 7-4, and then a muffed grounder to second base set up three unearned runs. Robin Landrith's two-out, two-run double tied the score and forced an extra inning.
In the eighth, after Thumann doubled, Hawkins bunted and Kentucky catcher Griffin Joiner threw the ball into right field, allowing Thumann to score the winning run, also unearned.
Ginny Carroll, Emily Gaines and Krystal Smith homered for Kentucky. Smith had three hits and scored three runs, and Carroll batted in three. Lindsey Cargill was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Baylor.
Nunley threw 144 pitches, 91 for strikes. She threw every Wildcats pitch in this postseason, beginning with the Southeastern Conference tournament.