MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Baylor hitters came through in the clutch against their biggest rival on the biggest stage in the state.
The Lady Red Raiders defeated Chattanooga rival Girls Preparatory School 11-1 in the Division II-AA state tournament after scoring their first six runs with two outs.
Junior pitcher Kayla Hughes threw a three-hitter and reached base in all four of her plate appearances, and junior Mari Gardner went 3-for-4 with three runs and an RBI.
"A few of those were just luck and a few of them I got a hold of," Gardner said. "This was a big game for us because of the rivalry and the state tournament."
Baylor's Kayla Hughes pitches during their D-II girls state softball tournament quarterfinal game against GPS on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at the TSSAA Spring Fling in Murfreesboro, Tenn.A.J. Johnson and Cheyenne Lindsey started the scoring in the bottom of the second by singling in runs with two outs. Johnson led the Lady Raiders with three RBIs.
"Especially from the middle down in our lineup, to see those girls come through the way they did is amazing," coach Kelli Smith said. "For most of them this is their first time in the lineup or even at the state tournament."
The Lady Raiders scored four more when Gardner, Trinity Liner and Johnson -- the bottom three in the lineup -- each delivered an RBI single with two outs.
"Almost every bit of stuff that they did was with two outs," GPS coach Susan Crownover said. "It's like we couldn't make a play, couldn't make a pitch, or they hit it where we weren't."
Baylor (23-3-1) added two runs in the fifth and three in the seventh. The Bruisers (15-13) were trailing 11-0 before they scored a run in the bottom of the seventh.
"We did not do a good job tonight," Crownover said. "We gave them runs early that they didn't earn, which let them get started, and we left people standing on the bases.
"We got beat by 10. I don't come to a state tournament for consolation-anything."
GPS will play next at 6:30 tonight, and Baylor will play again Thursday at 12:30.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.
Wednesday's Spring Fling schedule
BASEBALL Class A at Middle Tenn. Christian * Boyd-Buchanan vs. Huntingdon, 11 a.m. Division II-AA at Wilson Central * McCallie vs. Christian Brothers, 1;30 Class AAA At Seigel * East Hamilton vs. Ravenwood, 11 a.m. At Oakland * Soddy-Daisy vs. Hardin Valley, 1:30 SOCCER TSSAA State Championships at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro Division II-AA Semifinals * Baylor vs. Christian Brothers, 5:30 * McCallie vs. Montgomery Bell Academy, 5:30 SOFTBALL At Starplex Class AAA * Ooltewah vs. Bearden, 11 a.m. TENNIS TSSAA State Team Championships at Old Fort State Park in Murfreesboro * Baylor boys vs. Memphis University School, 10 a.m. * Baylor girls vs. Hutchison, 12:30 * Notre Dame girls vs. Greeneville, 2:30
Photo Gallery
Concert for "Safe Places"
a concert to benefit "Safe Places" was held at the Governor's Mansion Grand Hall Tuesday night.