Ella Cunningham was brilliant in the circle Tuesday, as the Silverdale Baptist Academy junior starting pitcher retired the final 19 batters she faced to close out a 5-0 road win over a perennial powerhouse Baylor softball program.
Cunningham's four-pitch mix had hitters whiffing often as the lefty had nine strikeouts and was automatic at hitting her spots set by sophomore catcher Gabbie Hensley. Her only two base runners allowed came in the bottom of the first as Addi Yates tripled off the centerfield fence and Katie Raper drew a free pass.
The Division II-A Lady Seahawks (26-3) set the tone from their first at-bat when senior Addie Keef walked and then was driven home by junior Kennedy Stinson on her 12th home run of the season. Stinson hit a towering blast over the left field foul pole that cleared the road well beyond the fence and sailed into the trees.
"Kennedy had my back hitting that home run to start the game," Cunningham said. "That was huge for my confidence. At the plate, in the field, we knew we had it today and were going to bounce back after a tough loss to Soddy-Daisy yesterday. We just had this feeling we were going to put a complete game together. This is the feeling we need to have through the whole postseason."
Cunningham was tough to get an edge on as she had her fastball, screwball, curveball and drop curve all working in her 79-pitch one-hit masterpiece. Against a lineup loaded with left-handed hitters, she carved the outside corner of the plate with great movement, striking out the side in the second inning.
The Lady Seahawks' ace landed redemption after one of her two losses on the year came on March 21 in a 4-0 home loss to Baylor (15-4), which has won seven straight state championships.
Silverdale's win ended an eight-game skid to Baylor, having last won on April 7, 2016.
"This was a total team effort," Lady Seahawks head coach Jackie Freeland said. "We needed something like this to get ready for the postseason and give us that momentum going in. This was a huge win for our program and our lone senior, Addie Keef. To beat Baylor, who has been the best in our area for a while, shows we can not only compete, but win against the best."
Silverdale sophomore catcher Gabbie Hensley starred in Tuesday's win. Her two-run home run to dead center made it 4-0 in the fourth inning, while she also doubled and drew her team-leading 21st walk of the season. Hensley's framing also stood out behind the dish.
Cunningham improved to 12-2 overall and lowered her ERA to 0.87. She has only allowed 33 hits over 80 2/3 innings to go with 123 strikeouts.
"This is our best game we've thrown," Cunningham said. "Gabbie and I had this special connection today. Everything felt great. She got some great calls for me behind the plate and really helped us seal the deal. We trust the defense to make plays for us too."
Silverdale shortstop Emry Masterson robbed Addi Yates of a line-drive hit in the sixth inning, while right fielder Braylee Raby took a single away from Riley Oleksik as she played a screaming line drive perfectly on a throw out to first base.
Keef had a pair of hits and her 30th stolen base of the season, while Masterson had two of the Lady Seahawks three sacrifice bunts.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.