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.”