Although the win was all but secured, there was still plenty of drama surrounding the Baylor softball team's final at-bat Wednesday evening against rival GPS. Leading by five runs heading into the home half of the sixth inning, the Lady Red Raiders needed to push across one more to assure themselves of the Division II-AA East/Middle Region title.
With GPS owning a five-run win against Baylor earlier this season, had the Lady Red Raiders won by the same margin, the teams would have needed a coin toss to determine the region champion. But after Baylor coaches informed their players of the situation just before the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Red Raiders found a way to manufacture a two-out run that not only capped the 7-1 victory but also secured the region crown.
"We told them right before we went out to hit what we needed, and they went out and took care of it," said Baylor coach Kelli Smith, whose team has won state each of the past four years, with all those title wins against the rival Bruisers. "We had to adjust to some of the off-speed pitches, but I thought we did a nice job that second time through the order of being patient and finding something to drive."
The Bruisers (24-7, 13-1) jumped on top early when freshman catcher Ansley Blevins belted a solo home run in the second inning, her fifth homer in the past three games.
That 1-0 lead held until the fourth, when Baylor (37-3, 13-1) broke through with four runs to take command. After the first two batters reached, Raven Jones poked a single to right field to tie the game and Macy Ann McKnight followed with a single down the first-base line that plated the go-ahead run. Cadashia Collins added an RBI single and Emily Rye brought home a run with a fielder's choice.
That was more than enough support for freshman Syd Berzon, who scattered five hits and struck out 14 for the win, although Ace Sellers had a two-run homer in the fifth to extend Baylor's lead.
"Syd really brings it," said Baylor catcher Sophie Piskos, who was 2-for-4, including the sixth-inning single that drove home the all-important final run. "I've been catching her in summer ball for years, and she throws the heck out of it. She had them confused most of the day and was just in control."
Both teams have won by run rule against every other region opponent this season and will host in the state sectional round next week, when each will be favored to return to the state tournament once again. Baylor and GPS have met for the state title each of the past five seasons and eight of the past nine.
"We've got a team that likes to swing the bat, and sometimes patience isn't our strong point," Smith said. "But they've played a lot of ball and know how to adjust, and Syd has just been phenomenal for us.
"I'm sure we'll see them again at some point. We almost always do."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.