A large wooden bat hangs underneath the scoreboard at Baylor's high school softball field.
For coach Kelli Smith, the big bat in left field is a reminder of her late father and his love for the game, which has helped push her to strive for success on the softball diamond at her alma mater.
In seasons past and this year as well, so far, so good - very good actually - in that regard.
On Thursday, the Lady Red Raiders improved to 14-0 as the five-time reigning TSSAA Division II-AA state champions battled back for a 6-1 home victory over Division II-A's red-hot Silverdale Baptist Academy.
"My dad used to whittle bats for our players and kids while he would watch our games. My love for softball started with him at a young age," Smith said. "That bat was given to me by a group of former players as a way to remember my father, who lost his battle with Parkinson's a few years ago.
"I definitely know he's here with us. He was our biggest fan and had watched Baylor softball for over 30 years. He's got the best seat now. It means a lot that the girls wanted to honor him, and that bat is really special to me."
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga signee Acelyn Seller's bat came through for Baylor in the fifth inning.
After Silverdale senior Katie Willoughby retired the first 11 batters she faced by hitting her spots with a sharp fastball and her riseball, Baylor erased a 1-0 deficit driving in six runs all with two outs. After Morgan Sharpe and Addi Yates drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks to put the Lady Red Raiders ahead, Sellers cleared the bags - and the home dugout.
First base coach Tom Watson knew right at the ping of the bat that the ball was headed over the fence, with Sellers going to the opposite field for what was her second grand slam in as many games.
"This felt like a state tournament game," said Sellers, who went 2-for-3 while making several good defensive plays at catcher and shortstop. "This season my goal was to help this team go undefeated. This was a tight game, but I love playing under pressure."
Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Silverdale Baptist Academy's Skylar Sheridan (21) celebrates during Thursday's softball game at Baylor. The host Lady Red Raiders trailed for most of the game before a two-out rally in the fifth inning, when they scored all of their runs in a 6-1 victory to reach 14-0 this season.Silverdale (11-7) entered with an eight-game winning streak in which the Lady Seahawks outscored teams 103-16 with impressive wins over Boyd Buchanan, Whitwell, Signal Mountain and GPS.
In the first inning, left-handed slugger McCade Cooper sent a 3-2 riseball from Baylor's Syd Berzon, who has been dominant this season, over the fence in left-center field. It was Cooper's fifth home run and 20th RBI in her past nine games.
"McCade's home run was awesome and was a great boost for us," Silverdale coach Jackie Freelend said. "We battled against a great team and pitcher. Our team has come a long way since the start of the season. We have great leaders and hard workers. Katie also pitched a great game and kept their hitters off-balance and hit her spots for four great innings. I am proud of the way my girls performed."
Berzon struck out 13 and allowed three hits in six innings. The LSU signee showcased a devastating 50 mph changeup along with a high 60s fastball and riseball.
Morehead State signee Brie Sexton went 2-for-3 with a double for the Lady Seahawks, who won a state title in 2018.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.