Baylor Beats GPS 6-4 For D-II Softball Title

Mari Gardner's First Career Homer The Difference For Lady Red Raiders

  • Friday, May 22, 2015
  • John Hunt
Haley Smith delivers a three-run homerun for GPS in the first inning of their contest with Baylor Friday at the Spring Fling at Murfreesboro. Baylor defeated the Bruisers 6-4 to take the Division II-AA title for the fourth time in the last five years.
Haley Smith delivers a three-run homerun for GPS in the first inning of their contest with Baylor Friday at the Spring Fling at Murfreesboro. Baylor defeated the Bruisers 6-4 to take the Division II-AA title for the fourth time in the last five years.
photo by Dennis Norwood

MURFREESBORO – Oh, what a difference a year makes.

The GPS Bruisers came through the losers bracket a year ago and beat Baylor twice after losing the first five times they played, but those two were the biggest as it gave the team in blue a state D-II softball championship.

The situation was similar a year later, but the results a bit different as the Lady Red Raiders beat the Bruisers by a 6-3 final for its fourth state title in the last five years and ninth overall for coach Kelli Smith.

“That was awesome.  These state championships get better every time, but they always involve a different team with different players.  It’s just nice to see the smiles following that last pitch,” Smith said after the dust had settled while Baylor parents, players and other Red Raider faithful stood around to totally take in the experience.

“We didn’t dwell on what happened last year, but we just wanted to be in a different position today.

 Kayla Hughes settled down and pitched really well after the first inning, but it was just one bad pitch.  I told our girls that we had been scoring a lot of runs and that it was just the first inning and they just looked back and smiled,” Smith continued.

“And I was so glad that Mari Gardner finally hit a home run.  It was the first of her career and it just so happened to be the game-winning hit.  And it comes in a state championship game, so how special is that?  What a day for her first home run,” Smith nodded.

GPS was the visiting team and they took a 3-0 lead in its first at-bat.

Taylor Battle reached when a fly to left was dropped before Lilly Berger walked on five pitches.  Then on a 3-2 count, third baseman Haley Smith ripped a shot past the fence in left and it was suddenly 3-0 with still nobody out.

Hughes retired the side without any further damage and only allowed one more run the rest of the game and it was unearned after a second Baylor error.

But on a day when the sky was blue and temperatures much more pleasant than the day before, the 16-year-old junior only allowed three hits and two hit batters the rest of the way.  She also had eight strikeouts.

“I’m so excited,” she expressed after a bunch of photos had been taken.

“I’m happy with the way I pitched, even with that rough first inning.  I just had to remind myself that I had a great defense behind me and even better offense, so I wasn’t worried.  I just did what I had to do to win and six runs were enough today,” she said.

Freshman Kamrie Rich was the starting catcher a year ago and remembers vividly the feeling when the Bruisers won the two biggest games of the season.  She only had one hit on Friday, but it was a two-run single in the third that knotted the score at 4-4.

“I had been getting out in front of the pitches and my coach told me to just take it up the middle.  That’s exactly what I did as I waited just a little bit longer.

“This is simply an unbelievable feeling.  We just tried to focus on this year and put last year out of our mind.  We didn’t win last year, but we got it done this time,” she added.

Gardner also had one hit, but it was her leadoff dinger in the fourth that provided the eventual winning margin for a team that concludes its season at 25-3-1.  She too was all smiles when it ended.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to hit one like that.  I was just hoping to make good contact and I did.  I couldn’t believe it, but it worked out well for me,” she nodded.

While GPS had taken the early lead on Smith’s three-run blast, Lauren Lewis got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first with a solo homer.

The single run in the third allowed the Bruisers to extend its lead to 4-1, but Baylor evened things with three runs in the bottom of the inning. 

A.J. Johnson led off with a double that dropped in a perfect spot right behind first base just inside the right-field line Cheyenne Lindsey grounded to short for the first out before Maya Mathis reached on a perfect bunt just in front of the plate.

Lewis got hit with a pitch before Crosby Huckabay’s grounder to short allowed Johnson to score.  That set the table for the two-run single from Rich.

Gardner’s home run in the fourth made it 5-4 while Lindsey’s run-scoring single in the sixth made it 6-4.  Gardner had walked with one out and advanced to second on a single by Trinity Liner.  Johnson flied to shallow right for the second out before Lindsey’s bouncer through the left side of the infield drove in the final run.

GPS coach Susan Crownover, who was less than pleased after Tuesday’s lopsided loss to Baylor, was more upbeat on Friday despite the results.

“I’m awfully proud of these girls for making it back to today’s game.  We could have easily folded our tent, but we gave a really good Baylor team all they wanted today,” Crownover began.

“Haley Smith’s home run gave us some confidence early, but Baylor has a really strong hitting team and you can’t hold them down forever.  Kayla Hughes just gutted it out for them and pitched well.  And they only scored six runs, which is about half of what they normally score,” the coach remarked.

Lindsey was the only Baylor player with two hits as the Lady Raiders collected eight for the game.

Hughes finished with a four-hitter and only allowed singles by Berger and Abbey Anderson in the third before Kaitlyn Songer reached on a a leadoff double in the fourth.

Hughes the final 12 hitters she faced after Songer’s double.

Kincer was the losing pitcher after allowing five runs on six hits in 3.2 innings.  She also had two strikeouts, a walk and one hit batter. 

The Bruisers, who have won eight state softball titles in their proud history, finish at 17-14.

GPS  301 000 0 – 4 4 2

BAYLOR  103 101 x – 6 8 2

Kincer, Walters (4) and Hobbs; Hughes and Rich.

(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)

Baylor's Kayla Hughes tossed a four-hitter for the Lady Red Raiders.
Baylor's Kayla Hughes tossed a four-hitter for the Lady Red Raiders.
photo by Dennis Norwood
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