BEDGOOD HITS GAME-WINNER IN BOTTOM OF SEVENTH AS MOBILE
ADVANCES
DECATUR, Ala. – A costly error by
University of Mobile (Ala.) (52-6-1) catcher Lindsey Allen,
which allowed Oklahoma Baptist University to tie the score in
the top of the seventh, was remedied by star second baseman
Sylvia Bedgood as the Rams defeated the ninth-seeded Lady Bison
2-1 in Day Four action at the 23rd Annual NAIA
Softball National Championships held at the Wilson Morgan
Softball Complex in Decatur, Alabama.
Pitching a perfect game until the top of
the seventh, Mobile freshman pitching sensation Kirby Baxter
(24-1) found herself in trouble with bases loaded and one out.
It was enough trouble to warrant Rams coach Becky Clark to bring
in Missy Passley (27-5) to close out the inning. While Passley
turned the side, it was not before the Lady Bison did their
damage.
Oklahoma Baptist’s Kayla Hubbard hit a
routine grounder to shortstop Denisse Fuenmayor who threw to
home plate for the force out to record the second out of the
inning. Lindsey Allen however, having to lunge forward for the
ball, lifted her heel off the plate allowing Brooke Bryan to
score and tie the game 1-1. On the next at bat, Passley forced
Taylor Carter into a ground out to end the inning.
At the start of the seventh inning,
Oklahoma Baptist coach Pam Fink made the call to bring in Alissa
Baxter to pitch for Kena Freeman who had given the Lady Bison a
solid outing by giving up five hits, one walk and one earned run
in six innings of work.
On her fourth pitch, Baxter hit Lindsey
Allen to give Mobile the game-winning runner on the bags. With
Liberty Ellison pinch-running for Allen, Winter Guthrie executed
a sacrifice bunt that gave Mobile a runner in scoring position
and set up Sylvia Bedgood to play the hero’s role that she did
with an RBI single.
Mobile’s 2-1 win ends Oklahoma Baptist’s
season with a 38-17 record and their run at a national title.
The Rams, who got their first run of the
game off of a Denisse Fuenmayor (2-for-2) RBI, will face the
loser of Point Loma University (Calif.) versus Simon Fraser
University (B.C.) tonight at 8 p.m.
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