SB Takes Game Two at the Gainesville Super Regional, 5-2 - Baylor (2024)

W: Crandall, RyLee (17-8) L: Keagan Rothrock (29-7)

Bears force game three against Florida in a winner-takes-all situation

Game Recap: Softball | 5/25/2024 3:43:00 PM

GAINESVILLE, Fla. –Baylor softball defeated No. 4 Florida, 5-2, Friday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium to force a game three in the Gainesville Super Regional.

THE RUNDOWN
Baylor was firing on all cylinders in game two of the Super Regional, with starting pitcher RyLee Crandall striking out the first two batters of the game.

Leaving the Gators scoreless in the top of the first, Emily Hott led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk before Presleigh Pilon singled to put two on for Shaylon Govan. The power hitter then launched her 11^thhomer of the season over the wall in left-center to get the Bears out to an early 3-0 lead.

Florida got a run back in the top of the second when Reagan Walsh hit a solo shot down the right-field line to make it a 3-1 game. Making sure the defense was on lock, Pilon made a diving play at shortstop to keep a hit off the board and record the Bears' first out of the inning. Crandall ended the threat with a strikeout looking to retire the Gators.

Taylor Strain laid down a bunt single to start the bottom of the second before Pilon singled to third base to put two on. A fly out from Govan had runners on the corners before a wild pitch had Strain crossing home safely.

With the 4-1 lead, Crandall struck out two more Gators in the third before sitting Florida down in order in the fourth.

The Gators added a run to their tally in the top of the fifth after a single from Skylar Wallace brought home a runner from second to make it a 4-2 lead for the Bears.

Govan was intentionally walked in the bottom of the fifth, but that would be the Bears' only baserunner until the bottom of the sixth inning.

Strain and Hott each made diving catches in the outfield that erased base hits for the Gators.

Ana Watson started the bottom of the sixth with a single to left-center field before Shannon Vivoda was hit by a pitch and Strain laid down another bunt single to load the bases. Hott brought home the Bears' fifth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to left field that extended the lead to 5-2.

With Florida down to its last chance, Crandall set the Gators down in order in the top of the seventh to force an if-necessary game three in Gainesville.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Bears out-hit the Gators 7-5 in the contest
• Presleigh Pilon went 2-for-4 at the plate
• Shaylon Govan picked up three of the Bears' four RBIs with her first-inning homer
• Sydney Collazos and Ana Watson each recorded a hit
• Taylor Strain went 2-for-3 at the plate, both bunt singles
• RyLee Crandall pitched a 7.0-inning complete game with six strikeouts and only allowed two runs
• Baylor is now 52-36 all-time in the NCAA postseason
• Florida and Baylor are tied in the all-time series 7-7
• Baylor has advanced to the WCWS four times, and in three of those seasons, the Bears played all three games of the Super Regional series
• Most recently, the Bears advanced to the WCWS in 2017 after losing the first game

QUOTABLE
Head Coach Glenn Moore on the game …
"I'm really proud of the girls. They knew what was at stake and our backs were against the wall and they came out fighting. I've said it several times that the leadership on this team is amazing and they get themselves ready. There's no doubt whenever we were meeting last night they knew what they needed to do. I think yesterday, even though we lost, it gave us confidence that we could play with a very, very good team and came out with that confidence today and had an outstanding pitching performance from RyLee (Crandall) and our defense played great behind her. Just to be able to keep us in the game against that offense is a big chore and I thought she had an outstanding performance today. Shaylon (Govan) shows up. Just a team win overall, I'm very happy that we're able to even the score."

Shaylon Govan on her first at bat …
"After seeing her all game yesterday, we knew what she was throwing. It was just going in and executing the plan that we were trying to do yesterday and just doing it today, knowing our backs were against the wall. That was kind of my plan, executing better today than I did yesterday."

RyLee Crandall on her defense …
"Syd (Collazos) caught a great game, got me a lot of pitches and blocked balls. She's just phenomenal. So she did a great job. Presleigh (Pilon) and Emily (Hott) and Taylor (Strain) made great plays that kept us in the game. That's what I mean when I say they have my back. They continue to do it. At this point, it's a lot of fun to turn around and know they're going to get it."

UP NEXT
The Bears will face No. 4 national seed Florida in game three of the Gainesville Super Regional at 1 p.m. CTSunday, May 26,at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in a winner-takes-all scenario.

-BaylorBears.com-