North Texas Daily

For the third straight year, the Mean Green softball team knocked off a nationally ranked Baylor University squad.

Behind a strong pitching performance and timely hitting, North Texas (4-5) defeated No. 23 Baylor (6-3) 3-2 on Sunday afternoon. Senior Stacey Underwood got the start and was credited with the win after delivering a complete 8.0 innings while allowing just two runs on seven hits.

Underwood improved to 3-2 on the season.

“We needed [this win],” said head coach Tracey Kee. “It was nice to see everything working in our hitting, pitching and defense. Any win is exciting and, for some reason, we tend to play well in this stadium.”

The Bears forced extra innings with a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth from freshman outfielder Maddison Kettler that tied the game at 2-2. Due to the international tie-breaker rules, the extra frame started with a runner on second for the Mean Green.

To start the eighth the Mean Green had their speed demon, freshman Camille Grahmann, in scoring position at second base. A hit from freshman Lacy Gregory drove home Grahmann as the go-ahead run.

“I’m just seeing the ball really well,” Gregory said. “They had been working outside so I just went with the outside pitch and drove it. We’re coming together.”

Gregory finished 2-for-4, improving her season average to .484. Underwood returned in the bottom of the eighth and worked a quick 1-2-3 to seal the victory for the Mean Green. Underwood finished things by getting a ground out from Kettler as the game came full circle.

“I knew they were aggressive so I tried to make them reach,” Underwood said. “The wind was blowing in really hard so I knew we had a chance at anything in the air. I think we need to play at this level every day.”

The scoring started early and then died down until the game-tying base knock in the sixth. Sophomore infielder Harley Perella started the game with a hot shot double to right center in the first scoring Gregory and senior infielder Kelli Schkade.

Baylor answered in the bottom of the first with a run scoring on a fielder’s choice, but North Texas held tight before gaining the edge in the eighth.

The Mean Green can now put a notch in their belt for knocking off Baylor for the third consecutive year. But in the last two years after defeating Baylor in the early-season Getterman Classic, North Texas has gone a combined 43-44.

Kee does not want this to be the peak of the mountain for the Mean Green as it has the last two seasons.

“We understand it’s a good win and to enjoy it,” Kee said. “But we don’t want this to be the ending point. We just want to keep getting better.”