Shaylon Govan’s RBI single in the sixth inning lifted No. 4 Baylor to a 3-2 win over No. 5 UCF in the Big 12 Softball Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.
The hit was one of two in the game for Govan, but certainly the most important for the Bears (32-19), as it broke a 2-2 tie and led to the victory.
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The Knights (30-23) fought for the tying run in the top of the seventh, as Stormy Kotzelnick singled to lead off the inning. But Bears pitcher Aliyah Binford worked around it, forcing two straight fielder’s choice groundouts that led to force outs at second base and then struck out Sarah Willis to end the game.
Baylor will face No. 1 Texas at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the second semifinal game. That will be preceded by No. 2 Oklahoma facing No. 6 BYU, which upset Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals.
Baylor took the lead in the second on a solo home run by Binford. The Bears added to their lead in the fifth after Taylor Strain singled home Sydney Collazos.
That’s when UCF answered. In the sixth Sona Halajian drilled a two-run home run that scored Samantha Delhoyo and tied the contest at 2-2.
Binford (W, 12-10) went the distance on the hill for the Bears. She limited the Knights to six hits, two runs (earned). She struck out 10 and walked one.
Willis (L, 9-10) also went the distance for the Knights, as she allowed six hits and three earned runs. She struck out four and walked one.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
