BAKER —If Monday’s season-opening performance by Baker School’s softball team is an indication of things to come the Gators should be in the mix of things in District 3-1A.
A balance of youth and experience was on display against Central and it was an impressive display.
Freshman pitcher Shelby Sloan threw a two-hit shutout and seniors Mykala McCranie and Ashley Black hit home runs as Baker rolled to a 10-0 win.
The game was called on the 10-run rule in the sixth inning after the Gators (1-0) struck for five runs on a three-run home run by McCranie and a two-run homer by Black.
“I’ve been excited about this team since before we started in January because of the potential we have,” Gator Coach John Carlisle said. “We have a mix of some youth and we have some older girls, some seniors, that I think are going to be able to do some good things for us.
“And I think we’ve got some younger girls that are going to come through for us as well. I’m just pumped about it. I really like what we’ve got and pleased with the way we performed.”
Sloan was impressive in the circle throughout the game walking just three to go along with the two hits while striking out four Jaguar batters.
When Central did get runners on base the Gator defense was quick to turn away any threats with a pair of double plays.
Haley Gauthier, who doubled for the Jaguars in the fifth inning, was the only Central base runner to reach scoring position.
Hits and runs were no problem for the Gators as they pounded out 15 hits on the night.
Eight of the nine Baker batters had at least one hit.
Black and Emily Stewart led the Gator hit parade with three hits each. McCranie, Sloan and Allison Newell each had two hits.
Black, Stewart and Sloan each scored twice.
The Gators scored the only run they would need in the bottom of the first when Stewart doubled and later scored on a Jenna Elmer base hit.
Baker added three runs on four hits in the fourth inning. Bethany McCranie had a run scoring single and Stewart drove in a pair of runs with a soft fly into right field. The score was 5-0 after five when Black singled and scored on a base hit by Newell.
Baker finished off strong in the sixth as Sloan and Stewart singled and were on base when Mykala McCranie, fresh off a state championship in weightlifting, muscled a ball out of the yard deep into the game in left-center field.
Elmer then singled and was on base when Black pulled a ball down the left field line for the game-ending home run.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker softball team shines in season opening win