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STILLWATER — As the Oklahoma wind picked up and the innings piled on, Lillie Walker just kept dealing.
The Inola native and Baylor southpaw turned in the most heroic performance of her college career Sunday, tossing a career-high 8.2 innings against No. 13 Oklahoma State in a pressure-packed series finale.
However, with two outs in the ninth, OSU’s Amanda Hasler spoiled the masterpiece with a walk-off solo homer to center, sealing a 2-1 victory and the Cowgirls’ 2-1 series win in Stillwater.
“She hit my miss,” said Walker, who delivered a dropout pitch on the deciding play. “That's what she's supposed to do. That's what great hitters do — they execute in big moments. Hats off to her.”
Walker, who transferred to Baylor after four years at Duke, was masterful once again for the Bears.
She allowed just one earned run on six hits, walking none and striking out two while throwing 102 pitches. It was her third complete game in a row and second extra-inning effort of the season.
Over the three-game series, she pitched 15 2/3 innings and surrendered just one earned run to one of the nation’s top offenses — a lineup that entered the weekend averaging 5.4 runs per game.
“It was a dogfight for the whole entire game,” Walker said. “I was just trying to make adjustments, and I feel like the whole game was kind of a chess match. They would make adjustments, and I would have to adjust whether it's up in the zone, down in the zone and which side of the plate they're sitting. (Assistant coach Britni Newman and I) were really kind of using a lot of brain power whenever the physical wasn't there anymore. It's always fun and a good challenge.”
Walker danced out of trouble early when she stranded a runner on second after a two-out single in the bottom of the second.
In the third, OSU scored its first run after a defensive error, but Walker avoided further damage by inducing a fly out from Karli Godwin. She would retire nine of the next 10 batters she faced and got stronger as the game wore on, ending the eighth with a groundout to short before forcing consecutive line outs in the final frame.
“It's very rare for a team to field 1.000, so I always tell them, ‘There's your 2% — or whatever is your usual — you'll get the next 98 balls,’” Walker said. “It is what it is.”
It wasn’t until Hasler’s solo home run on a 2-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth that the Cowgirls finally broke through, ending an epic battle that cemented Walker’s place as one of the grittiest arms in the Big 12.
Despite the loss, Walker’s weekend was a statement. Through her nearly 16 innings in the circle, she induced 21 fly outs and 18 groundouts while tossing five strikeouts on 189 pitches — 122 of which resulted in strikes (64.6%).
“I wouldn't say I was my best at hitting spots today, but it was definitely just kind of the same thing that I've been doing,” Walker said. “My usual MO is keep it off the white because I know I'm not gonna blow by anyone. Just keep trusting my spin.”
Now 3-6 on the year, Walker sports a 3.07 ERA through 21 appearances and seven starts. And while the win eluded her Sunday, her performance on the national stage left no doubt — she is the real deal.
With Sunday’s loss, Baylor fell to 13-19 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 play, while OSU improved to 19-7 and 4-3 in conference. The Bears return to action for a midweek home contest against UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“I think we're just gonna keep sticking to the process,” Walker said. “We've not had our best games so far, but I think we're looking up and only going to get better.”
Continue reading...
The Inola native and Baylor southpaw turned in the most heroic performance of her college career Sunday, tossing a career-high 8.2 innings against No. 13 Oklahoma State in a pressure-packed series finale.
However, with two outs in the ninth, OSU’s Amanda Hasler spoiled the masterpiece with a walk-off solo homer to center, sealing a 2-1 victory and the Cowgirls’ 2-1 series win in Stillwater.
“She hit my miss,” said Walker, who delivered a dropout pitch on the deciding play. “That's what she's supposed to do. That's what great hitters do — they execute in big moments. Hats off to her.”
Walker, who transferred to Baylor after four years at Duke, was masterful once again for the Bears.
She allowed just one earned run on six hits, walking none and striking out two while throwing 102 pitches. It was her third complete game in a row and second extra-inning effort of the season.
Over the three-game series, she pitched 15 2/3 innings and surrendered just one earned run to one of the nation’s top offenses — a lineup that entered the weekend averaging 5.4 runs per game.
“It was a dogfight for the whole entire game,” Walker said. “I was just trying to make adjustments, and I feel like the whole game was kind of a chess match. They would make adjustments, and I would have to adjust whether it's up in the zone, down in the zone and which side of the plate they're sitting. (Assistant coach Britni Newman and I) were really kind of using a lot of brain power whenever the physical wasn't there anymore. It's always fun and a good challenge.”
Walker danced out of trouble early when she stranded a runner on second after a two-out single in the bottom of the second.
In the third, OSU scored its first run after a defensive error, but Walker avoided further damage by inducing a fly out from Karli Godwin. She would retire nine of the next 10 batters she faced and got stronger as the game wore on, ending the eighth with a groundout to short before forcing consecutive line outs in the final frame.
“It's very rare for a team to field 1.000, so I always tell them, ‘There's your 2% — or whatever is your usual — you'll get the next 98 balls,’” Walker said. “It is what it is.”
It wasn’t until Hasler’s solo home run on a 2-0 pitch in the bottom of the ninth that the Cowgirls finally broke through, ending an epic battle that cemented Walker’s place as one of the grittiest arms in the Big 12.
Despite the loss, Walker’s weekend was a statement. Through her nearly 16 innings in the circle, she induced 21 fly outs and 18 groundouts while tossing five strikeouts on 189 pitches — 122 of which resulted in strikes (64.6%).
“I wouldn't say I was my best at hitting spots today, but it was definitely just kind of the same thing that I've been doing,” Walker said. “My usual MO is keep it off the white because I know I'm not gonna blow by anyone. Just keep trusting my spin.”
Now 3-6 on the year, Walker sports a 3.07 ERA through 21 appearances and seven starts. And while the win eluded her Sunday, her performance on the national stage left no doubt — she is the real deal.
With Sunday’s loss, Baylor fell to 13-19 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 play, while OSU improved to 19-7 and 4-3 in conference. The Bears return to action for a midweek home contest against UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“I think we're just gonna keep sticking to the process,” Walker said. “We've not had our best games so far, but I think we're looking up and only going to get better.”
Continue reading...
