The Baker University softball team followed Friday’s sweep of Avila University with a split Saturday against Oklahoma Baptist University to go 3-1 over the weekend.

In game one, junior Erin Greenwood threw a complete game shutout, allowing only five hits and striking out 12 batters. Sophomore Alyse Menghini went 2-3 at the plate, scoring on her first hit in the second inning because of an Eagles’ error and driving in two runs in the third inning on a single.<br/>

Baker had only five hits, just as many as the Eagles, but was able to capitalize off of three Avila errors to earn a 4-0 victory.

The pitching dominance continued in the second game with freshman Mallorie Nelson in the circle. She allowed just one run in her first complete game victory of the season. The Eagles started the game with a 1-0 lead by the middle of the first inning, but freshman MaKayla Greeve responded in the second with a two-run double to put Baker up 2-1.

Nelson gave herself run support in the bottom of the sixth, driving in senior Summer Kelley on a double to take a 3-1 lead and finished off the Eagle batters in the top of the seventh to take the sweep.

On Saturday, the Wildcats traveled to take on the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist University. The opponents once again took a 1-0 first inning lead, this one coming unearned. The Wildcats were able to counter in the following half inning, scoring two runs to take the lead. Two more runs in the seventh were able to seal the victory, as Greenwood limited the Bison to two hits and struck out 16 batters.

Baker struck first in the second game, taking a 1-0 lead when Greenwood scored on a Menghini double. The Bison then scored twice in the second inning to go up 2-1.

With a 3-2 lead, Oklahoma Baptist’s LeNae Sanchez hit a 3-run home run off of Nelson in the bottom of the fifth to put the Bison up 6-2. The Wildcats were unable to accumulate any offense in the sixth or seventh innings to keep the game at that margin, giving Baker its only loss of the weekend.

The Wildcats are 21-11 overall and 12-4 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Baker will take on Park University for a non-conference matchup Tuesday before taking on HAAC leader Central Methodist University on Saturday to close out the regular season.