Pierce pops Baylor

By Chuck Woodling     Apr 27, 2003

Scott McClurg/Journal-World Photo
Kansas University pitcher Kara Pierce delivers a pitch against Baylor. In her first game since returning from a shoulder injury, Pierce limited the Bears to three hits in the Jayhawks' 4-1 victory Saturday at Jayhawk Field.

That pop Kara Pierce heard in her pitching shoulder hurt just as much above the neck as below.

“For awhile, I was worried,” Pierce said. “It got a little scary.”

Yet only a week after Pierce, a Kansas University junior right-handed pitcher, had to be taken out of a game against Texas because of the ailing shoulder, she tossed a three-hitter to lift KU to a 4-1 win over Baylor Saturday at Jayhawk Field.

“I had a lot of thoughts,” KU coach Tracy Bunge said. “Should we use her today? Is there any chance we might lose her for the Big 12 tournament?”

Afterward, Bunge had no second thoughts.

“Her curve ball was pretty good, and she threw strikes,” Bunge said. “We did put a 75-80 pitch count on her and she finished with 75. Baylor made a lot of one-pitch outs.”

After visiting the training room three times a day and resting her shoulder last week, Pierce almost felt like she had undergone an arm transplant.

“It was 100 percent better,” she said. “All my pitches were working. I felt like I had a fresh arm.”

With a runner on third in the sixth inning, Baylor’s Kelly Levesque crushed a Pierce offering to deep center that appeared headed for extra bases. Somehow, though, KU center fielder Mel Wallach was able to track it down.

“I thought it was to the fence,” Pierce said, “but Mel did a little ballerina spin and made an amazing play.”

Added Wallach: “I didn’t know if I could get to it. I was playing in, so I did a drop step and went back. The ball jumped a little in my glove, but I caught it.”

What could have been trouble for the Jayhawks, who were leading 2-0 at the time, turned into a sacrifice fly and was the Bears’ last gasp.

“That was a huge play,” Bunge said. “Mel did a great job.”

Half an inning later, Wallach doubled to right-center field and scored on a line single by Nettie Fierros, who later scored on Heather Stanley’s single to give the Jayhawks a 4-1 cushion.

Fierros, a freshman third baseman, had lined a solo home run over the right center field fence in the fourth inning.

“I never expected Nettie to be one of our top home run hitters,” Bunge said. “She really struggled as a senior (in high school) and she has six this season.”

Saturday’s win doomed Baylor to the Big 12 Conference basement and the 10th seed in next week’s league tournament. If KU wins today’s 1 p.m. regular-season finale against the Bears, the Jayhawks will have the No. 8 seed depending on the outcome of today’s Texas Tech-Iowa State game.

Iowa State clinched the No. 7 seed by knocking off the Red Raiders, 6-3, Saturday.

Kansas 4, Baylor 1

Baylor 000 001 0 — 1 3 2

Kansas 100 102 x — 3 6 1

WP–Kara Pierce, 16-12. LP–Cristin Vitek, 12-15.

2B–Mel Wallach, KU. HR–Nettie Fierros, KU (6).

Baylor highlights: Pitcher Cristin Vitek fanned 12 Jayhawks — including clean-up hitter Jessica Moppin three times — and walked none, but the sophomore left-hander’s record dipped to 1-9 in Big 12 play. BU record: 28-27 overall, 2-15 in league.

Kansas highlights: Freshman third baseman Nettie Fierros had two hits, including her sixth homer, scored twice and drove in two runs. Kara Pierce allowed three singles, no walks and fanned six to boost her league record to 3-8. KU record: 26-20 overall, 4-13 in league.

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