OKLAHOMA CITY – Baylor Softball took down UCF, 3-2, Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at OGE Field at Devon Park.
 
The Bears (32-19) defeated the Knights for the fourth time this season to win their first Big 12 Championship game since 2018 and advance to the semifinals on Friday night.

THE RUNDOWN
Aliyah Binford started hot in the circle for the Bears retiring the Knights in order through the first two innings while picking up four strikeouts.
 
Getting it done on both sides of the plate, Binford helped her own cause in the bottom of the second with a solo shot over the wall in right field, her first long ball of the season, to put the Bears up 1-0.
 
Sydney Collazos followed Binford’s homer with a double to left-center field, but no one was able to bring her home as the Bears carried the 1-0 lead through four complete innings.

After a double play ended the top of the fifth, Collazos got things going again for the Bears in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff single. After advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, Taylor Strain hit an infield single to bring Collazos home from third and make it a 2-0 ballgame.
 
With one runner on for UCF in the top of the sixth, a two-run bomb from S Halajian knotted the game at 2-2 to put the pressure back on the Bears.

Baylor responded in the bottom half of the sixth after Hott drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a groundout and passed ball to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Shaylon Govan capitalized on the opportunity with a single up the middle that gave Baylor the 3-2 lead.
 
Down to the last three outs in the top of the seventh, Binford and the Baylor defense retired two before closing the door on the Knights with a strikeout looking to end the game.

Championship Central