A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2022
SPORTS
BAKER SOFTBALL OPENS HOME SCHEDULE
Bulldogs breeze past Marsing, 18-2
Bulldogs
improve to 3-0
on the season
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Baker’s softball team was ea-
ger to play in front of its home
fans for the first time in 2022.
Perhaps a trifle too eager.
But after a sluggish first in-
ning on a blustery Tuesday eve-
ning, March 29, the Bulldogs
dominated Marsing, Idaho,
breezing to an 18-2 win in five
innings on Steiger Field at the
Baker Sports Complex.
Baker, playing for the first
time since March 17, improved
to 3-0 on the season.
“I like the contributions I’m
getting from everyone in the
lineup, whether in the field or
at the plate or on the bases,”
Baker coach Sonny Gulick
said. “We play hard, and it’s
nice to see that.”
Baker pitcher Kaycee Cuz-
ick got out of a bases loaded
jam with one out in the top of
the first by striking out Lily
Thoene and Jaci Montgomery.
Marsing scored one run on a
close play at the plate as Taylor
Callison advanced from third
on a passed ball.
Catcher Kaci Anderson
flipped the ball to Cuzick, who
tagged Callison a split-second
after her foot touched the plate.
Gulick credited Anderson
Marsing 1 0 1 0 0 — 2
Baker
1 7 4 6 X — 18
Cuzick and K. Anderson. As-
torquia and Gluch. WP: Cuz-
ick. LP: Astorquia.
2B: Aldrich, K. Anderson, Cuz-
ick. 3B: Aldrich, K. Anderson,
Dalton, Rayl.
with blocking another low
pitch that, had it gotten past
her, could have given Marsing a
second run.
Kiley Jo Aldrich led off the
bottom of the first by lining a
pitch from Mila Astorquia to
right field.
Unfortunately, rightfielder
Sophia Lundberg scarcely had
to move to make the catch for
the first out.
Baker tied the score at 1 when
Brooklyn Rayl singled to right
field to score Anderson, who
had reached on Astorquia’s error.
After Candace Peterson
drew a walk, Astorquia struck
out Cuzick and Te’ygan Coley
to end the first inning.
Gulick said Baker batters
were too aggressive in the first
inning, swinging at pitches that
would have been called balls.
But the Bulldogs quickly cor-
rected that issue.
Cuzick had an easy second
inning, striking out two Mars-
ing batters after shortstop Ash-
lyn Dalton nabbed Mariah
Colbert’s ground ball for the
first out.
Dalton then completed the
scoring with a two-run triple
down the leftfield line.
Baker led 8-1 after two in-
nings.
Gulick said the Bulldogs
were much more patient at the
plate after the first inning, wait-
ing for Astorquia, who strug-
gled to throw strikes, to get a
pitch over the plate.
He was also pleased by the
performance of the bottom
part of the lineup. Dalton, bat-
ting seventh, started the sec-
ond-inning surge and finished
it with her triple.
“It’s always nice when your
7 through 9 hitters start your
rally,” Gulick said.
Marsing picked up a run on
Astorquia’s single in the top of
the third, but rightfielder Os-
born threw out Astorquia at
second as she tried to stretch
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald the hit into a double.
Baker’s Candace Peterson lets a high pitch go by for a ball during the
Dalton ended the threat with
an unassisted forceout at sec-
Bulldogs’ 18-2 win over Marsing, Idaho, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022,
ond on a ground ball.
at the Baker Sports Complex. Peterson drew three walks and scored
Baker extended its lead to
two runs.
12-2 with four more runs in
and Aldrich was the third
the bottom of the third. Os-
Baker then took control in
straight Baker batter to draw a born opened the inning with a
the home half of the second.
base on balls.
single, followed by consecutive
Dalton, batting seventh in
Anderson followed with an RBI triples by Aldrich, Rayl
the order, started with an in-
RBI single, Rayl drove in a run and Anderson.
field single. She advanced to
Cuzick drove in the final run
second on a throwing error and on a fielder’s choice, and the
Bulldogs led 4-1.
with an infield single.
then to third on a wild pitch.
The rally continued with two
Baker completed the scoring
Sydney Fry and Emrie Os-
outs.
with six more runs in the bot-
born both drew walks to load
Rayl scored on a wild pitch, tom of the fourth.
the bases.
and Coley drove in a run with
Osborn had an RBI single,
Dalton scored on a passed
a single.
Anderson drove in a run with a
ball to give Baker a 2-1 lead,
double, Skylar Roy, playing for
the first time after recovering
from an injury during the state
basketball tournament earlier
this month, had an RBI ground-
out, and Dalton had a run-scor-
ing single to make it 18-2.
Baker ended the game by the
10-run mercy rule by holding
Marsing scoreless in the top of
the fifth.
Peterson caught a fly ball for
the first out and threw to Roy
at third base to get a runner
trying to advance after tagging
up at second.
Cuzick then struck out
Montgomery for the final out,
and the last of her nine strike-
outs in the complete-game win.
Gulick said Cuzick, af-
ter figuring out the umpire’s
strike zone, “settled down
and did a great job, throwing
a lot of strikes.”
Marsing had just five hits.
Gulick said that in talking
with the Bulldogs after the win,
he emphasized that they’ll need
to play the way they did from
the second inning on against
tougher opponents on their
schedule.
Baker trailed just 1-0 against
Marsing, but a similar start
against other teams could lead
to a much bigger deficit, Gu-
lick said.
The Bulldogs will try to keep
their record unblemished Fri-
day, April 1, by playing host to
Burns in a doubleheader. The
first game is set for 2 p.m.
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
What you need to know about each team in the Final Four
BY STEVE MEGARGEE
Associated Press
There’s no room for a sur-
prise team at this Final Four.
Duke, North Carolina,
Kansas and Villanova have
combined for 17 national
championships. Each of the
schools has won at least three
titles, making this the first Fi-
nal Four in which each of the
teams already had won multi-
ple championships.
The closest thing to a Final
Four party crasher is North
Carolina, which was seeded
eighth in the South Region but
has won 10 of its last 11 games.
Those aren’t the only im-
pressive numbers involving the
four tradition-rich programs
remaining in the NCAA Tour-
nament. Here are a few things
to know about each of the
teams in the Final Four:
DUKE
• COACH K’s FINALE:
Duke coach Mike Krzyze-
wski is making his 13th Fi-
nal Four appearance to move
into sole possession of first
place (former UCLA coach
John Wooden also had 12).
Krzyzewski also has made
more NCAA Tournament ap-
pearances (36) and won more
NCAA Tournament games
(101) than any other coach.
• ON THE MARK: Mark
Williams has blocked 16 shots
in Duke’s first games, which
matches the most by any Duke
player in a single NCAA Tour-
nament. Shane Battier had 16
in 2001 when Duke won the
title. Williams also is shooting
80.6% from the floor, which
puts him on pace to have the
highest field-goal percentage
at the same school was Dick
Harp, who played (1940) and
coached (1957) NCAA run-
Saturday, April 2
ner-up teams with Kansas. Da-
• Villanova vs. Kansas,
vis also was an assistant coach
3:09 p.m.
on Roy Williams’ staff when
• North Carolina vs. Duke,
North Carolina reached an
5:49 p.m.
NCAA final in 2016 and won
Both games on TBS
the title in 2017.
• MANEK VS. DEVILS:
Brady Manek scored at least 20
in a single NCAA Tourna-
points in each of North Car-
ment of any Duke player with olina’s previous two meetings
at least 25 attempts. Williams’ with Duke this season. He had
accuracy has helped Duke
21 points when the Tar Heels
shoot 53.8% in the tourna-
lost to Duke at home. He had
ment, the best field-goal per- 20 points and 11 rebounds
centage of anyone in the origi- when North Carolina won at
nal 68-team field.
Duke. Manek has scored 86
• WATCH OUT FOR
points in this NCAA Tourna-
GRIFFIN: A.J. Griffin has
ment, the most of any player.
been the barometer for Duke’s
level of success against semi- KANSAS
final opponent North Caro-
• GETTING STINGY: The
lina this season. He scored 27 Jayhawks are allowing tourna-
points in Duke’s 87-67 victory ment foes to shoot just 34.1%.
at North Carolina on Feb. 5
That’s the best NCAA Tourna-
but had just five points in 34
ment field-goal percentage de-
minutes when the Blue Devils fense of any team in the origi-
fell 94-81 to the Tar Heels at
nal 68-team field.
home a month later.
• MORE WINS THAN
ANYONE: Kansas’ Midwest
NORTH CAROLINA
Region final triumph over
• FAMILIAR FINISH:
Miami gave the Jayhawks
This is North Carolina’s
2,355 all-time victories. That
NCAA-leading 21st appear-
enabled Kansas to take the
ance in the Final Four. The Tar Division I lead over Ken-
Heels also lead all schools with tucky, a first-round loser that
130 victories in NCAA Tour-
ended its season with 2,354
nament games.
all-time wins.
• SELECT COMPANY:
• UNDER 70: Kansas has
North Carolina coach Hubert held eight of its last nine op-
Davis is one of only two people ponents below 70 points. The
to play and coach in the Final Jayhawks are 24-0 this season
Four with the same school. Da- when they allow fewer than
vis was on the 1991 North Car- 70 points. The only team to
olina team that lost an NCAA crack 70 points against Kansas
semifinal to Kansas. The only during this tournament was
other person to make a Final
Creighton, which lost 79-72
Four as a player and coach
to the Jayhawks in the sec-
Men’s Final Four
ond round. Kansas’ semifinal
opponent is Villanova, which
has won nine straight but has
reached the 70-point mark in
just two of its last seven games.
and ranks third in rebounds
per game (4.8). Villanova will
have to play the Final Four
without Moore, who tore his
right Achilles tendon in a 50-
44 South Region final victory
VILLANOVA
over Houston.
• NO MOORE: Justin
• SAMUELS’ SURGE: Jer-
Moore leads Villanova in
maine Samuels has averaged
minutes per game (34.4),
17.5 points in the tournament
ranks second on the team in
and has scored at least 15
scoring (14.8), 3-pointers (80) points in each game. Samuels
and assists per game (2.3)
entered the tournament aver-
aging just 10.4.
• COLD BUT POISED:
Villanova has shot 27.5%
from 3-point range (14 of 51)
over its last two games but
still reached the Final Four.
The Wildcats were 9 of 30
on 3-point attempts against
Michigan and 5 of 21 against
Houston. They’ve shot 30% or
below from 3-point range in
13 games this season but have
gone 9-4 in those contests.
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