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Postgame interview with Caitlin Wells
Farmers Branch, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team used a seventh-inning rally to battle for from a deficit and stave off elimination with a 5-4 victory over East Texas Baptist at the American Southwest Conference Tournament Friday night in Farmers Branch. The Cru improves to 26-16 on the season with the win and advances to tomorrow's final day of play. The loss ends the Tigers season at 25-17.
The Cru took an early lead on
Hannah White's two-run home run in the top of the first inning. ETBU cut it to 2-1 on a Lacy Liles RBI single in the bottom of the first. UMHB answered when
Janie Neyland's infield single and an ensuing throwing error scored
Ashton Feight in the top of the fourth inning. The Tigers would cut the gap to 3-2 on Allison Burton's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. A UMHB throwing error with two outs kept the ETBU fifth inning alive and Kayla Garcia followed with a two-run double to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead. ETBU had a chance to add to the lead, but White coaxed a fly ball from Alyssa Romero to get out of a bases loaded jam. The Cru put the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the top of the seventh when Neyland led off with a walk and Tori Gomez followed with a bunt single. Both players moved into scoring position on
Kaysie Creech's sacrifice bunt.
Camryn Bintz followed with a pinch-hit, infield single to score Neyland and tie the game at 4-4.
Caitlin Wells would then single down the right-field line to score pinch-runner
Dayton Kunz to give the Cru a 5-4 lead. A strikeout and caught stealing ended the threat and prevented UMHB from adding an insurance run. Garcia led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. She would advance to third base on a groundout, but
Rebekah Ragsdale would get another groundout to end the threat and clinch the victory.
White earned the win in relief of Ragsdale for the Cru to move her record to 4-5 on the year. Ragsdale started and the returned to record the last two outs for her second save of the year. She scattered 10 hits and allowed just two earned runs over six and two-thirds innings of work. Wells was the only UMHB player with two hits as the Cru was limited to just six hits in the contest. Kaylee Davis took the loss for ETBU. Garcia and Ashton Brey had three hits apiece to lead the Tigers offense.
UMHB will now advance to face Louisiana College in an elimination game at 11:00 AM tomorrow. The winner of that game will then face U.T.-Tyler in the ASC Championship Game at 1:30 PM, needing to beat the Patriots twice to win the conference title. The ASC Champion also claims the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships.
