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Farmers Branch, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team mounted another late comeback, but this time the Cru rally fell just short in a 4-3 loss to Louisiana College in an American Southwest Conference Tournament semifinal game Saturday in Farmers Branch. The loss eliminates UMHB from the tournament and drops the Cru to 26-17 on the season. The Wildcats improve to 28-12 on the year and advance to the Championship Game against U.T.-Tyler.
Louisiana College took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Emily Douglas' RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Meagan Pearson. UMHB cut it to 2-1 when
Caitlin Bollier singled home
Chandler Henson in the bottom of the third, but the potential tying run was thrown out at the plate on
Hannah White's fly ball to right. The Wildcats added a run in the top of the fourth to make it 3-1 before the Cru answered again.
Kaysie Creech and Henson led off the bottom of the fifth with walks and each moved up a base on
Caitlin Wells' sacrifice bunt. After a groundout, Bollier singled up the middle to drive in Creech, but Henson was thrown out at the plate trying to score the tying run from second. The Wildcats picked up another run in the top of the sixth to make it 4-2. Creech singled home
Janie Neyland in the bottom of the sixth to pull UMHB to within 4-3. The Cru would put the tying run on base with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but a double-play grounder ended the game.
Rebekah Ragsdale took the loss for the Cru to finish the season at 14-7. She scattered eight hits and allowed four runs while striking one and walking two. Bollier had two of UMHB's four hits in the game. Brianna Hall picked up the win with three innings of two-hit relief for the Wildcats. Laura Gulotta-Parrish and Chelsea Allen led the LC offense with two hits apiece. White and Ragsdale were both named to the ASC All-Tournament Team for the Cru.
UMHB is a long-shot to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships, although the Cru was ranked sixth in the West Region in the latest NCAA Regional Rankings. If Saturday's loss ends UMHB's season, it also closes out the careers of Cru seniors
Kirstie Curry,
Ashton Feight,
Jordan Giesen,
Caitlin Wells and
Hannah White.
