BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team swept a doubleheader with the University of Texas at Dallas Thursday afternoon in Belton, grabbing 5-3 and 3-1 wins over the Comets. The wins improved the Cru to 8-7 on the season and 7-4 in American Southwest Conference action while the Comets fell to 10-7 overall and 6-7 in conference play.
Avery McHugh started the Comets off early in the top of the first, hitting a home run off the second pitch of the day to gain a 1-0 advantage on the Cru. McHugh scored again in the top of the third off a passed ball, before Aly Hudec hit an RBI single to score Chelsea Sartor for a 3-0 UTD lead.
Karley Free responded for the Cru in the bottom of the third, hitting an RBI double to centerfield to score
Emily Marrs and
Janie Neyland and cut the Comets' lead to 3-2. U.T.-Dallas held that lead until the bottom of the sixth when
Leah Brown hit a home run, scoring
Amelia Cluke and giving the Cru a 4-3 lead.
Myranda Hinojosa scored next, hitting a home run over the left field wall to extend UMHB's lead to 5-3. Hinojosa led the Cru with two hits while five other Crusaders added one. Free and Brown each recorded two RBI with Hinojosa adding one.
Haley Parker started the game in the circle for the Cru, allowing three runs on four hits with one earned run.
Karen Tennis earned her second win, pitching three innings in relief with one hit and one strikeout. UMHB totaled five runs on seven hits with one error while the Comets had three runs on five hits with no errors.
Free gave the Cru a lead in the second game, hitting an RBI triple down the right field line to score
Janie Neyland for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Leah Brown was next, hitting an RBI single to centerfield, scoring Free from third base for a 2-0 lead. Free struck again in the bottom of the third inning, hitting a home run over the left field wall in the bottom of the third for a 3-0 Cru lead. The Comets scored one run in the top of the sixth but were unable to generate another run, giving the Cru a 3-1 win. Free and Brown led the Cru with two hits while Neyland,
Emily Marrs and
Faith Escobar each added one. Free had a team-high two RBI while Brown added one.
Tiffany Birdwell earned the win in the circle for the Cru, pitching a complete seven innings with eight hits, one run and one earned run. UMHB totaled three runs on seven hits with one error while the Cru had one run on eight hits.
UMHB will finish the series tomorrow in a 10 a.m. single game at Dee Dillon Field in Belton.
