Cedar Park, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team used multiple-run innings to take control of both games as the Cru swept a doubleheader from Concordia Texas Friday night in Cedar Park. UMHB won game one 7-2 and took game two by a 10-3 score. The Cru has won five straight games to improve to 11-7 overall and 10-4 in American Southwest Conference play. The Tornados drop to 7-15 overall and 7-9 in the ASC on the season with the two losses.
UMHB grabbed an early lead and then coasted to a 7-2 victory in game one. Karley Free's sacrifice fly made it 1-0 in the top of the first inning and Myranda Hinojosa singled home two more to stretch it to 3-0 in the second. The Cru scored on an error in the third inning to make it a 4-0 game before Concordia cut the gap to 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Kourtney Bevers had a sacrifice fly and another run-scoring error gave UMHB a 6-2 edge in the fifth and the Cru added an insurance run on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh inning. Tiffany Birdwell scattered five hits over five innings to get the win and even her record at 4-4 on the year. Leah Brown had three hits and Janie Neyland, Cori Drake and Bevers added two more apiece for UMHB in the win.
The Cru broke open a tight game with a pair of big innings in a 10-3 game two victory. Concordia grabbed a 1-0 lead before UMHB put four on the board in the top of the fourth. Bevers tripled home the first run and scored on Leanne Hinojosa's double. Drake added an RBI single and the final run scored on an error. The Cru added a run on Bevers' RBI double before the Tornados cut the gap to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth. UMHB erupted for five runs in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach. Leanne Hinojosa tripled home the first two runs and Faith Escobar closed out the scoring with a three-run homer. Haley Parker earned the win to move to 4-2 on the year. Bevers had four hits and Leanne Hinojosa added three more and three RBI in the victory.
The two teams close out the series with a 1:00 PM single game Saturday in Cedar Park. UMHB will then return home to host the University of the Ozarks for a three-game ASC series next Thursday and Friday.