BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team split its home opener with LeTourneau University Friday evening in Belton. UMHB fell 8-3 in the opening game before beating the YellowJackets 11-2 in the second. The Cru improved to 1-3 on the day and opened American Southwest Conference play at 1-1 while LeTourneau moved to 2-2 overall and opened league play at 1-1.
Mary Hardin-Baylor jumped to an early lead in the top of the first when
Cori Drake reached first base on an error scoring
Kasi Cummings. UMHB held a 1-0 lead until the top of the third when LeTourneau's Bailey Woodard scored off an RBI from Kennedi Dillow for a 1-1 tie. LeTourneau then used a five-run top of the fifth to gain advantage on UMHB. Whitney Judd hit a triple to score Woodard before scoring herself off an RBI from Megan Hill. Rachel Gauspohl then hit at three-run home run to put the YellowJackets up 6-1. LeTourneau added two more runs in the top of the sixth before UMHB's
Dusti Douglas scored on a bases-loaded walk of
Bailey Bohlken for an 8-2 lead. The Cru added one more run in the bottom of the seventh when
Christy Garrett scored off an RBI single from
Leah Brown to end the game at 8-3. Brown led the Cru with three hits while
Karley Free added two. UMHB's
Haley Parker took the loss, pitching 4.1 innings with six allowed hits and five runs.
Kelsey Knox pitched in relief for UMHB, pitching 2.2 innings with four hits and two earned runs. UMHB totaled three runs on eight hits with two errors while LeTourneau had eight runs on 10 hits with one error.
LeTourneau's Gauspohl put the YellowJackets on the board first with an RBI single scoring Hill. UMHB responded, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first with RBI from Free and
Myranda Hinojosa. LeTourneau added one more run in the top of the third when Dillow hit an RBI single to center field to score Kelsie Benson. The score remained 4-2 until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Cru strung together seven runs to secure the 11-2 victory. Brown led the Cru with three hits adding two runs. Free had a team-high four RBI with two runs and two hits. Bohlken also recorded two hits while
Kourtney Cummings drove in two runs with her first collegiate home run.
Karen Tennis earned the win in the circle for the Cru, pitching five innings with four hits, two runs and one strikeout. UMHB totaled 11 runs on 10 hits with one error while the YellowJackets had two runs on four hits with five errors.
UMHB finishes the series against LeTourneau tomorrow in a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Dee Dillon Field in Belton.
