LONGVIEW, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team swept its doubleheader with LeTourneau University Saturday afternoon in Longview, beating the YellowJackets 11-1 and 15-4. The win improved the Cru to 5-1 on the season and opened them at 2-1 in American Southwest Conference action while LeTourneau fell to 3-3 overall and opened conference play at 1-2.
 
LeTourneau took a lead in the first game when Shelby Barrick hit a single to left field, scoring Ashlin Roach for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. UMHB responded with an offensive surge in the top of the second inning to take a 4-1 lead. Kourtney Cummings opened scoring for the Cru, reaching home off an RBI single from Christy Garrett. Jordan Hughes scored next off a wild pitch before Devon Walter slammed an RBI single to left field, scoring Garrett. Makenzi Dawson was the final Crusader to score in the inning, reaching off an error on a Leah Brown at-bat. The Cru then put together a four-run fourth inning and three-run fifth inning to put the YellowJackets away 11-0. Garrett opened scoring in the fourth off an RBI single from Dawson. Dawson scored next off a bases-loaded walk of Karley Free. Walter then reached home off an error on a Bailey Bohlken at-bat before Brown scored on a passed ball. In the fifth, Garrett scored off an RBI single from Brown before Dawson reached on an RBI fielder's choice from Karley Free. Walter rounded out scoring for UMHB, reaching home off an RBI from Bohlken. Walter led UMHB with three hits while Garrett added two. Dawson and Garrett scored a team-high three runs followed by Walter with two. Karen Tennis earned the win in the circle for UMHB, allowing just five hits and one run with three strikeouts. UMHB totaled 11 runs on eight hits with one error while the YellowJackets had one run on five hits with three errors.
 
UMHB was first to score in the second game of the doubleheader, putting up four runs in the top of the first. Bohlken and Hinojosa hit back-to-back RBI singles to score Brown, Walter and Kasi Cummings. Bohlken then scored off an RBI from Shelly Snyder to give UMHB the 4-0 advantage after the top of the first. Brown followed that with an RBI double to score Dawson in the top of the second, before Brown scored off another RBI single from Bohlken. Hinojosa then hit her second RBI single of the day to score Kasi Cummings and give UMHB a 7-0 lead after two. LeTourneau responded with two runs in the bottom of the third before the Cru recorded single-run innings in the fourth and fifth. UMHB added six runs in the top of the sixth with RBI from Alexis Elemen, Free, Walter, Brown and Kasi Cummings. Roach responded for LeTourneau with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, but UMHB forced the final two YellowJacket batters into outs to secure the 15-4 victory. Kasi Cummings led UMHB with five hits followed by Bohlken and Hinojosa with three each. Kasi Cummings also recorded a team-high four runs, followed by Dawson, Brown and Bohlken with two. Bohlken led all athletes with four RBI, followed by Brown, Hinojosa and Free with two each.  CeCe Darilek earned her first collegiate win in the circle, pitching 2.2 innings with four hits and two runs allowed. Darilek struck out two batters and walked just three. Haley Parker pitched in relief, allowing just three hits and two runs with four strikeouts. UMHB totaled 15 runs on 20 hits with no errors while the YellowJackets had four runs on seven hits with one error.
 
The Cru returns to action on Tuesday, February 14^th in a 4 p.m. doubleheader before opening the 2017 home slate with a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Howard Payne on Friday, February 17^th.