BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team dropped a pair of contests to Texas Lutheran University Tuesday evening in Belton. The Bulldogs swept the Cru with 11-3, 11-0 victories. Texas Lutheran improved to 16-4 with the wins while UMHB fell to 14-11.
 
Texas Lutheran grabbed a substantial lead in the top of the second inning, scoring six runs off six hits and two errors. Cori Drake responded for UMHB with a two-RBI single in the bottom of that inning, scoring Myranda Hinojosa and Kourtney Cummings. Devon Walter added one more run for the Cru in the bottom of the fourth inning, slamming an RBI single down the left field line to score Avery Kelly and cut the Bulldogs' lead to three. TLU added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning, scoring one run off a wild pitch and another off a sacrifice fly from Alyssa Cantu. TLU added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to secure the 11-3 win. Six Crusaders combined for six hits for UMHB while Hinojosa, Kourtney Cummings and Kelly all scored runs. Cantu led the TLU dugout with three hits followed by Nicole Snow and Brayden Pinckard with two hits each. Karen Tennis took the loss in the circle for the Cru, pitching 1.2 innings with five hits and two earned runs allowed. Amanda Lochte earned the win for the Bulldogs, pitching four innings with six hits and three earned runs allowed. UMHB totaled three runs on six hits with three errors while the Bulldogs had 11 runs on 10 hits with one error.
 
The Bulldogs grabbed another lead in the second contest of the doubleheader, stringing together a three-run second inning. Nicole Snow opened scoring, reaching off an RBI single from Lainey Hebert. Cantu followed that scoring off an error before Hebert scored on an RBI groundout from Kirsten Whiteside. TLU added six more runs in the top of the third inning for a 9-0 lead. The Bulldogs added single-run innings in the fourth and fifth to take the 11-0 win. Maitlin Raycroft threw a perfect game in the circle for Texas Lutheran, striking out nine batters in five innings of work. Lainey Hebert led the Bulldogs with three hits while Cassie Roche and Nicole Snow each added two. Hebert also recorded a team-high three runs while five Bulldogs combined for eight RBI. Haley Parker took the loss in the circle for UMHB, pitching 2.2 innings with seven runs and seven hits allowed.
 
UMHB returns to conference action this weekend in a three-game series with University of the Ozarks. The series opens with a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, March 24^th and concludes with a noon single game on Saturday, March 25^th.