PINEVILLE, La. – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team split a conference doubleheader with Louisiana College Friday evening in Pineville. The Cru fell 1-0 in the first contest before earning an 8-5 win in the second. UMHB improved to 18-12 on the season and 13-10 in American Southwest Conference action while the Wildcats moved to 24-5 overall and 18-2 in league play.
 
Louisiana College opened the first game with an RBI single from Cameron Crochet in the bottom of the second inning, scoring Shea Smith for a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats held onto the one-run lead for the remainder of the contest to seal the single-run victory. Karen Tennis took the loss in the circle for UMHB, allowing four hits and one run with three strikeouts. Savannah Settle earned the win for Louisiana College, pitching seven innings with no hits allowed and six strikeouts.
 
UMHB opened the second game with an RBI single from Karley Free in the top of the first inning, scoring Makenzi Dawson for a 1-0 Cru lead. Louisiana College responded with single run innings in the bottom of the first and second. That score stuck until the top of the fifth when UMHB scored three runs. Devon Walter opened scoring with an RBI double to right centerfield, scoring Dawson for a 2-2 tie. Leah Brown followed that with a home run, scoring Walter on the play to put the Cru up 4-2. Louisiana College again responded with back-to-back single run innings to tie the game at four runs after six innings. UMHB put up four runs in the top of the seventh and gave up just one in the bottom of that frame, sealing an 8-5 victory. Kourtney Cummings and Hinojosa slammed back-to-back RBI hits, scoring Brown, Walter, Kourtney Cummings and Free. Walter led the Cru with three hits while Free added two. Dawson, Walter and Brown each recorded a team-high two runs as Brown, Cummings and Hinojosa recorded a team-high two RBI. Haley Parker earned the win in the circle for UMHB, pitching 2.2 innings with five hits and two runs allowed. CeCe Darilek was UMHB's starter, allowing five hits and three runs in 4.1 innings of work. Darian Thacker and Chelsea Lewis split time in the circle for the Wildcats. Thacker was the starter, pitching five innings with six hits and four runs allowed while Lewis got the loss, pitching two innings and giving up four hits and four runs. UMHB totaled eight runs on 10 hits while the Wildcats had five runs on 10 hits with two errors.
 
UMHB returns to action on Saturday, April 1^st in a noon single game at Louisiana College in Pineville. The Cru then returns to Belton for a three-game series with Sul Ross State University. That series will open with a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, April 7^th and conclude with a noon single game on Saturday, April 8^th.