ABILENE, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team swept Hardin-Simmons 4-2, 5-3 Thursday afternoon in Abilene. The wins improved the Cru to 24-12 on the season and 19-10 in American Southwest Conference action while the Cowgirls fell to 17-18 overall and 11-15 in league play.
UMHB opened the first game with a 1-0 lead when
Leah Brown hit an RBI single to center field, scoring
Devon Walter. The Cru held that lead until the fourth inning when Hardin-Simmons produced back-to-back single run innings to take a 2-1 lead.
Kasi Cummings responded for UMHB with a two-RBI triple in the top of the sixth inning for a 3-2 lead before Brown and Walter teamed up again in the seventh with an RBI double. Walter, Brown and
Cori Drake led the Cru with two hits each while Walter had a team-high two runs and Brown a team-high two RBI.
Karen Tennis earned the win in the circle for UMHB, pitching a complete seven innings with six hits and two runs allowed. Lexie Allen took the loss for the Cowgirls, pitching seven innings with 12 hits and four urns allowed. UMHB totaled four runs on 12 hits with no errors while the Cowgirls had two runs on six hits with no errors.
Drake gave UMHB a lead in the second contest, hitting an RBI single to score
Kasi Cummings and
Kourtney Cummings.
Myranda Hinojosa and
Makenzi Dawson followed that with RBI singles in the fourth and fifth innings to put the Cru up 4-0 before
Karley Free hit in UMHB's final run in the fifth. Hardin-Simmons added three runs in the bottom of the sixth but was unable to catch the Cru, sealing the 5-3 UMHB win. Walter and Drake again led the Cru with two hits each while five Crusaders teamed up for runs.
CeCe Darilek earned the win in the circle, pitching 5.2 innings with three hits and three runs allowed.
Haley Parker got the save for the Cru, pitching a shutout 1.1 innings with no hits allowed. Genia Jones took the loss for Hardin-Simmons, allowing six hits and five runs on 4.1 innings of work. UMHB totaled five runs on nine hits with one error while the Cowgirls had three runs on three hits.
UMHB returns to action tomorrow in a 12 p.m. game series finale at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.
