TYLER, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team fell to No. 10 East Texas Baptist in an elimination game for the 2017 American Southwest Conference Softball Championship Tournament Friday morning in Tyler. The Cru ended its season at 26-16 while the Tigers improved to 34-7.
Shelby Irlbeck put the Tigers on the board first with an RBI double to score Gabby Gonzales in the top of the second. ETBU added two more runs in that inning with an RBI double from Kaitlyn Hollingshead. The Tigers added more run off a sacrifice fly from Irlbeck in the top of the third before UMHB got on the board with a home run from
Cori Drake. Both teams posted single-run innings in the fourth and fifth innings.
Kasi Cummings hit an RBI single to score
Karley Free in the fourth before Brown hit an RBI single to score Tomlinson in the fifth. UMHB added one more run in the bottom of the seventh, ending the game at 6-4. Free and
Devon Walter led the Cru with two hits each while Brown had a team-high two RBI.
Karen Tennis took the loss for the Cru, pitching two innings with four hits and three runs allowed.
CeCe Darilek and
Haley Parker pitched in relief, combining for five innings of work with five hits and three runs allowed. Rocki Tello earned the win for the Tigers, allowing five hits and two runs in 3.1 innings of work. McKayla Hendrix pitched in relief for Tello, throwing 3.2 innings with three hits and two runs allowed.
UMHB ends the 2017 season at 26-16. The Cru made its 18
th appearance in the post season and sixth consecutive appearance. UMHB also recorded its 15
th consecutive 20-win season. The Cru ended its season with a .331 batting average, totaling 284 runs, 400 hits and 30 home runs. Drake led the Cru batting .381,
Makenzi Dawson was the leader in runs (49) and hits (57), Brown led in RBI (56), home runs (10) and total bases (93). UMHB graduated six seniors in utility player
Bailey Bohlken, third baseman
Leah Brown, catcher
Cori Drake, first baseman
Karley Free, left fielder
Myranda Hinojosa and pitcher
Haley Parker.
ETBU will advance to face the loser of Louisiana College and Concordia Texas at 7 p.m. Friday. The tournament's championship match is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 29
th with an if-needed game set for Sunday, April 30
th.