ABILENE, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team earned two wins against McMurry Friday evening in Abilene, beating the War Hawks 8-2 and 9-1. The Cru improved to 10-4 on the season and 5-3 in American Southwest Conference action while the War Hawks moved to 3-12 overall and 1-7 in league play.
 
UMHB used a two-out rally in the top of the first inning to gain advantage on the War Hawks in game one. Makenzi Dawson scored off an RBI single from Hannah Wolfe before Emily Bounds singled to score Whitney Flournoy. Wolfe scored next off an RBI single from Dusti Douglas to put UMHB up three runs. Devon Walter extended that lead to five in the top of the second with an RBI double scoring Dawson and Kasi Cummings. Rachel Ripley put the War Hawks on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-RBI home run. UMHB responded with a pair of home runs of their own. Kasi Cummings hit the first in the top of the fifth scoring Douglas before Walter slammed one in the top of the sixth to secure the 8-2 win. Walter led the Cru with three RBI while she, Dawson and Douglas each recorded two hits.  Hannah Halepaska earned the win in the circle for UMHB, pitching four innings with two hits and two runs allowed. CeCe Darilek threw in relief, going three innings with just one hit. UMHB totaled eight runs on 10 hits with one error while the War Hawks had three hits with two runs and three errors.
 
UMHB constructed another scoring in the top of the first to get a lead on the War Hawks. Dawson led off with a double then scored on an RBI triple from Jessica Picou. Picou scored next off an RBI double from Flournoy before Linsey Tomlinson hit a two-RBI home run to score Flournoy and give UMHB a 4-0 lead after the top of the first. The War Hawks scored one run in the bottom of the second before Tomlinson hit her second home run of the day, driving in Walter and Logan Lowry for a 7-1 Cru advantage. Kourtney Cummings followed that two innings later with a two-RBI single to score Dawson and Kasi Cummings for a 9-1 UMHB lead. Karen Tennis struck out two of her final three batters and forced a game-ending groundout to secure the 9-1 win. Dawson and Tomlinson led the Cru with two hits and two runs each while Tomlinson had a team-high five RBI. Karen Tennis earned the win in the circle for UMHB, pitching a complete game with three hits and just one run allowed. UMHB totaled nine runs on nine hits with one error while the War Hawks had one run on three hits with two errors.
 
UMHB returns to action in the series finale tomorrow in a 12 p.m. contest against the War Hawks in Abilene.