BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team earned a pair of wins over Louisiana College Friday evening in Belton, shutting out the Wildcats with 4-0 and 5-0 wins. UMHB improved to 25-14 on the season with a 20-6 record in American Southwest Conference action while Louisiana College fell to 20-16 overall and 11-15 in league action.
 
Allie Dalle opened scoring for the Cru in the first contest, scoring off an RBI from Hannah Wolfe for a 1-0 UMHB lead in the bottom of the third inning. UMHB held that lead until the bottom of the sixth inning when Avery Kelly slammed a three-RBI home run, putting the Cru up 4-0. Kat Reed pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh inning, forcing the final two outs to seal the 4-0 win for UMHB. Wolfe and Ashley Estrada led the Cru with two hits each while Kelly had a team-high three-RBI. Reed earned the win in the circle for UMHB, throwing a complete seven-inning shutout with three hits allowed. She faced just three batters in each of the first six innings, striking out two batters and walking just one. Cameron Crochet took the loss for the Wildcats, pitching six innings with four strikeouts and one walk. UMHB totaled four runs on seven hits with two errors while Louisiana College had no runs on three hits with two errors.
 
UMHB jumped to an early lead in the second contest when Wolfe slammed a two-RBI double and Kelly added an RBI single, giving the Cru a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Kasi Cummings and Emily Bounds followed that with back-to-back RBI doubles in the bottom of the next frame, extending UMHB's lead to 5-0. UMHB came out unscathed after a late offensive rally from the Wildcats, sealing the Cru's second shutout of the day. Kasi Cummings led the Cru with three hits and two runs while Wolfe led the team with two RBI. Camryn Rucker earned the win in the circle for UMHB, pitching a complete seven innings with six hits allowed. Rucker struck out three batters and walked just two in the shutout. Sarah Gartman took the loss for Louisiana College, giving up five runs and seven hits in two innings of work. UMHB totaled five runs on 10 hits with one error while Louisiana College had six hits and one error.
 
UMHB returns to action on Saturday, April 27^th in a 12 p.m. single game against Louisiana College. The Cru will advance to play in the 2019 American Southwest Conference Softball Championship Tournament May 2^nd – 4^th on the campus of East Texas Baptist University in Marshall.