BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team split its first day of 2022 competition, going 1-1 against Southwestern University Sunday afternoon in Belton.
 
UMHB opened the day with a three-up, three-down first inning with Bayleigh Grogan in the circle. The contest remained scoreless until the third inning when Lexi Harris scored on an RBI triple from Elisabeth Paul. The Cru increased the advantage in the sixth inning with a run from Kendall Tramel on an RBI double from Izzy Gutierrez. The Pirates got on the board with a one-run homerun in the seventh inning. UMHB held Southwestern through the remainder of the inning, claim the 2-1 victory. Paul and Gutierrez recorded hits for the Cru, Paul leading with two. UMHB totaled two runs on three hits while Southwestern had one run on six hits.
 
The second contest remained scoreless through the first seven innings. The Pirates claimed the first points of the contest with a score on a double in the eighth inning. Southwestern added three more runs to the board with a three-run homerun. The Cru fought back, scoring two runs by Harris and Elissa Elliott on a RBI single by Taylor Holman, but failed to catch up. The Pirates claimed the 4-2 win in extra innings. Gutierrez led the Cru with three hits, while Elliott added two hits to UMHB's total seven. Rachel Williams led the Cru in the circle pitching seven innings. UMHB totaled two runs on seven hits while Southwestern totaled four runs on eight hits.
 
UMHB returns to action on Friday, February 11th in a doubleheader against Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.