RICHARDSON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team swept a Friday doubleheader at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, earning 6-2 and 11-3 wins over the Comets.
UT Dallas opened the game with a single-run first inning to take a 1-0 lead. The Comets held a one-run advantage until the fifth inning when Julia Crofut singled up the middle to score Bailey Eggleston. Megan Todd responded for the Comets in the bottom of the next frame, hitting a home run over the right field wall for a 2-1 UTD lead. Eggleston hit in the equalizer for the Cru in the top of the seventh, scoring Kennedy Kalka and tying the contest at 2-2. UMHB's offense scored four unanswered in the eighth inning to seal the 6-2 win. Elissa Elliott hit a home run before Elisabeth Paul and Tatum Stover hit back-to-back RBI singles.
Eggleston led the Cru with two hits while Stover drove in a team-high two runs. Bayleigh Grogan earned the win in the circle for the Cru, throwing a complete eight innings with two runs allowed. Grogan struck out four batters and walked just one. UMHB totaled six runs on nine hits with no errors while the Comets had two runs one eight hits with two errors.
UMHB took a one-run lead in the second inning of game two off an RBI single from Stover. The Cru held that lead until the fourth inning when Celeste Soliz slammed a three-RBI home run to give UT Dallas a 3-1 advantage. Stover stole home in the fifth inning to cut the gap to one before Lexi Harris scored Elissa Elliott with an RBI single. UMHB closed the fifth with a pair of runs off an RBI single from Elisabeth Paul to take a 5-3 lead. The Cru held the Comets scoreless in the bottom of that frame and sealed the win with six runs in the top of the sixth. Elliott scored on an RBI double from Milly Cesare before Cesare scored off single from Jessica Miller. UMHB added two more runs off hits from Julia Crofut and Bailey Eggleston to seal the 11-3 victory.
Six Crusaders recorded two hits each while two others added hits. Harris, Elliott and Cesare led the Cru with two runs each while Harris and Cesare also added a team-high two RBI. Rachel Williams earned the win, throwing six innings with four hits and three runs allowed. Williams struck out four and walked just two of 25 batters faced. UMHB totaled 11 runs on 14 hits with no errors while the Comets had three runs on four hits with one error.
UMHB improved to 16-5 on the season and 9-2 in American Southwest Conference action while the Comets moved to 15-6 overall and 7-4 in league play. The series concludes tomorrow in a 12 p.m. single game in Richardson.
