CLEVELAND, Miss. - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team split the day at the 2022 American Southwest Conference Softball Championship Tournament, earning a 3-2 win over McMurry University before falling 2-1 to East Texas Baptist University in extra innings.
 
UMHB began play in the tournament on Thursday, May 5^th but the game was delayed due to strong wins in the area. The War Hawks took a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single to right field followed by a bases-loaded RBI single to center field. UMHB scored the equalizer in the bottom of the second with a two-RBI double to the centerfield fence by Blakely Niles to score Tatum Stover and Bailey Eggleston. The score remained 2-2 through the top of the fourth inning when inclement weather conditions caused the game to be suspended until Friday morning.
 
UMHB had a strong defensive start Friday morning with a three-up-three-down to close the top of the fifth inning. In the bottom of the frame the Cru scored the winning run with an RBI single to right field by Izzy Gutierrez to bring Milly Cesare home from second. The War Hawks hit a single in the top of the seventh to get the tying-run on base, but UMHB was able to hold them and claim the 3-2 victory.
 
Bayleigh Grogan started in the circle for the Cru, pitching three at-bats and allowing two runs on three hits. Rachel Williams claimed the win for UMHB, pitching seven innings allowing no runs on four hits with two strikeouts. The Cru totaled three runs on nine hits led by Cesare and Stover with two each. The War Hawks totaled two runs on seven hits. UMHB advanced to take on East Texas Baptist University in the next round of action.
 
ETBU took an early lead in the second contest, scoring Courtney White in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. UMHB evened the contest in the top of the third when Lexi Harris hit an RBI single to score Lindsey Polleschultz. The game remained knotted from there. Rachel Williams threw three more three-up, three-down innings as the game ended in regulation with a 1-1 knot.
 
UMHB saw a pair of base runners in the eighth but the Tigers did not allow the go-ahead run across. Williams pitched two pop-ups in the bottom of the eighth before the Tigers got on base with a single. Blakely Niles threw out that base runner attempting to steal second to preserve the tie.  East Texas Baptist won it in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single from Delanie Loya, sending White home for the game-winner.
 
Six Crusaders recorded hits while Harris and Polleschultz combined for the Cru's scoring effort. Williams took the loss for the Cru, throwing 8.1 innings with six hits and two runs allowed. Hannah Kelley earned the win for the Tigers, giving up six hits and one run in nine innings pitched. UMHB totaled one run on six hits with one error while the Tigers had two runs on six hits.
 
UMHB returns to action in an elimination contest on Saturday, May 7^th at 11 a.m. against Hardin-Simmons University. The winner of that contest advances to a 4 p.m. semifinal contest on Saturday.