BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team swept a doubleheader with LeTourneau University Thursday evening in Belton. The wins improved the Cru to 10-11 on the season and 4-7 in American Southwest Conference play while the Yellow Jackets fell to 12-10 overall and 5-3 in league play.
Lexi Hutchins hit a solo home run in the top of the second to give LeTourneau a 1-0 lead. UMHB scored the equalizer in the bottom of that frame.
Madeline Stephenson hit a single up the middle before
Allyse Castillo advanced her with another single.
Tori Skinner followed with another single, scoring Stephenson for the 1-1 knot.
The Cru took a lead in the bottom of the third inning with four runs scored.
Madeline Stephenson opened scoring with an RBI single to score
Kylie Green before
Bralyn Belk hit a single to right field, scoring
Bryton Wright.
Tori Skinner drove in two more runs off a double to second base, scoring both Stephenson and Belk on the play.
UMHB added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth frame.
Bryton Wright singled to score
Lindsey Polleschultz before
Bailey Frenzel scored on a bases-loaded hit by pitch.
Chloe Cox recorded the final run of the inning, reaching on an RBI from
Allyse Castillo for an 8-1 Cru lead.
The Cru defense held the Yellow Jackets through three more frames to secure the 8-1 win.
Madeline Stephenson and
Bailey Frenzel each recorded a team-high three hits with Wright, Belk and Skinner each adding two hits.
Tori Skinner led the Cru with three RBI while Belk added two.
Eileigh Whyte pitched five innings with three hits and just one run allowed with
Reese Albrecht throwing two shutout innings in relief, not allowing a single hit. UMHB totaled eight runs on 14 hits with no errors while the Yellow Jackets had one run on three hits with no errors.
Shorey Nguyen scored
Bryton Wright with a single to left field in the bottom of the second inning to put UMHB on top in game two.
Taylor Henken drove in two more runs later in the inning, hitting a single to left field to bring
Kyler Sanders and
Allyse Castillo home.
LeTourneau put up single run frames in the fourth and fifth to cut the gap to just one run.
Bailey Frenzel responded for the Cru in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a single to deep centerfield to score
Lindsey Polleschultz from first. Stephenson followed that with a single to left field, scoring
Chloe Cox and
Kaitlin Powers for two more runs, putting the Cru ahead 6-2. UMHB held the Yellow Jackets through the sixth and seventh innings to secure the win.
Wright led the Cru with two hits while six other Crusaders each added one. Henken and Stephenson both added two RBI while six different Crusaders scored ones.
Chloee Mason earned the win in the circle for the Cru, throwing six innings with three hits and two runs allowed. Albrecht again threw in relief, throwing the final inning. Laney Taylor took the loss for the Yellow Jackets, throwing 4.1 innings. UMHB totaled six runs on eight hits with two errors while the Yellow Jackets had two runs on three hits with no errors.
"I was just seeing the ball really well and I wanted to come out there and do something for my team because we needed some wins," Stephenson said. "We've been really working at practice trying to be aggressive and it showed out here."
UMHB closes the series in a noon doubleheader tomorrow at Dee Dillon Field in Belton.
