BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team earned two walk-off wins against Howard Payne on Friday afternoon. With these wins, the Cru's overall record improves to 23-11 with a 6-5 mark in American Southwest Conference action. The Yellow Jackets fall to 6-26 on the season and 0-11 in league play.
 
UMHB opened game one scoring in the second inning. Taylor Henken got on with a single to right field, stealing second, then moving to third on a Madeline Stephenson sacrifice bunt. Gabi Vela followed with a squeeze bunt, scoring Henken and standing at first due to a fielder's choice. Vela advanced to second on a stolen base before Lindsey Polleschultz hit a shot to right field to earn an inside-the-park homerun, giving the Cru a 3-0 lead. Starting pitcher Chloee Miller and the UMHB defense shut down the Yellow Jackets in the next inning going three-up, three-down.
 
The Cru had another big inning in the bottom of the fourth, starting with Gabi Vela drawing a walk. Shorey Nguyen followed with an infield single to second base. Lindsey Polleschultz cleared the bases on a triple to right field, scoring on an overthrow home, extending the lead to 6-0. Bailey Frenzel added another run with a single to right center, scoring Tori Skinner who reached on a short stop error. Bryton Wright added an RBI single of her own, pushing pinch runner Sydney Bearden across the plate. The Yellow Jackets were unable to respond, securing the 8-0 run-rule victory in the fifth inning for the Cru.
 
Lindsey Polleschultz went two for three at the plate with a homerun and a triple, adding five RBI and two runs scored. Bailey Frenzel also went two for three with one RBI. The Cru collectively had eight hits and four stolen bases. Chloee Miller earned the win in the circle pitching 5.0 innings with six strikeouts, giving up just two hits and no earned runs.
 
The Yellow Jackets got on the board first in game two on an RBI single in the top of the first inning. The Cru responded quickly in the bottom of the frame when Taylor Henken hit a single followed by a stolen base. Bailey Frenzel moved her around on an RBI single to knot the game at one. With Frenzel standing on second, Bryton Wright hit a shot over the right field fence for a two-run homerun, giving UMHB the 3-1 upperhand.
 
The Cru put up five runs in the bottom of the third inning, jump started by back-to-back singles from Lindsey Polleschultz and Taylor Henken. Tori Skinner scored Polleschultz on an RBI double to left center. Brielle Moreland then reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Tori Skinner and Bryton Wright to make it an 8-1 game. UMHB closed it out in the bottom of the fifth when Ava Jolley singled to right center, scoring Madeline Stephenson for a walk-off run-rule 9-1.
 
Bryton Wright went two for two at the plate with a homerun and two RBI. Taylor Henken and Tori Skinner each added two hits of their own. The Cru added 11 hits with four stolen bases in game two. Eileigh Whyte earned the win in the circle pitching all five innings with two strikeouts.
 
UMHB returns to action at Dee Dillon Field in Belton on Saturday, April 26^th in a 12:00pm double header against East Texas Baptist University.