BELTON, Texas – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball swept its home opener against Hanover College, earning a pair of run-rule victories. UMHB improved to 4-4 on the day while the Panthers opened their season at 0-2.
Hanover put up a single run in the first inning of game one but UMHB answered with a
Shorey Nguyen run to knot the game at one.
Ava Perlinger gave the Cru a lead in the third, hitting a double to score
Macy Alewine and Nguyen before scoring on an RBI from
Ryleigh Mills, extending the Cru's lead to three runs.
Jordan Iverson opened the fourth inning with a single, followed by a fielder's choice from
Angelina Rodriguez. Nguyen advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt before
Addy Todd hit a home run, scoring all three runners for a 7-1 lead. Perlinger followed with a triple to left field, scoring Alewine who reached on an error. Mills ended scoring in the inning with a double to plate Perlinger, putting the Cru up 9-1 after four frames.
The Panthers responded with back-to-back RBI doubles in the top of the fifth, pulling within five. UMHB loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame before
Addy Todd hit an RBI double and Perlinger slammed a two-RBI single to end the game in a 12-4 UMHB win.
Perlinger led the Cru with three hits and five RBI while Todd added two hits and five RBI.
Katherine Neal earned the win in the circle, throwing three innings with three hits and one run allowed. UMHB totaled 12 runs on 13 hits with one error while the Panthers had four runs on seven hits with two errors.
UMHB took a one-run lead in the first inning of game two, scoring off a bases-loaded walk earned by
Bralyn Belk. The Cru tacked on four more runs in the second, scoring off RBI from Perlinger and Todd for a five-run margin.
Todd drove in another run in the sixth before UMHB closed out the day with RBI hits from
Karmyn Williams and
Madelyn Denn for a 9-0 win. Nguyen, Todd and Belk each recorded a team-high two hits while Denn, Todd and Belk drove in two runs each.
Ella Gamblin earned the win in the circle, throwing five innings with just one hit allowed. UMHB totaled nine runs on 10 hits while the Panthers had one hit with four errors.
UMHB returns to action February 27
th – 28
th at Rhodes College in Memphis.