The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's softball swept a conference-opening doubleheader with LeTourneau University, earning 4-3 and 9-4 wins over the YellowJackets. UMHB improved to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in American Southwest Conference action while LeTourneau fell to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in league play.
LeTourneau took an early lead in the first contest, scoring three runs in the top of the inning for a 3-0 lead. Ashlin Roach scored on an RBI single from Shelby Barrick before Barrick and Macey Mize scored on a two-RBI single from Katelyn Trombley. UMHB took the win in the fourth inning, scoring four unanswered runs. Linsey Tomlinson scored on an error before Jessica Picou found home off an RBI single from Kasi Cummings. Cummings and Avery Kelly scored next off a two-RBI single from Makenzi Dawson, giving UMHB the 4-3 win. Kourtney Cummings and Devon Walter led the Cru with two hits each while four Crusaders scored runs. Hannah Halepaska earned the win for UMHB, pitching a full seven innings with three runs, zero earned, and six hits allowed. Julie Martinez took the loss for the YellowJackets, pitching 3.1 innings with three runs, two earned, and four hits allowed. Ashley Burdine pitched in relief, going 2.2 innings with three hits and one run allowed. UMHB totaled four runs on seven hits with one error while the YellowJackets had three runs on six hits with errors.
Tomlinson opened scoring in the second game, hitting a home run to center field for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Kelly scored next off an RBI double from Emily Bounds before Devon Walter hit in Bounds and Dawson with a two-RBI single. Jessica Picou added another run for UMHB in the bottom of the third inning to give the Cru a 5-0 lead. UMHB held that until the fifth inning when Dawson doubled, scoring Kelly and Tomlinson for a 7-0 lead. LeTourneau responded in the top of the sixth with a four-running inning to cut UMHB's lead to just three runs. Linsey Tomlinson closed out scoring with her second home run of the day in the bottom of the sixth, scoring Kourtney Cummings and finalizing UMHB's 9-4 victory. Tomlinson and Kelly led the Cru with three hits each while Tomlinson also scored team-high three runs and hit in a team-high three RBI. CeCe Darilek earned the win for UMHB, pitching 6.1 innings no runs and just three hits allowed. Camryn Rucker pitched in relief, allowing four hits and three earned runs. Faith Genoway took the loss for LeTourneau, allowing five runs on nine hits while Ashley Burdine was the relief pitcher, allowing four runs on four hits. UMHB totaled nine runs on 13 hits with one error while LeTourneau had four runs on seven hits with two errors.
UMHB returns to action on Friday, February 16th in a 1 p.m. single game against the YellowJackets at Dee Dillon Field in Belton.?
