The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team fought cold weather conditions and Pacific University Friday afternoon in Marshall, dropping a pair of games to the Boxers. Pacific improved to 4-0 on the season while the Cru falls to 0-4.
Pacific took a lead early in the first game with a two-run first inning. The Boxers added two more runs in the second for a 4-0 lead then sealed the game with six runs in the fourth inning. UMHB was unable to score in the top of the fifth, surrendering a 10-0 victory to the Boxers. Avery Kelly was the lone Crusader to record a hit in the contest. Karen Crane took the loss in the circle, giving up six earned runs on 10 hits in 3.1 innings of work. Camryn Rucker pitched in relief, allowing two earned runs with four hits. UMHB totaled one hit and two errors while the Boxers had 10 runs on 14 hits with no errors.
UMHB responded strong in the second contest, jumping to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with Kasi Cummings scoring off an RBI from Kourtney Cummings. Pacific evened the game in the bottom of the second with a home run from Montana Vaught. Hannah Wolfe jump started a four-run third inning for the Cru, scoring on a passed ball. Avery Kelly followed that, slamming a three-RBI home run to give UMHB a 5-1 lead. Pacific chipped away at UMHB’s lead with single-run innings in the fourth and fifth to cut UMHB’s lead to 5-3. The Boxers took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Vaught scored on an error, followed by a pair of runs from Taylor Nishimura and Jill Uyeda. UMHB was unable to score in the top of the next frame, falling 6-5 to Pacific.
Emily Bounds led the Cru with two hits in the second contest while six other Crusaders recorded one. Five Crusaders combined for runs with Kelly leading the Cru in RBI. Bayleigh Grogan took the loss for UMHB, pitching 5.2 innings with six runs on five hits allowed. Grogan gave up four earned runs and recorded three strikeouts in the contest. Rylee Patton earned the win for Pacific, pitching two innings with three hits and no runs allowed. UMHB totaled five runs on eight hits with four errors while Pacific had six runs on five hits with two errors.
UMHB returns to action on Friday, February 15th in a 4 p.m. doubleheader against UT Dallas at Dee Dillon Field in Belton.
