BROWNWOOD, Texas -- Hardin-Simmons'
softball team swept an American Southwest Conference doublehdeader on
Saturday afternoon at Lady Jacket Field in Brownwood,
winning 4-1 and 5-3 in eight innings to conclude the regular season.
Blair
Wallace put the Cowgirls on the scoreboard in the first inning with a
two run double. Evangelina Tellez had an RBI single to left for HPU in
the second inning.
HSU put the game away with two runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Brittany Acosta and an RBI single by Shelby McIntyre.
Taylor
Namey and Mac Clay had two hits each to pace the Cowgirls. Wallace
drove in two runs and went the distance in the circle for the win,
scattering eight hits
and striking out five to improve to 13-7.
Kayla
Castillo went the distance for Howard Payne and took the loss. Katie
Poerner and Kimble Luna had two hits each for Howard Payne.
In the second game HSU won the game with two runs in the eighth inning.
Howard
Payne scored on a squeeze bunt by Luna in the first inning and it
stayed that way until the fifth inning when HSU took the lead with two
runs on a double by
Amy Meyer.
HPU
answered with two runs in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Johnson
and an RBI double by Jessica Morales. HSU tied it with a run in the
sixth on a Bailey Watkins
RBI single to center.
In the eighth inning, HSU scored on an Acosta double and an RBI single by Watkins.
Sarah
Shurbet went the distance for the Cowgirls in the circle and improved
to 10-8. She scattered eight hits and allowed three runs. Baillie
Trumble took the loss
for Howard Payne.
Watkins had three hits for HSU and McIntyre and Acosta had two hits each. Tellez and Poerner had two hits each to pace HPU.
HSU
is 23-15 on the year and finished second in the ASC West race with a
16-8 mark. Howard Payne closed its season with a record of 19-19 overall
and 13-11 in league
play. HSU will play in the first round of the ASC Tournament on Thursday
at noon in Farmer's Branch.