Game 1

Game 2

ABILENE, Texas -- Hardin-Simmons' softball team won a pair of dramatic games over Howard Payne, 3-2 and 5-4 and clinched at least a tie for the American Southwest Conference West Division Saturday afternoon at Ellis Field.

In the second game, freshman catcher Taylor Namey broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth inning with a solo home run to left field to give the Cowgirls a 5-4 win. It was her school record 13th home run of the season.

Each team scored a run in the first inning, as McDaniel had an RBI single for Howard Payne and Courtney Clark had a leadoff triple for the Cowgirls and scored on an Amy Meyer infield single.

HSU took a 3-1 lead with two runs in the third on a two-run single by Kourtney Bailey. She drove in Lacie Cole who doubled and Kayla Scaramuzzo who had walked. HPU tied the game in the fifth on RBI singles by Rebecca McDaniel and Kimble Luna.

HSU scored a run in the bottom of the fifth. Cole and Katie Shurbet had back-to-back singles with two outs and Kourtney Bailey drove in Cole with a RBI single to centerfield. Ashley Silva retied the game with a solo home run in the sixth.

Sarah Shurbet went four and one-third innings scattering eight hits and allowing three runs. Lacie Cole came on in relief to pick up the win. She went two and two-third innings and allowed only one run. Cole is now 6-2 on the year. Jenna Middleton took the loss for HPU as she went the distance, allowing 13 hits. She was 14-0 on the year coming into the series and took three losses to fall to 14-3.

Bailey and Cole each had three hits for the Cowgirls.

HSU won the first game with a walkoff two-run double by Courtney Clark in the bottom of the seventh. The Cowgirls trailed 2-1 going into the seventh and Scaramuzzo led off with an infield single and Cole reached on an error. Cera Beasley bunted them both over and Clark hit a double to right field to give HSU the win.

Clark led off the Cowgirl first inning with a solo home run to left field and she drove in all three runs for HSU. The home run was her seventh of the year. Clark and Scaramuzzo each had two hits for HSU as the Cowgirls only had five hits in the game.

HPU scored a run in the fourth inning on a two-out error and added a second run in the fifth on a Kate McLaughlin RBI single to right.

Laura Rawlings went the distance for the Cowgirls, scattering nine hits and allowing just one earned run to improve to 7-3 on the year. Middleton took the loss in relief as she allowed two unearned runs in three and one-third innings.

HSU is now 27-9 on the season and 18-2 in ASC West play. The Cowgirls clinched at least a tie for the ASC West title with the win. HSU plays at Mary Hardin-Baylor next weekend. The Cru still has a series to play this weekend because of the rain if UMHB loses one of those games the Cowgirls will have at least a four-game lead over every team in the ASC West. HPU is now 26-8 on the season and 14-6 in conference play.