ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' softball team swept an American Southwest Conference doubleheader at Howard Payne on Friday afternoon with 6-2 and 4-0 wins.
Game 1
The Cowgirls received six strong inning of relief by
Genia Jones as she improved to 3-1 on the season. She allowed just three hits and one run and struck out five in relief of starter
Lexie Allen, who worked one inning.
Lauren Williams had an RBI in the first inning for the Cowgirls but HPU answered with a Tayler Rushing RBI single in the bottom of the inning.
Breanna Greer had an RBI double in the second to make it 2-1 and HPU tied it in the third on a Gabrielle Roque RBI single.
HSU took control in the fifth inning when
Ashley Brown had an RBI double and Greer followed with an RBI double to left.
Braleigh Middleton gave the Cowgirls an insurance run in the seventh on an RBI single.
Audrey Simpson allowed four runs for the Lady Jackets to take the loss and fall to 5-12 on the year.
Greer had two hits and drove in two and Middleton,
Christa Garcia and
Alexis Vines also had two hits for the Cowgirls in a 13-hit attack. Simpson and Rushing had two hits each as the Lady Jackets managed just five hits in the game.
Game 2
Allen had her second complete-game shutout in as many weeks as she scattered eight hits and struck out two to improve to 5-7 on the year. Madison Witherwax took the loss, allowing two runs in three innings.
Christa Garcia put the Cowgirls on top in the first inning with a sacrifice fly to center.
Breanna Greer added an RBI single in the second to make it 2-0.
The Cowgirls added an RBI single by
Ashley Brown in the fourth and Garcia had an RBI double in the fifth to make it 4-0.
Greer had three of the Cowgirls' nine hits and Middleton and Brown added two each. Rachel Hitt, Kodi Glosson and Haley Slater had two hits each for HPU.
The Cowgirls are now 11-13 on the year and 8-12 in American Southwest Conference play. Howard Payne fell to 5-20-1 on the year and 3-17 in league action. The teams will play a single game at noon on Saturday to conclude the series.
