LONGVIEW, Texas -- Hardin-Simmons' softball team swept a critical American Southwest Conference doubleheader on Friday evening in Longview, winning 5-1 and 4-3 over LeTourneau.

Game 1

The Cowgirls rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to win the first game.

LeTourneau scored a run in the third inning on a Courtney Matulis RBI single. The score held up until the Cowgirls' last at-bat. Christa Garcia then hit a grounder to short that was misplayed allowing two runs to score. Lauren Williams followed with a two-run double and Alexis Vines added an RBI groundout to give the Cowgirls a 5-1 lead.

Lexie Allen was again stellar in the circle as she allowed just the one run over seven innings to improve to 8-8 on the year. Faith Genoway took the loss allowing five runs to fall to 7-8.

Middleton and Greer had two hits each for the Cowgirls and Matulis led LeTourneau with three hits.

Game 2
LeTourneau struck first in the second game as they plated two runs in the first inning on a Macey Mize two-run double.

HSU scored on a Greer RBI single in the second inning and the Cowgirls took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Garcia reached on a two-run error. LeTourneau then tied the game in the fifth on a leadoff home run by Ashlin Roach.

Ashley Brown then had a two-out RBI single up the middle to give HSU a 4-3 lead in the sixth.

In the bottom of the seventh with two outs and nobody on LeTourneau loaded the bases on three straight walks, but Shelby Youngblood lined to right to end the game.

Genia Jones scattered six hits and allowed three runs to improve to 5-2 on the year. Julie Cantu took the loss allowing four runs in six innings.

Brown and Greer had two hits each for the Cowgirls and Whitney Judd had two hits for LeTourneau.

HSU is now 17-15 on the year and 11-12 in conference play. LeTourneau fell to 12-21 overall and 7-19 in conference action. The teams will conclude the series with a single game at 1 p.m. on Saturday.