BROWNWOOD, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' softball defeated the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets in two games on Friday night, 9-1 in game one and 5-1 in game two in American Southwest Conference play.

Aubrianna Salazar opened game one with a moon-shot homerun to plate three in the first inning for the Cowgirls. Howard Payne got one back in the third inning, but the Cowgirls poured it on in the fifth with six more runs making it 9-1.  

Mason McCord hit a two-run homer and Peyton Newman later tripled with the bases loaded to score three more. Newman made it home on a wild pitch to make it 9-1 after the Cowgirl fifth inning.

Kaylen Washington started the first game and threw five strikeouts in three innings allowing one run on three hits. Kylie Ruiz finished the game with a pair of hitless innings and a strikeout.

Salazar, Faith Fernandez, and Sarah Polanco each had two hits in game one. Salazar led the team with Newman with three RBIs and McCord had two on the homerun.

In game two, freshman Haley Henson got her first start at shortstop and took a ball to the wall with a two-RBI double in the first inning to take the lead for Hardin-Simmons.

Karis Hessert led the Cowgirls with three hits in game two, adding a homerun in the second to score two more to make it 4-0 Cowgirls.

Fernandez made it back-to-back homeruns after Hessert with a monster mash clear over the scoreboard in left to get it to 5-0 HSU.

The Yellow Jackets pieced together a run in the fourth to put the heat on, but the Cowgirl defense held off any major damage and got the win 5-1.

Haven Williams started and had the win for the Cowgirls while Salazar came in for a couple of innings and Kelly Shackelford finished the game with a strikeout in three innings pitched.

After a big day at the plate Friday with four homeruns, the Cowgirl move to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the ASC while HPU drops to 0-5 on the year. The Cowgirls return to Brownwood to finish the series on Saturday at noon.

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