ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' softball team dropped a tight contest with the Concordia Tornados 8-7 on Saturday in American Southwest Conference play.

The afternoon began with Cowgirl Senior Day where the team honored graduate seniors Peyton Newman and Mason McCord, senior Karis Hessert, junior Sarah Polanco who will be graduating next December, and graduate assistant Katlyn McCoy.

The game had a rocky start for the Cowgirls with five Concordia runs scoring in the first inning. HSU began to stabilize with three runs of its own in the first to make it 5-3 Tornados after one.

Hessert singled to drive in the first run, and Aubrianna Salazar drove in two more to make it three Cowgirl runs in the first. Salazar continued with another RBI in the third inning to draw within one, down 5-4.

McCord drove in the tying run in the fourth inning with a singled and later stole second. On McCord's steal of second, the throw went for a ride and deflected into no-man's land, so McCord took it upon herself to not only advance to third but ran all the way home to take a Cowgirl lead 6-5.

Concordia went for two more in the fifth to lead 7-6, but Chasity Trevino came in to hit for the Cowgirls and knotted it up at 7-7 with an RBI. The Tornados would get the last laugh, however, plating what would be the winning run in the sixth inning to make it an 8-7 victory for Concordia. 

Salazar led the Cowgirls with three hits and three RBIs with a double. Polanco and Newman each had two hits with a triple each, and McCord and Hessert had multi-hit days as well.

Kaylen Washington started for the Cowgirls and Salazar came in with five innings and seven strikeouts on four runs and six hits. Kylie Ruiz pitched two innings and had the loss with three hits allowed on one run.

The Cowgirls fall to 26-11 and 17-10 in the ASC with a trip to visit the Sul Ross State Lobos in Alpine next Friday with game times at 4 & 6 p.m.

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