SEGUIN, TX (April 19, 2009) - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor softball team almost let a big lead slip away before holding on for the victory and a doubleheader sweep of Texas Lutheran University Sunday afternoon in Seguin. UMHB took game one 11-3 before holding on for a 16-10 victory in game two. The Cru improves to 19-15 overall and 12-6 in American Southwest Conference play with the victories. The losses drop TLU to 9-23 overall and 4-14 in the ASC on the season.

The Cru used a 10-run second inning to take a big game two lead before letting TLU back into the game and holding on for a 16-10 victory. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first before UMHB exploded for its 10-run inning. Caitlin Wells and Kelsey Greeson both had a pair of RBI singles in the inning. The Cru also got RBI singles from Delani Hurst, Courtney Johnston, Karen Fertitta and Erica Salazar and UMHB added runs on a wild pitch and an error to take a 10-1 lead. It would stay that way into the bottom of the fifth when the Bulldogs put seven runs on the board to close to within 10-8. TLU used four hits, four walks, an error and several wild pitches to put the big inning together. UMHB added a run on a wild pitch in the sixth to make it 11-8, but TLU cut it to 11-10 in the bottom of the sixth. Salazar’s three-run triple highlighted a five-run seventh inning for the Cru and UMHB put the Bulldogs down in order in the bottom of the seventh to hold on for the victory. Mandy Staton raised her record to 8-6 for the Cru with four innings of six-hit pitching. Fertitta, Greeson and Wells all had three hits apiece for UMHB and Johnston, Salazar and Lindsey Gordon added two hits each in a 17-hit attack for the Cru.

UMHB’s five-run third inning put game one out of reach as the Cru rolled to an 11-3 victory. TLU led 1-0 after the bottom of the first before the Cru put its five-spot on the board in the third. Salazar, Johnston and Wells all had RBI singles and UMHB added sacrifice flies from Jordan Schrutka and Sara Roman. Erin Jackson led off the top of the fourth with a home run to give UMHB a 6-1 lead. TLU would put single runs on the board in the fifth and sixth and UMHB added a run in the sixth, before closing out the game with a four-run seventh inning. Salazar’s two-run triple was the biggest hit in that inning for UMHB and Schrutka added an RBI double. Greeson scattered seven hits and struck out seven to raise her record to 10-8 for UMHB. Greeson, Salazar and Schrutka all had three hits apiece for UMHB and Hurst and Johnston added two hits each for the Cru.

The two teams will close out the series with a 1:00 PM doubleheader tomorrow in Seguin. UMHB will then return home to close out the regular season with a four-game home series against Hardin-Simmons University next Friday and Saturday.