TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 15 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Softball Team (10-2) scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 3-0 lead on its way to a 3-1 win over Emory & Henry College (6-5) Friday night in the NFCA Leadoff Classic.
The Wasps' second game of the day against the Athenas of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges was halted in the third inning with C-M-S leading by a 7-2 score as the City of Tucson's curfew required play to be stopped at 10:30 p.m. The contest will be resumed Saturday at 8:00 a.m.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – No. 15 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, Emory & Henry 1
SCORE – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 7, Emory & Henry 2 (third inning, game suspended)
LOCATION – Tucson, Arizona
VENUE – Lincoln Regional Park's Julie Reitan Softball Complex
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (6-5), Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-2), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (7-8)
Game One – No. 15 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, Emory & Henry 1
The Crusaders went ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first on a double to right field by Hannah Wolfe. In the fifth, UMHB played a pair of runs as Milly Cesare and Wolfe posted RBI base hits.
Down to its final three outs, Emory & Henry loaded the bases with no outs. Sophomore left fielder Nicole Cox (Franklinville, N.C.) stuck a singled through the right side, driving in sophomore centerfielder Anna Thomas (Climax, N.C.). The Wasps were unable to push another run across as the CRU claimed the 3-1 win.
Mary Hardin-Baylor's Kat Reed earned the win, pitching six shutout innings with two hits and four strikeouts and four walks. Camryn Rucker picked up the save, permitting one run on three hits in the seventh frame. E&H junior Cameron Derr (Cornelius, N.C.) suffered the loss, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
Game Two – Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 7, Emory & Henry 2 (third inning, game suspended)
The Athenas scored a pair of runs in the top of the first, highlighted by an infield single by Natalie Dale. In the bottom of the frame, E&H got one back as junior first baseman Kendall Varner (Bassett, Va.) singled to centerfield.
In the second, CMS pushed four runs across, scoring twice after an error on a squeeze play. The Athenas took a 7-1 lead midway through the third on a double by Megan Perron.
Emory & Henry got its bats going in the bottom of the third prior to the game being halted. Anna Thomas got aboard with two outs on a single to left-centerfield and two batters later scored on a base hit by senior catcher Alex Thomas (Orlando, Fla.).
The contest will resume Saturday morning with runners on second and third and two outs.
Up Next
In addition to completing its game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Emory & Henry will also take on No. 5 Illinois Wesleyan University at 1:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. EST) and Babson College at 3:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. EST) on Saturday.
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