Abram Choate, SID

SEGUIN, Texas – The Howard Payne Yellow Jackets knocked the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs out of the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament picture, splitting on Friday and then a doubleheader sweep of the Bulldogs, Saturday at TLU's Morck Field.

HPU entered the series in third place in the ASC West, two games in front of TLU for the third and final playoff spot.

In game one on Friday, TLU broke open a 1-1 game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. TLU doubled home two runs, and a singled to score another to take the win 4-1.

TLU's Dobson went the distance for the victory. HPU's Tiffany Wolfe got tabbed with the loss.

In game two, Howard Payne scored a run in the top of the fourth on a TLU error. Jill McLaughlin tossed a four-hit shutout for the Yellow Jackets. She struck out four and walked two.

Karen Carrizales took the loss for TLU. Carrizales pitched four innings.

On Saturday, Howard Payne (17-13, 15-5 ASC West) won the first game 2-0 and took the second game 7-4. HPU pitcher Tiffany Wolfe was the winning pitcher in both contests.

TLU is now four games behind Howard Payne who sits in third place in the ASC West Division, with four games to play. Howard Payne holds the tiebreaker over the Bulldogs. The top three teams in the ASC West and the top three in the ASC East advance to the conference tournament.

In Saturday's first game, Wolfe took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before TLU's Kaycee Barnett singled down the left field line.

Wolfe finished the game with a three-hit shutout and moved to 8-6 overall.

The Yellow Jackets scored one in the first and an unearned run in the fifth to give Wolfe all the run support she would need.

In game two, Wolfe (9-6) picked up a victory in relief with 5-1/3 innings of work. She relieved Jill McLaughlin in the second after McLaughlin walked home two Bulldogs in the inning.

Chinesia Rhinehart and Kristi Pinkerton each had two hits for the Yellow Jackets in game two. Pinkerton had three RBI. HPU went on to win 7-4.