Lady Jackets Open Season With DH Wins

Abram Choate, SID

SHERMAN, Texas. The Howard Payne softball team picked up a pair of wins over Austin College in the team's season opening doubleheader on Saturday, winning 6-4 in game one and 5-3 in game two.

In the first game the Austin College jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Howard Payne scored a run in each of the next two innings to take a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the third. Austin College scored in that inning to knot things at 2.

Howard Payne added another run in the fourth when Rebecca McDaniel scored on a sacrifice fly by Kellye Wheeler, and in the next inning HPU extended their lead to 4-2 when Lauren Bollich eventually came around to cross home plate after reaching on an error.

AC scored again in the bottom of the fifth, but two more runs for HPU in the top of the seventh made it a 6-3 game. AC added one more run in the bottom of the seventh, but that's as close as they'd get.

Mallory Wood had 2 hits and a RBI. Ashley Silva added 2 RBI. Jenna Middleton Picked up the win for HPU pitching 5 innings, giving up 8 hit, 3 runs, and striking out 7.

In the second half of the double dip the game remained scoreless into the top of the third when HPU jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Austin College answered back with a three run bottom half of the inning.

The score remained 3-2 in favor of the AC until the top of the fifth when Howard Payne put two runs on the board to take a 4-3 lead, and McDaniel's solo shot to lead off the sixth inning made it 5-3. The Lady Jackets held strong to take game two of the doubleheader 5-3.

Mallory Wood and Rebecca McDaniel each had 3 hits, Lauren Bollich and Kate McLaughlin had 2 hits each with McLaughlin driving in 2 runs. Melissa Hall got the win for HPU pitching 4 innings only giving up 3 hits and striking out 2.

The Jackets will play next at home on Sat. Feb. 21 against MidAmerican Nazarene at Lady Jacket Field.

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