BROWNWOOD, Texas - The Howard Payne University softball team fell 6-0 in the final game of a three game series vs. Louisiana College on Saturday afternoon.

The Wildcats (11-2, 8-1 ASC) used a three-run third inning to jump out to a 5-0 lead and held on down the stretch to pick up the 6-0 victory over the Lady Jackets (4-10-1, 2-6 ASC.) 

Howard Payne fought tough to keep the victory within reach before the Wildcats received some timely hits to pull away with the result in the end. Head Coach Jose Mata, "Our score doesn't reflect the progress I saw today. [I] felt like we played with confidence and intensity on both sides of the game today."

Rachel Hitt led the way for the Howard Payne offense, going 2-3 from the plate and Kayla Boucher singled to center field in the fourth. But, behind a trio of pitchers, Louisiana College was able to hold the Lady Jackets bats scoreless over seven full innings of play. 

Tonya Thompson pitched six complete innings of play and struck out three batters while surrendering just two walks to help keep the game close for the Lady Jackets. She would finish the day having faced 29 batters and helped to force eight ground outs.

After scoring in each of the game's first three innings, the Wildcats bats were tamed by Tonya Thompson over the next two innings. Howard Payne tried to spark a rally late but the Louisiana College bullpen held their ground and, after scoring one more run in the sixth, they locked down and sealed the victory.

The Lady Jackets will now head to Marshall Texas for a three-game series vs. East Texas Baptist University. The first day will be a double header and the start time is slated for 3:00 PM on March 3rd. Live stats can be obtained at HPUSports.com and stay tuned to @HPUSoftball on Twitter for in-game updates.