RUSTON, La. – The HBU softball team split their first two games at the LA Tech Invitational, falling 10-0 to Texas State and defeating Mississippi Valley State, 12-4, in consecutive run-rule decisions at Lady Techster Softball Complex on Friday.
Playing the first two games of the tournament, the Huskies (4-2) bounced back from their loss to the Bobcats (6-1) in the morning to defeat the Devilettes (0-6) in game two.
Against MVSU, the HBU bats broke out for season-highs with 13 hits and 12 runs. Freshman Savanna Guidry led the Huskies with three hits, going 3-for-4. The native of Nederland, Texas, recorded two RBI, two runs scored and her team-leading fifth stolen base of the season.
Huskies
Laci Belovsky,
Libby Brown and
Caitlin Gunn, all recorded two hits and a double apiece. Sophomore
Nicole Shedd also turned in a two-hit performance, while freshman
Demi Janak went 1-for-4 with a home run, her second of the season.
Junior
Emily Mueller (1-1) picked up her first win of the season, tossing three and two-third innings. Mueller surrendered four hits and four runs (three earned), fanning one and issuing three walks, across 20 batters faced. Senior
Shannon O'Connor turned in an inning and a third of scoreless relief to notch the first save of her career.
The Huskies plated five runs across the first three innings against MVSU. Belovsky's two-bagger put HBU on the board in the opening frame, before the team added three more runs in the second inning behind consecutive singles from Guidry and senior
Shay Orsak with runners on and Gunn doubled home another in the third.
The Devilettes manufactured two scoring innings, driving in two runs in both the first and fourth innings to keep the game close at 4-2, before HBU switched its offense into high gear for seven runs in the fifth. With one out, Janak sparked the surge with a solo jack to left field, as Shedd, Guidry, Brown (double) and Belovsky, all recorded hits in the frame.
In the bottom of the fifth, O'Connor worked around one hit and one error, striking out two to close the game early and pick up the team's second save of the season.
The Huskies were limited to one hit in their loss to Texas State. Belovsky (2-1), who recorded the lone hit on a single down the left field line in the bottom of the second inning, took the loss, allowing 10 runs (eight earned) over two and a third innings in the circle.
HBU will close its participation in the tournament with two games on Saturday. The Huskies will play host Louisiana Tech at 6 p.m., before seeing Belmont in an 8 p.m. tentative first pitch.
