HOUSTON – HBU softball improved to 3-0 at Husky Field following a doubleheader sweep of Prairie View A&M, 6-1 and 9-1 in five innings, on Tuesday afternoon.
Libby Brown went 3-for-4 in game one to lead the offense, while
Cecilia Bauer had two RBI.
Laci Belovsky improved to 5-1 in the circle as she allowed seven hits and one earned run while striking out five in the complete game effort.
Jalla Johnson led PVAMU (0-8) with a 2-for-3 effort, while Daneisha Hinton had the lone RBI. Taylor Harvill allowed eight hits, six runs (zero earned), and three walks while striking out four. The Lady Panthers were plagued with four errors in the game.
PVAMU drew first blood as Hinton hit an RBI single in the top of the first brought home Brianna Knowles, who led off the game being hit by a pitch. The Huskies evened the game in the bottom half of the frame as Brown's groundout to the short stop brought home
Savana Guidry, with a heads-up play as she scored on the throw.
HBU increased its lead to 3-1 after two innings, as a Lady Panther throwing error allowed Gunn to score. PVAMU threw the ball away during the next at-bat, allowing Bauer to cross home.
The Huskies completed the scoring with a three-run third inning. After
Shay Orsak led off the inning with a double, she and Brown eventually scored on another Lady Panther error to make the score 5-1. Bauer's single up the middle scored
Demi Janak.
In game two, both Orsak and Belovsky went 2-for-3, while Belovsky joined
Caitlin Gunn and
Erica Reyes with two RBI apiece.
Shannon O'Connor started the game and took the no-decision.
Emily Mueller (2-1) picked up the win in relief, allowing one hit and striking out one in 2.0+ innings.
Knowles led the Lady Panther offense with two hits and an RBI. Monica Cartwright took the loss in the circle as she gave up five hits and five earned runs in 4.0 innings.
HBU put a three-spot in the bottom of the second. Orsak and Belovsky led off the inning with back-to-back doubles. Two batters later, Reyes homered down the left-field line.
After PVAMU cut into the lead with a run in the top of the third, the Lady Panthers had a prime opportunity in the top of the fourth, with the bases loaded and one out. Mueller settled down and got a fielder's choice, nailing the runner at home, then had an inning-ending ground out as HBU held the 3-1 lead.
HBU got some insurance with Gunn's two-run blast to left field in the bottom half of the inning, then ended the game with a four-run fifth.
HBU (8-3) will compete in the North Texas Mean Green Spring Fling this weekend.
