LONGVIEW, Texas – Holding a 2-0 lead prior to a 40-minute rain delay, the LeTourneau University softball team would erupt for 11 runs in the bottom of the second to score a 14-2, five-inning victory over Howard Payne University at the LETU Softball Field in Longview, Texas on Saturday, March 30th.
 
Earning a series victory, LETU improved to 17-10 overall with the win and 14-7 in the American Southwest Conference while HPU fell to 11-15 overall and 7-11 in the ASC.
 
LeTourneau would get things off to a fast start by scoring the first two runs of the series to occur in the opening two innings of play as Taylor Nichols would hit a solo home-run to left field to go along with a sacrifice fly to score Macey Mize.
 
Following a one-two-three top of the second, LETU would put runners on first and second with one-out when a steady mist would become a heavy enough rainfall to delay the game for 40 minutes with a 1-1 count to Emilee Anderson. Anderson would end up getting on with a base-hit single to load the bases and would be followed up by an RBI walk for Nichols to force a Howard Payne pitching change. With LeTourneau up 4-0, Macey Mize would keep the inning going with an RBI single before Haydn Parker put a ball into the right-center field gap to plate two runs as the inning would feature 11 runs on eight hits and three HPU errors to put LeTourneau up 13-0 after two innings of play.
 
Katelyn Trombley would add to the LETU lead with an RBI double in the bottom of the third as Howard Payne would be able to score just two runs in the game with both runs coming in the top of the fourth inning as LeTourneau would end the game after five innings due to the eight-run mercy rule.
 
Tossing a complete game in the circle, starting pitcher Bailey Richey would earn her second win of the weekend to improve to 7-1 overall after allowing two runs on six hits to go along with four strikeouts. LeTourneau's 11-hit onslaught would feature four extra-base hits as Trombley would go a perfect three-for-three with one RBI and one run scored while Nichols drove in four runs as part of a two-for-three outing with two runs scored.
 
What's Next?
A tall task and East Texas rivalry will get underway next weekend on Friday, April 6th at 5 p.m. for the LeTourneau softball team as the YellowJackets will travel to Marshall, Texas to take on East Texas Baptist University. ETBU is currently ranked number three in the latest NFCA Division III Top-25 poll and is a perfect 15-0 in the ASC.