LONGVIEW, Texas -- Opening a key ASC series at home this weekend, the LeTourneau softball team responded in a big way on Friday night as the YellowJackets swept a doubleheader from McMurry with a 7-3 victory in the opener before a nine-inning, 2-1, win in the nightcap at the Joyce Family Athletic Village.
The wins snapped a five-game losing streak for LeTourneau (18-12, 8-9 ASC). McMurry goes to 18-9 overall and 10-7 in ASC play.
GAME ONE: LeTourneau 7, McMurry 3
A five-run fifth inning from LeTourneau broke a 2-2 tie as the YellowJackets took the opener, 7-3.
LeTourneau scored seven unanswered runs in the game after falling behind 2-0 after the top of the first.Â
It was the five-run fifth that proved to the the pivotal inning of the game. LeTourneau sent 11 batters to the plate and scored five times on five hits to grab a 7-2 lead.
Kenna Hendry,
Murphy Williams, and
Laney Taylor had consecutive doubles to get the scoring started in the frame as Williams and Taylor's doubles were run-scoring. A McMurry error allowed the third run of the inning to cross before
Cece Pace was hit by a pitch with a bases loaded and
Mickenzie Murry delivered an RBI single to make it 7-2.
Williams (10-4) finished off her 10th complete-game of the year in the circle as she two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts to notch the win.
At the plate, Williams went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as she got the YellowJackets on the board with an RBI single in the first inning. Hendry and Taylor also had two hits apiece as LeTourneau had 11 in the game.
Kylie Grisham added a hit, a run-scoring single in the first inning.
Aaliyah Tanguma had two hits for McMurry, while Bre Barajas, Kate Casey, and Trista Brown had RBIs. Jenna Lewis (9-3) got the loss in the circle for the War Hawks after allowing six earned runs in 4.1 innings.
GAME TWO: LeTourneau 2, McMurry 1
A pitcher's duel went into extra innings and
Mickenzie Murry's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth drove home
Graci Hart to give LeTourneau a 2-1 victory in the second game.
LeTourneau starter
Hailee Leger and McMurry's Baylee Fulps went toe-to-toe in the circle as both threw complete games. Leger (7-7) went nine innings and allowed one run on four hits with four strikeouts while only throwing 88 pitches to collect the win. Fulps (3-3) went 8.2 innings and allowed two runs while scattering eight hits.
LeTourneau struck first as Taylor had an infield single on a rocket to third base that scored Grisham to make it 1-0. McMurry answered with a run in the fifth on Mercedes Camacho's RBI single.
Everywhere in between and after was controlled by both Leger and Fulps.
LeTourneau had two runners in scoring position with two outs in the seventh, but Fulps worked out of that jam. In the eighth, the YellowJackets got a leadoff runner on base and had a runner at third with two outs before Fulps got out of the inning.
Leger had five 1-2-3 innings on the night.
Taylor and Grisham each had two hits for LeTourneau.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT
UP NEXT
LeTourneau and McMurry conclude the series on Saturday with a single-game at 12 p.m.
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