BROWNWOOD, TEXAS - The Belhaven University softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep of the Howard Payne Yellow Jackets Friday afternoon in Brownwood, Texas. Belhaven defeated Howard Payne 6-3 in game one before earning an 8-6 victory in game two. 

The wins end a five-game winless streak for Belhaven (12-19), and are the Blazers first road wins of the season. The Green and Gold will look to complete the series sweep of the Jackets Saturday at 11 a.m. 

The Blazers recorded 12 hits in the game one victory, tying a season-high. Four different Belhaven batters tallied at least two hits, led by Hannah Holloway's three hits. Makayla Reed, Savannah Lyon and Mary Austin Barber totaled two hits each.

Four of the team's 12 total hits came in the first inning, and with runners on first and second, Lyon singled up the middle to plate Holloway and put Belhaven up 1-0. Howard Payne answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning, as Rachel Hitt recorded an RBI single and Tayler Rushing brought home a run with a triple.

Belhaven came right back in the top of the second, putting three runs on the board to take a 4-3 lead. Holloway singled to right to score Barber, while Reed doubled to plate both Kaitlyn Blubaugh and Holloway. 

The Green and Gold added two insurance runs in the top of the fifth to take a three-run advantage. Crystal Kehtel hit a sacrifice fly to score Marlee Blackwell and Cassidy Blount crossed home plate on a Megan Goss single. 

Taylor Surrento started the game in the circle for Belhaven, and after surrendering three first-inning runs, didn't allow a single run for her remaining 3.2 innings pitched. Valiree Blair tossed the final 2.1 innings for the Blazers, allowing just two base-runners while preserving the team's three-run lead. She picks up the save, Belhaven's first since the 2015 season. 

In game two, Belhaven jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, scoring three runs in the first and two in the second. Reed and Lyon scored on a Howard Payne fielding error in the first, and Blount single up the middle to plate Goss. In the second, Lyon hit a two-RBI single, scoring Holloway and Reed. 

The Jackets were held scoreless through the first four innings, but had two runners cross home plate in the fifth and one in the sixth to cut Belhaven's lead to two, 5-3. 

Despite recording just one hit in the top of the seventh, the Blazers added three much-needed runs. Blackwell drew a walk with the bases loaded to bring home Kehtel while Brittany Chetta and Cassidy Comstock each scored on a wild pitch.

Kayla Boucher hit a two-out, three-run homer for the Jackets in the bottom of the seventh to make it an 8-6 game, but Surrento struck out Haley Slater for the final out of the game. 

Blair earned the win in the circle for the Green and Gold, surrendering just two runs in five innings pitched. 

Lyon finished 3-for-4 in the batter's box while Blount was a perfect 2-for-2. 

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