BELTON, Texas – A walk-off double by Tauryn Cummings in the bottom of the eighth inning gave #9 East Texas Baptist University their 11^th American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship with a 3-2 win over #15 Mary Hardin-Baylor. ETBU went 3-0 in the ASC Tournament and now receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
This is the sixth ASC Tournament won under head coach Janae Shirley and the third in four years (2019, 2021, 2023) as there wasn't a tournament in 2020.
 
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning and one out and the bases loaded, Cummings connected for a double to left centerfield bringing in Courtney White, Braelynn Buchanan, and Delanie Loya for the win. Setting up the situation, Loya was walked on four straight pitches to load the bases for Cummings.
 
UMHB scored two runs in the top of eighth inning with the leadoff runner reaching base on an error. A sacrifice bunt sent her to third and then a double made it 1-0. Two batters later, UMHB singled in their second run for the two-run lead.
 
The bottom of the eighth started with a Tristen Maddox single. She was out a second on a White fielder's choice. Ashley Croft then singled to put runners on first and second as Buchanan came in as a pinch runner. Loya followed with a four-pitch walk to load the bases with one out for Cummings who ended the game with her double.
 
Maddox and Croft both had two hits for ETBU as Cummings collected all three RBI. ETBU had eight hits on the game. Croft earned her 19^th win of the year going eight innings allowing no earned runs with one strike out.
 
Croft was named the ASC Tournament Most Outstanding Player as Cummings, Corley Carpnter, Hannah Kelley, and White were on the ASC All-Tournament team.
 
ETBU will now wait and see if they get to host a regional when the NCAA Tournament selection show takes place on Monday.