ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University softball notched a signature victory of its inaugural season on Friday afternoon, knocking off Belhaven University, 8-4, at Red Bud Park.  The War Hawks (6-17, 2-1 ASC) came back from a 4-0 deficit in the first inning in topping the Blazers (15-3, 6-1 ASC), the No. 3-ranked team in the National Christian College Athletic Association.
 
McMurry also issued Belhaven its first ASC loss of the season. The War Hawks also handed BU pitcher Jordan Shelf – who entered the game with a 7-0 record in the circle – her first loss of the season. McM ran up an 11-hit total versus Shelf, as well as all eight runs (seven earned).
 
The BU batters jumped on McM starting pitcher Kamwren Jackson (2-7) out of the blocks, aided by a hit batter, a fielding error and two singles and a triple. Jackson was able to get out of the inning, down 4-0, and clamp down on the nationally-ranked Blazers of the next four frames, not permitting another hit to the visitors until the sixth and no more runs the rest of the afternoon.
 
In her 7.0 innings of work, Jackson allowed five total hits. She struck out three and walked three.
 
Meanwhile, Jackson's teammates began to chip away at the deficit. In the third, Lexi De La Cruz was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and, with one out, went to third on Ashley McClellan's single and an error on BU's leftfielder.  With runners on second and third, Rachel Ripley lifted a sacrifice fly to drive home De La Cruz. That brought up Nina Hernandez, who responded with a line drive, two-run home run over the left field fence, cutting the margin to 4-3.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, McClellan and Ripley had back-to-back single with one out. Hernandez then slapped a ball to shortstop that was booted, allowing McClellan to come across the plate with the tying run, 4-4.
 
The War Hawks iced the win with a four-run sixth.  Avery McDaniel doubled to center to leadoff the inning and went to second on Adrienne Nairn's grounder to second. De La Cruz popped out to short for out number two.
 
That brought Sarah Nagy to the plate with a chance to break the tie. And break it she did, smacking a double down the leftfield line, bring in McDaniel with the go-ahead run.  Up 5-4, McM added some insurance after McClellan drew a walk putting runners on first and second for Ripley.
 
Ripley then topped Shelf by uncorking her team-leading fifth homer of the year, a three-run blast to left, for the 8-4 final score.
 
The same two teams will play a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at Red Pub Park to close out the three-game series.