Sports

Dial 'UH' for win streak

By Keenan Singleton
The Daily Cougar

Maybe they got it from directory assistance. Maybe some jerk wrote it on a bathroom wall.

Where or how they got it is not important. The important thing is that Alabama-Birmingham has it.

Brian Viney/The Daily Cougar

It? The Cougarsi number.

And UH wants to disconnect service. Now.

Last season, UAB (21-20, 6-9) swept the Cougars, outscoring them 17-3 and eliminating UH from postseason conference tournament contention.

Head coach Kyla Holas hasnit forgotten.

"They really hammered us last year," she said. "It was our low point year. We owe them."

And the Cougars want to repay their debts. With vengeance.

"We played wretchedly against them last year," junior catcher Arelis Ferreris said. "We got our (butts) kicked. We didnit show them what weire capable of. We donit want to beat them. We want to hurt them."

The offense, led by Kristin Glowacz, Jeanie Davis and Jenilee Skender, will be the assault. Ferreris and her trio of pitchers, Jamie Falco, Jenny Johnson and Crystal Briscoe will be the battery.

"We have the best hitters in the conference," Ferreris said. "Hitter for hitter, from one through nine, we match us with anyone. As a group, weire coming out of a slump at the same time, weire on that upward climb together."

Thatis something conference opponents donit want to hear.

Last weekendis series against the Charlotte 49ers was a success. And a failure.

It was successful in the sense that the Cougars took two-of-three games and that the defense showed steady improvement after game one. It failed to be a total success due to a uncharacteristically shaky pitching performance from Falco and shakier defense in the last inning of the first game, a 5-4 loss.

"Jamie wasnit at the top of her game, but she still pitched well enough to win," Ferreris said. "It was a freakish ending to that game. The girl hit a home run on a pitch that she shouldnit have. But sheis still our ace. She took it personally and she will work hard to make sure it doesnit happen again."

The Blazers pitching staff is led by seniors Kerri Foster (10-8, 1.62 earned run average) and Kelli Thompson (9-7, 1.74). 

"They do have a couple of hitters (Sara Christophel, Kris Lara) batting above .300. But I definitely think itis going to be a pitching duel," said Johnson, who sparkled in the series against Charlotte with a win and a save. "We are going to have to win the rest of series or sweep from this point on."

And, if things go to plan for the Cougars, their number will be deleted from UABis liil black book.

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