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Sports

UH set for Time Warner Invitational

Cougars prepare to face TAMUCC, No. 4 Texas in weekend tournament

by LOURDES CASTILLO
The Daily Cougar 

The Cougars will participate in the Time Warner Texas Invitational in Austin, where they will play Texas A&M Corpus Christi at noon Friday, followed by Mississippi at 2 p.m. In Saturday's action, UH will take on USA Today-ranked No. 2 Texas at 1 p.m. Sunday's play is yet to be announced.

TAMUCC (3-8) enters the tournament after taking a 5-1 win against Texas Southern and a 4-0 loss against McNeese State. Against TSU, the Islanders were led by freshman Krystal Martinez who brought sophomore Andrea Gonzalez home to tie the game at 1-1 in the third. Freshman Andrea Simancas' triple allowed freshmen Caitlin Kessler and Stephanie Estrada to add two more runs in favor of the Islanders in the fourth. Junior Julia Monsivais' second homer of the season sealed the game in the fifth. 

Mississippi (4-10) recently celebrated a 3-0 win against Evansville, a two-game winning streak and a school record. Junior pitcher Mary Jane Callahan (1-6) pitched a complete-game shutout while setting a career-strikeout record at 375 K's. All Rebel runs were scored in the sixth inning after an RBI double by freshman Michelle May and a single by sophomore Erin Faircloth. 

"(TAMUCC and Ole Miss) are definitely offensive (teams). We are going to have to go in there and swing the bat (to) score enough runs to set the pace and tone," head coach Kyla Holas said.

However, the Cougars' toughest challenge will probably be against No. 4 Texas (17-1). The Longhorns hold the nation's longest-winning streak at 15 games and enter the tournament after defeating Arizona 1-0 and out-scoring opponents 22-2 in five games.

"We play them every year, so I think it's lost a little bit of its aura they have around them," Holas said. "It's always been pretty good games with us; it comes down to the end just like (Texas) A&M. It's just another one that we have to go out there and take."

Texas' batting average leaders include: senior Amber Hall, senior Tina Boutelle and freshman Shannon Thomas with .386, .357 and .350, respectively. UT pitchers senior Cat Osterman and sophomore Meagan Denny have remained at the top with .011 and 0.53 ERAs, respectively. The pitching team has posted a 0.30 ERA and, a nationwide best 232 strikeouts in 118 innings of work.

"(Texas) is usually not a high scoring offense, and we are just going to have to stay focused offensively," Holas said. "Pitching and defense are going to have to step up in order to keep their runs down," 

UH (13-5) is led by freshman shortstop Jessica Valis, freshman catcher Elaina Nordstrom and freshman centerfield Katie Bush with respective .387, .360 and .328 batting averages. The Cougars will depend not only on their offensive skills, but also their defense if they expect to get back on a winning steak.

"Defense has been doing a better job, now rolling on their third game that we've had no errors, so we are making the improvements that we need to make," Holas said. "We've made a few changes in the outfield, (but) offense is by far what's going to have to step up."

In the circle, junior Candi Kloecker (6-2), who has not allowed an earned run in 35.2 consecutive innings, and sophomore Angel Shamblin (4-2) will look to continue to prove they are capable of retiring any and all batters.

"Pitching just needs to keep doing the job they've been doing. (Kloecker and Shamblin) have proven themselves on multiple occasions, and we are going to stay with them until they prove otherwise," Holas said.

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