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Sports

Houston ends break with sweep

Tulsa Golden Hurricane could not last in three-game series at UH over weekend

by LEE CLARK
The Daily Cougar

The Cougars swept a three-game series against the defending Conference USA champion Tulsa Golden Hurricane over the weekend at Cougar Softball Stadium. 

With its 3-0 win Sunday to cap off the series, Houston has a perfect 6-0 in C-USA. 

The Cougars found themselves in a pitcher's duel, and the game remained tied at zero until the bottom of the sixth inning when sophomore infielder Christa Raley broke the ice with a three-run home run.

"Coach (Kyla Holas) gets on me about swinging out of my shoes at every pitch," Raley said. "She told me to shorten up my swing, and I saw the ball better. I wasn't trying to hit a home run. It just happened."

Junior pitcher Angel Shamblin (14-5) gave up a solo home run to Tulsa infielder Angela Osbon in the top of the seventh inning before closing out the 3-1 victory for the Cougars.

"I mixed up my pitches and gave them a different look from yesterday," Shamblin said.

In Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader, sophomore infielder Haley Valis went 2-3 with three RBI, and junior pitcher Barbie Love allowed three hits over seven innings as the Cougars won 6-1.

Sophomore catcher Elaina Nordstrom hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a five-run seventh inning as the Cougars won Game 1 on Saturday 5-1.

The Cougars avenged last season's failures against Tulsa, who won three out of four games against UH in 2006.

UH also swept Southern Miss. in a three-game series that ran from March 10-11 in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Prior to their series sweep over Tulsa, the Cougars lost another close game to a team ranked in the Top 25 of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll when they fell 2-1 against No. 20 Georgia Tech Wednesday in Atlanta.

Despite the loss, UH (23-10) has won 16 of its last 19 games. Nine of the Cougars' 10 losses have come to Top 25 opponents, and five of those nine losses were by a margin of only one run.
 

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