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Sports

UH back to basics

Cougars must get back to fundamentals vs. Bears

by LEE CLARK
The Daily Cougar

The Cougars are road bound for the first time this season, opening up a doubleheader with the Baylor Bears today at Getterman Stadium in Waco.

Baylor, the No. 17 team in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, is off to a 10-2 start this season with its only losses coming to No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend.

UH (6-4) has yet to have any road success against Baylor: the Cougars are 0-4 at Getterman Stadium. 

"Baylor is going to be a challenge for our team," head coach Kyla Holas told UHCougars.com. "We don't have a winning record in Waco, and we're going to have to play our ‘A' game to be successful."

Baylor (10-2) is dominating opponents on both sides of the ball this season. 

The Bears, led by senior infielder/pitcher Ashley Monceaux (.636 batting average, seven home runs, 21 RBIs), are batting .360 with 19 home runs in 2007. 

Baylor's pitching staff, led by freshman sensation Kirsten Shortridge (4-0, 1.13 ERA), is holding opponents to a .214 batting average and has struck out 87 in 78 innings.

The Cougars will get little rest after a four-day tournament over the weekend in which they came up short against LSU (5-3) and Southern Illinois (4-3). Holas said her squad will be able to notch more wins if it masters softball's "ABCs."

"We have to do a better job with basic fundamentals of the game," Holas told UHCougars.com. "It starts with fielding the ball, making better pitches in key situations and getting our sacrifice bunts."

UH ended last weekend's Crowne Plaza Classic on a high note, routing Centenary 9-1. 

Sophomore shortstop Jessica Valis leads the team with a .429 batting average and five stolen bases, and the Cougars' pitching staff has posted a 1.83 ERA with 70 strikeouts over 68 innings.

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