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University of Houston
South Florida (C-USA Tournament)
Cougars Split in Day One of C-USA Tournament
5/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 8, 2003
HOUSTON - Arelis Ferreris notched a grand slam to help third-seeded Houston post a 7-1 victory over UAB and the Cougars fell to No. 19 South Florida 1-0 in the opening round of the Conference USA Softball Tournament Thursday at the Cougar Softball Stadium.
Houston came out swinging in the first when Kim Nesloney opened the inning with a walk and advanced to second off a Kristen Glowacz single. Sophomore Jeanie Davis then posted a three-RBI homer to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
Fererris followed in the second inning when she recorded her second grand slam of the year, while also marking the second of the day. In game one, Louisville's Sara Bauscher posted one in the fourth inning.
The Blazers stopped the Cougars from posting a shutout victory when Sarah Christophel homered in the top of the fifth, marking her second dinger of the season. For the game, she led the UAB bats, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Houston freshman Crystal Briscoe picked up her 10th win of the season, striking out four and giving up only one earned run in 4.1 innings pitched. UAB's Kerri Foster fell to 14-14 on the season, striking out four, while giving up six earned runs.
With two dingers, Houston has now increased its C-USA record home run total to 57.
UAB (28-27) will face the loser of the DePaul/Louisville game on Friday beginning at Noon.
Holly Groves notched her 11th home run of the season to second-seeded South Florida to a 1-0 shutout in the fourth game. The Bulls improve to 52-15 and will now face No. 1 DePaul at 5 p.m. The Cougars fall to 36-23 overall and will now face Southern Miss at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
For five innings, both teams played strong defense, only giving up a total of four hits. South Florida was on the brink of notching its first runs of the game when Camela Liwag blasted a shot to the centerfield wall in the bottom of the fifth. However, Houston's Kim Nesloney made the catch of the day, robbing Liwag of a three-run home run.
Nesloney's catch did not end the Bulls' rally as Groves came back in the bottom of the six, notching a solo home run off Jame Falco's changeup.
Leigh Ann Ellis (32-7) gave up only one hit and struck out five for her 14th shutout of the season. She recorded her 300th strikeout of the year against the first batter of the day.
Houston's Jamie Falco fell to 13-10 on the season, giving up one earned run, seven hits and striking out one.
The C-USA Tournament gets underway on Friday at noon with UAB facing Louisville. Houston will face Southern Miss at 2:30 p.m. as the double-elimination tournament continues.
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