University of Houston Athletics
Cougar Softball Finishes 2-1 in Fall Tournament
10/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Oct. 10, 2005
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team opened the fall season with a 2-1 mark at the Cougar Fall Tournament last weekend.
The Cougars placed Angel Shamblin in the circle in game one against Blinn. Shamblin mowed down three batters in four innings of work and got plenty of offensive support in a 8-1 victory.
The UH offensive was highlighted by Brooke Johnson, who ripped a double to left field. Freshman Jessica Valis went 2-for-2 and scored once in the victory.
"The offense really came to life by the end of this game," head coach Kyla Holas said. "I was pleased to see the output from almost the entire lineup. I feel like I have a lot of choices right now."
Game two saw the Cougars drop a 4-3 decision in five innings to Galveston College.
Freshman Elaina Nordstrom blasted the first Cougar home run of the season in the fourth inning, while Jessica Valis had another multi-hit performance, once again going 2-for-2.
Barbie Love received the loss giving up three hits and four walks with two strikeouts over four innings of work.
"This game didn't reflect our true self," Holas said. "We needed to step up on the mound as well as defensively in order to give our offense time to score some runs."
Houston had a chance for redemption against Galveston in game three, and the Cougar bats responded fueling an 8-0 victory.
Nordstrom, Laurie Wagner and Christa Raley tallied multiple hit performances. Johnson capped the afternoon with her second homer of the day in the sixth inning.
Carla Kennimer and Crystal Briscoe shared the pitching load shutting down the Whitecap offense.
"This was a great game all across the board," Holas said. "We cleaned up our defense and had a solid performance on the mound. I am surprised that we finished the day stronger than we started in our first multiple-contest day. We have more maturity than I expected from such a young group."
Houston has another challenging weekend on the horizon, playing five games over a two-day span October 15-16 at the Spring Klein College Classic. The Cougars hook up against two Big XII squads, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, as well as New Mexico State, North Texas and Blinn.
