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Longball Lifts Memphis Past Softball
5/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 6, 2006
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HOUSTON - A trio of home runs lifted Memphis to a 6-3 victory over the University of Houston softball team in the opening game of a Conference USA weekend series Saturday afternoon at the Cougar Softball Stadium.
The Tigers (28-24, 10-11 C-USA) manufactured a run in the first inning grabbing an early 1-0 lead. Cara Stiles started the game reaching on an error from Houston starting pitcher Angel Shamblin.
Stiles went to second base on a Kimberly Hayden sacrifice bunt and moved to third base on a pass ball. She would come around to score on a Kara Ross RBI-single.
Bridgette McNulty knocked a two-run home run in the third inning to left centerfield stretching the Memphis advantage to 3-0, while a Melissa Nance's solo shot in the fourth put the Tigers ahead 4-0.
Elaina Nordstrom got Houston (36-21, 13-9 C-USA) on the board in the fourth inning with a solo homer of her own to cut the deficit to 4-1. The RBI was Nordstrom's 50th of the season matching a single-season program record held by Kristen Glowacz and Arelis Ferreris.
Ross added a pair of insurance runs for the Tigers in the sixth inning with a two-run shot to cap a 2-for-3 afternoon pushing Memphis ahead, 6-1.
The Cougars rallied in the seventh as Laura Durham opened the frame with a single, while Jamie Adams knocked a double to left centerfield.
Both runs scored when Jaci Gonzalez knocked a single through the right side trimming the deficit to 6-3, but Jessica Valis flied out to centerfield to end the game.
Valis ended the game 1-for-4. Her 67 hits this season match a single-season program record previously held by Kristen Glowacz.
Shamblin was touched up for a season-high six runs and fell to 15-8, while Jenna Kubesch improved to 13-11.
Game two of this afternoon's doubleheader is slated for 3pm. Live stats are available at UHCougars.com
Game Notes
This afternoon was the first-ever meeting between Houston and Memphis on the softball diamond ... The loss snapped a seven-game home winning streak dating back to April 2 ... Houston is now 23-7 this season at the Cougar Softball Stadium ... The Cougars drop to 11-8 on Saturdays and to 3-5 in game one of Conference USA weekend series ... Houston falls to 9-15 when the opposition scores first ... It was only the seventh time this season in 33 games that the Cougars lost when outhitting the opposition ... With six strikeouts, Angel Shamblin is now 10 Ks away from matching Jenny Johnson's 173 for most strikeouts in a season ... Jessica Valis has hit safely in 17 of her last 20 games ... Of her team-leading 67 hits, 48 of them have not left the infield ... Valis matches a program single-season record for hits previously held by Kristen Glowacz during the 2004 season ... Elaina Nordstrom extended her hitting streak to a team-best six games and has driven in a run in six of her last seven games ... Nordstrom has reached base in 52 of 57 games this season ... The LaPalma, Calif. native has tied Laura Durham for the team-lead with eight home runs ... Nordstrom became the sixth Cougar to score at least 20 runs this season ... With a single in the seventh inning, Laura Durham moved into sole possession of fourth place with 44 hits ... Jamie Adams has registered a hit in 10 of 16 C-USA games she has played in ... Laurie Wagner has hit safely in five of eight games since returning to the Houston batting order on April 24 ... With her two-run single in the ninth, Jaci Gonzalez moved into a fifth-place tie with Michelle Keith in the Cougar record book with 119 career hits ... Gonzalez has reached base in 25 of 37 games when in the batting order, including 11 of her last 15 outings ... The San Antonio, Texas, native is the ninth Cougar to reach the 25-hit plateau this season.
