Softball Swept by No. 16 Baylor

Feb. 20, 2007

WACO - Ashley Monceaux hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning as No. 16 Baylor knocked off the University of Houston softball team 2-1 in game two of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Getterman Stadium on the Baylor campus.

It's the fourth time this season that Houston has lost during the game's final at-bat.

"Despite losing at the end, I felt that we played Houston softball in game two," head coach Kyla Holas said. "We had some chances, but Baylor made one more play than we did."

The Bears (12-2) hopped on the board in the first inning, loading the bases with an infield single, hit batter and walk. Tiffany Wesley came across on a passed ball to give Baylor a 1-0 lead.

The Cougars (6-6) evened the score at 1-1 in the sixth inning as Elaina Nordstrom cranked a solo home run to left field on a 2-1 pitch.

Baylor attempted to snatch back the momentum in the home half of the frame when Brette Reagan opened the frame with a single that scooted past left fielder Courtney Spittler, allowing Reagan to take second base. A Kirsten Shortridge single put runners on the corners with no outs.

The Cougar defense dug deep and got two outs, catching Shortridge trying to steal second base. An off-balanced throw by Jessica Valis got Reagan at the plate to keep the score at 1-1.

"We expect Jessica to make those types of big plays not only on offense but on defense," Holas said. "That was a key moment for us."

Houston had an opportunity to take the lead with two outs in the seventh inning. The Cougars had runners on first and second base, but Angel Shamblin's line drive deflected off Monceaux's back. She recovered the ball in-time to get Shamblin at first base.

The Bears strung together a pair of singles in addition to Laura Durham error to load the base before Monceaux's hit off the centerfield wall ended the game.

Houston plays host to the Marriott Houston Hobby Invitational as Iowa State, New Mexico State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and McNeese State make trips to the Cougar Softball Stadium this weekend. The Cougars take the field against McNeese State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 5pm and 7:30pm, respectively.

"We need to get our swagger back this weekend," Holas said. "Our goal is to simply get back on the winning track and know what that feels like again."

Cougar Notes
Game two of today's doubleheader with Baylor was the 10th all-time meeting in the series ... The Bears have won seven of the 10 all-time meetings in the series and all six games played at Getterman Stadium ... Four of Houston's six losses have come on the final at-bat ... Five of the Cougars' six setbacks have come against ranked opponents or teams receiving votes in the Top 25 ... Jessica Valis and Elaina Nordstrom made their 75th consecutive start of their careers ... Valis has made all 75 of her starts at shortstop, while Nordstrom has notched 70 of her 75 starts at catcher ... Valis had her 11-game hitting streak snapped ... It was the first time this season that the Shiner native failed to notch a hit ... Nordstrom has hit safely and produced a RBI in three of her last four games ... Katie Bush also has started 71 consecutive games in centerfield ... The Brenham native has registered a hit in five of her last six games ... She also produced her third multi-hit of the season and 15th of her Cougar career.

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Katie Bush

Angel Shamblin

Elaina Nordstrom

Laura Durham

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