Shamblin Propels Softball to Series Sweep of Southern Miss

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Angel Shamblin tossed a two-hit shutout and complied 12 strikeouts as the University of Houston softball team notched a 1-0 victory against Southern Miss Sunday afternoon in a Conference USA contest at the USM Softball Complex.

Shamblin tallied her 15th career shutout and has racked up double-digit strikeouts in seven of her 12 starts this season.

"The last game of a three-game series is tough," head coach Kyla Holas said. "We did the little things right and got a strong performance from Angel in the circle."

"It's very important to get sweeps in conference play," Shamblin said. "We have a target on our backs being the preseason favorite, and we know we're going to have to play our best game every time out."

Houston (20-9, 3-0 C-USA) has started league play with a sweep in three of its last four seasons. Down 1-0, Southern Miss loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning. Shamblin dug deep, registering back-to-back strikeouts to secure to the 1-0 win.

"Angel executed the gameplan of staying intense against the bottom of the lineup," Holas said. "Her pitches were strong even compared to yesterday. She kept her composure and threw good pitches forcing Southern Miss to change their mentality at the plate."

"It was an intense situation," Shamblin said. "I felt comfortable facing that part of the lineup. I had confidence in my abilities and the defense to back me up."

Elaina Nordstrom provided the game's only run in the third inning with a RBI-single to score Amanda Grote, who reached on a throwing error by USM pitcher Samantha Davis (0-1).

Laura Durham turned in a 3-for-3 performance at the plate and tallied three hits for the second time in her UH career. The last time Durham ripped three hits was against Rhode Island (Feb. 24) last season.

Jessica Valis was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Her single in the fifth inning tied the Shiner native with Jeanie Davis (2002-05) for the No. 9 position in program history.

Houston steps out of C-USA action with a mid-week game Wednesday at No. 20 Georgia Tech. First pitch against the Yellow Jackets is set for 3pm. Cougar notes will be available at a later time at UHCougars.com

"This is a different situation for our team playing a single-game," Holas said. "We have to be focused from the first pitch. Georgia Tech is a solid ball club. We have to make sure that we're ready to go."

Cougar Notes
Today's series finale was the 29th meeting between Houston and Southern Miss on the softball diamond ... The Golden Eagles are Houston's most faced opponent ... UH has won 18 of the 29 meetings, including 10 of the 12 games in the series dating back to the 2005 season ... Houston is 14-4 in day games and are 7-1 when wearing white jerseys and white pants this season ... The Cougars also have won all six games this season played on Sunday ... Jessica Valis and Elaina Nordstrom have started in all 91 games of their careers ... Durham also has played in all 91 games of her Houston career since transferring from Texas A&M ... Katie Bush has made 88 consecutive starts in centerfield ... Jessica Valis has hit safely in 22 of 28 games this season, including a stretch of eight of her last 10 outings ... With her single in the fifth inning, Valis matches Jeanie Davis (2002-05) for the No. 9 position in program history ... Angel Shamblin has recorded double-digit strikeouts in seven of her 12 starts this season ... With 12 strikeouts, Shamblin is 25 Ks from matching Jamie Falco (2001-04) for the No. 2 spot in program history ... It was the Florida natives 15th career shutout ... Elaina Nordstrom has tallied a season-best five-game hitting streak ... The California native reached base in 24 of 28 games on the season and 80 of 91 games of her career ... Nordstrom is now 16 hits shy from 100 for her career ... She has produced a RBI in three of her last four games ... Laura Durham is on a three-game hitting streak ... The Pearland native turned in a 3-for-3 performance at the plate and tallied three hits for the second time in her UH career ... The last time Durham ripped three hits was against Rhode Island (Feb. 24) last season ... Haley Valis has registered a hit in five of her last six games ... It was only the second time in her last 17 games that Christa Raley failed to reach base.

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