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University of Houston
28-11, 9-1
UAB
24-17, 5-4
Softball Turns Tables on UAB
4/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 31, 2007
HOUSTON - Jessica Valis used alert baserunning to score from first base on a Katie Bush infield single as the University of Houston softball team won a 3-2 decision against UAB Saturday afternoon in game one of a Conference USA weekend series at the Cougar Softball Stadium.
The Cougars (28-11, 9-1 C-USA) prevailed through two rain delays and 311 pitches. Valis opened the ninth inning with a single perfectly placed through the right side of the UAB infield.
After an infield single by Katie Bush that completed a 3-for-5 performance, an errant throw by UAB shortstop Holly Krzan allowed Valis to go to third base. The Shiner native headed home to score the game-winning run when the Blazers (24-17, 5-4 C-USA) attempted to get Bush out at second base.
"I was proud that our team was confident, relaxed and found a way to win a very tightly contested ball game," head coach Kyla Holas said. "We've found ourselves on the other side of a lot of one-run games this season. The team dug in and made plays to win the game."
"Everyone wants the chance to step up and make the play to win a game," Valis said. "Our team is full of players like that. There was no other option for us but to find a way to win the game."
Angel Shamblin (18-5) gutted out the win in the circle behind 161 pitches over nine innings. The Florida native racked up 10 strikeouts for the 10th time this season and was touched up for two runs on six hits.
"I was impressed with how Angel handled the delays and dealt with having to pitch with a wet ball," Holas said. "Her experience really paid off. She made strong pitches in tight spots."
Jennifer Nelson (16-7) was tagged with the loss, allowing just one earned run on nine hits. She struck out five batters against four walks.
Houston grabbed a 1-0 advantage in the first inning as the Cougars capitalized on a pair of UAB errors. Jessica Valis opened the game with an infield hit and moved to second base on a Blazer throwing error. Valis came around to score Bush slapped an infield hit of her own and moved to second base on another Blazer throwing error.
UAB responded in the fourth inning when Kayla Harris knocked a two-run homer to centerfield giving the Blazers the 2-1 lead. Leigh Walker opened the frame with a leadoff double after the game's first rain delay.
The Cougars fought back with a two-out sixth inning rally started by a Haley Valis walk. Angel Shamblin followed with a four-pitch walk of her own, and Laurie Wagner loaded the bases with an infield hit that hit the ground just in-front of a diving Krzan at her shortstop post. The game was tied at 2-2 when Amanda Grote was plunked by Nelson's first offering.
"Every player has an opportunity to be a key player in a key moment as the season goes on," Holas said. "You have to stay focused and take advantage of the opportunity given to you."
Cougar Notes
Game one of this afternoon's doubleheader is the 19th all-time meeting between Houston and UAB on the softball diamond ... The Cougars have won 13 of the 19 meetings and eight of the nine games played at the Cougar Softball Stadium in the series ... Houston has won 27 of its last 28 games against current non-ranked opponents ... This is Houston's first win on March 31 in program history ... The Cougars lost its previous two games on this date against Southern Miss during the inaugural 2001 season ... UH pushes its home winning streak to 12 games inside the friendly confines of the Cougar Softball Stadium ... Houston improves to 22-6 when scoring first ... The Cougars also are 106-29 since the start of the 2004 season when scoring first ... Houston has won 33 of 45 games over the last two seasons when Jessica and Haley Valis are in the starting infield ... The Cougars are 21-6 in day games and 11-4 on Saturdays ... Houston also improves to 10-7 in one-run decisions and 3-2 in extra innings ... Jessica Valis and Elaina Nordstrom have started in all 101 games of their careers ... Laura Durham also has played in all 101 games of her Houston career since transferring from Texas A&M ... Katie Bush has made 98 consecutive starts in centerfield ... Jessica Valis and Elaina Nordstrom are the only Cougars to hit safely in each of Houston's 10 conference games ... Valis has hit safely in eight of her last nine games ... Six of the nine outings during the streak have been of the multi-hit variety ... Over her 101 game career, Houston has tallied a 44-12 mark when Valis scores a run ... The Cougars also have racked up a 28-11 record when Valis notches a multi-hit effort ... It was her team-best 16th multi-hit game of the season and 39th of her career ... Katie Bush has recorded a hit in six of her last seven games ... The three hits by Bush matches a career-high and is her third three-hit performance in her last four games ... It was Bush's 11th multi-hit game of the season and 23rd of her career as the Brenham native moves to six hits away from reaching 100 for her career ... Elaina Nordstrom pushes her hitting streak to a season-best nine games and has hit safely in 14 of her last 15 outings ... With her seventh multi-hit game of the season and 23rd of her career, the California native moves to four hits away from reaching the 100-mark for her career ... After getting hit-by-a-pitch for the 11th time this season and 20th time in her career, Christa Raley has reached base in 24 of her last 27 games ... Haley Valis has scored a run in three of her last four games ... It was only the fifth time in the last 14 games that Valis has not tallied a hit ... With her single in the sixth inning, Laurie Wagner has reached base in six of her last eight games in addition to recording a hit in three of her last four games ... Amanda Grote ended a six-game stretch without a RBI ... Angel Shamblin continues to add to her single season program record by picking up her 18th win in the circle ... It was the 45th win of her career and Shamblin is two wins away from matching Jenny Johnson and Jamie Falco for the No. 1 spot in program history ... With 10 strikeouts, the Florida native also reached 200 for this season and is now 76 Ks from matching Jenny Johnson for the top spot in program history ... Shamblin has recorded double-digit strikeouts in 10 of her 19 starts this season ... The junior right-hander has allowed two or less earned runs in 23 of her last 26 starts dating back to last season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Shamblin, Angel (18-5)
L: NELSON, Jennifer (16-7)
Batting:
2B: WALKER, Leigh 1 ; NELSON, Jennifer 1
HR: HARRIS, Kayla 1
RBI: HARRIS, Kayla 2
SH: KRZAN, Holly 1
Base Running:
RUNS: WALKER, Leigh 1 ; HARRIS, Kayla 1
Batting:
3B: Shamblin, Angel 1
RBI: Grote, Amanda 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Valis, Jessica 2 ; Valis, Haley 1
CS: Grote, Amanda 1
HBP: Raley, Christa 1 ; Grote, Amanda 1
