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University of Houston
31-11, 12-1
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UTEP
24-14, 3-7
Softball Storms Past UTEP in Series Opener
4/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 7, 2007
EL PASO - Amanda Grote and Christa Raley provided home runs in the fifth inning as the University of Houston softball team turned the tables on UTEP 5-3 Friday afternoon in game one of a Conference USA weekend series at Helen of Troy Field on the UTEP campus.
"The offense did an excellent job of backing me up and coming through in clutch situations," pitcher Angel Shamblin said. "I didn't throw the pitches I needed to throw early in the game. UTEP hit my mistakes. I settled down and made necessary adjustments."
Down 3-0 entering the fifth inning, Grote ignited a rally by putting Houston (31-11, 12-1 C-USA) on the board with a leadoff solo home run.
Katie Bush kept the rally alive by reaching on a throwing error by UTEP second baseman Sara Hernandez, while Elaina Nordstrom drew a walk to set the table for Christa Raley. The LaPorte native took advantage of a 2-1 offering, belting a three-run bomb down the left field line to give Houston a 4-3 lead.
"I was running to first base with my head tilted," Raley said. "I was willing that ball to stay fair. I made an adjustment and moved up in the box from my previous at-bat."
UTEP started the sixth inning with back-to-back singles, but the rally was short-lived as Jessica Valis ended the rally by turning a triple play on a line drive. Valis caught the ball, tagged second and fired a strike to Amanda Grote to end the frame.
The Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning as Angel Shamblin knocked a RBI-single to right field for the final margin of 5-3.
In the circle, Shamblin scattered six hits on three runs, two earned, en route to her 20th victory of the season. It also was the junior right-hander's 47th career win, tying her with Jenny Johnson and Jamie Falco for the program record.
"Winning 20 games was a goal of mine before the season started," Shamblin said. "However, this effort isn't a one-woman show. Reaching this goal wouldn't have happened without my teammates."
UTEP (24-14, 3-7 C-USA) dented the scoreboard first, stringing together three hits that produced three runs in the third inning. Rachel Schaeffer opened the frame with a single and moved to second base on a wild pitch. Megan Whiteaker was hit-by-a-pitch and Amber Bennett scored Schaeffer on a RBI-single to give UTEP a 1-0 advantage.
After pinch hitter Kaitlyn Abdalla grounded into a fielders choice, Simone Holland ripped a RBI-single to score Whiteaker and fielding error by UH centerfielder Katie Bush allowed Sara Hernandez to score to make it 3-0.
Houston has now won 30 of its last 31 games against current non-ranked opponents. Game two of the series is slated to start at 6:45pm.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Shamblin, Angel (20-5)
L: TOWNSEND, Stacie (8-3)
Batting:
HR: Raley, Christa 1 ; Grote, Amanda 1
RBI: Raley, Christa 3 ; Shamblin, Angel 1 ; Grote, Amanda 1
SH: Durham, Laura 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Bush, Katie 1 ; Nordstrom, Elaina 1 ; Raley, Christa 2 ; Grote, Amanda 1
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Batting:
RBI: BENNETT, Amber 1 ; HOLLAND, Simone 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BENNETT, Amber 1 ; HERNANDEZ, Sara 1 ; STALTER, Jennifer 1
HBP: SCHAEFFER, Rachel 1 ; WHITEAKER, Megan 1
