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University of Houston
1-3
Baylor
2-3
Houston Splits Pair of Games in Final Day of Action
2/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 14, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team split a pair of games with a win over Sam Houston State and a loss against Baylor in the final day of the Marriott Houston Hobby Classic Sunday afternoon.
Game one
No. 15 Baylor 4 (2-3), Houston 0 (1-3)
Junior Amanda Crabtree made her first start of the 2010 season and took the loss as the Cougars fell 4-0 to Baylor in game one of Sunday's doubleheader.
Crabtree only gave up five hits in seven innings of work but two of those hits were homeruns.
The Bears scored first when Dani Leal connected on a solo homerun to open the second inning of play. Crabtree was able to retire the next three batters and keep the Baylor offense in check for the next several innings until Leal came up to the plate a second time in the fifth. This time she delivered a three-run blast to stretch the lead 4-0.
Houston left seven runners on base over the course of the game while the Bears only stranded three.
Houston threatened in the bottom of the sixth after Melissa Gregson drew a walk and was advanced to third by Holly Anderson's double which ricocheted off the first base bag. The Cougars would strand both runners in scoring position and go down in order in the bottom of the seventh.
Game Two
Houston (2-3), 1 Sam Houston State (1-4) 0
The final game of the Marriott Houston Hobby Classic pitted two I-45 rivals against one another and the Cougars emerged victorious to improve to 2-3 on the season.
Both offenses struggled as each team contributed a pair of hits in what was the fifth game in 48 hours for both teams.
Freshman Baiey Watts earned her second win of the season going seven innings, striking out four and allowing no runs for her second shutout of the season. Sam Houston's hurler Morgan Mikulin fell to 1-2.
The game was a scoreless affair until a single swing of the bat lifted the Cougars out of the scoreless deadlock courtesy of Melissa Gregson's homerun in the sixth inning.
The game could have gone a different route if it wasn't for a couple of stellar defensive stops by Houston outfielders. The Bearkats threatened in the fifth inning when they put two runners on. A well hit ball to deep left center field appeared to be trouble but Ashleigh Jones had a great break on the ball and made the third out of the inning to keep Sam Houston State off the scoreboard.
The Bearkats threatened again in the bottom of the seventh after drawing a two out walk and the runner advanced to second on a wild pitch. It looked like Sam Houston State was going to tie the game with a ball driven down the left field line but Katy Beth Sherman made a diving stop to end the game, giving the Cougars the victory.
UP NEXT
The Cougars will return to action Friday, Feb. 19 when they face Louisiana-Lafayette at 5 p.m. and UTSA at 7 p.m. at Cougar Softball Field in the Marriott Houston Invitational.
On Saturday, the Cougars square off against Purdue at 5 p.m. and Iowa State at 7 p.m. before concluding the tournament with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday against Texas.
GAME NOTES
-Melissa Gregson hit her ninth career homerun
Team Stats
Pitching:
L: Crabtree, Amanda (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Leal, Dani 2
RBI: Leal, Dani 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Wesley, Tiffany 1 ; Freeland, KJ 1 ; Leal, Dani 2
SB: Wesley, Tiffany 1
CS: Vannatta, Jordan 1
HBP: Turk, Megan 1
Batting:
2B: Anderson, Holly 1
