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University of Houston
7-7
LSU
12-4
Softball Concludes LSU Tiger Invitational
2/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 28, 2010
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team split the final day of the LSU Tiger Invitational, beating Southern 11-3 and falling to No. 16 LSU 5-4 in extra innings.
Game One
Houston 11, Southern 3
Houston got off to a two-run start in the first inning when freshman Ashleigh Jones and Kristin Lusby double stole third and second and then advanced to home on a wild pitch and a throwing error.
The following inning, Lauren Strickland made her collegiate debut with a run. The junior catcher drew a walk, and Jones' triple sent her to home plate. Southern knotted the game, as the Jaguars scored three runs including two off of errors.
Holly Anderson put up a run for Houston in the fourth inning when she stole second and continued home on a throwing error by catcher Aruba Nicholas. Angela Spittler batted Jennifer Klinkert in with a single to left field.
Brooke Lathan hit a two-run round tripper, her second home run of the season, in the fifth inning. A walk and a single later, Strickland hit the first home run of her Cougar career, sending Spittler and Katy Beth Sherman home. Sherman returned the favor in the sixth, driving Baillie Lott home with a single down the middle.
Bailey Watts (5-3) retired the side to end the game. The freshman pitcher gave up only two hits in six innings with a 2.36 ERA.
Game Two
LSU 5, Houston 4
Houston sent LSU a message, scoring early in the first inning. After Mary Tyler Dobson reached on an error and advanced to second, she was driven home by Melissa Gregson's single to center field.
The Tigers answered back in the third inning with two runs. They had a chance to put up four more runs with a grand slam but junior Amanda Crabtree rallied to fan the next three batters. LSU put up another run in the next inning when Kristen Shortridge stole home.
In the fourth inning, Katy Beth Sherman scored after being walked, advancing to second on an illegal pitch and crossing home plate courtesy of Reina Gaber's single down the right side. Houston pulled ahead 4-3, as Kristin Lusby and Dobson put up two more runs on a passed ball.
LSU tied the game in the sixth inning. With no runs produced in the seventh, the game was forced into extra more play. After two scoreless innings, LSU left fielder Ashley Langoni hit a walk-off home run to end the game.
Amanda Crabtree (1-3) gave up six hits over 8.1 innings and struck out six batters.
Up Next
The Cougars travel to College Station on March 3 for a 6:30 p.m. matchup against Texas A&M before hosting Southern for Houston's Fourth Annual Striking Out Breast Cancer Game on March 10 at 5 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rachele Fico (4-2)
L: Crabtree, Amanda (1-3)
Batting:
RBI: Gregson, Melissa 1 ; Gaber, Reina 1
SH: Jones, Ashleigh 1 ; Dobson, Mary Tyler 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jones, Ashleigh 1 ; Dobson, Mary Tyler 2 ; Sherman, Katy Beth 1
Batting:
HR: Ashley Langoni 1
RBI: Ashley Applegate 1 ; Rachel Mitchell 1 ; Ashley Langoni 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kirsten Shortridge 2 ; Ashley Applegate 1 ; Ashley Langoni 1 ; Tiffany Shaw 1
SB: Kirsten Shortridge 2 ; Ashley Applegate 1 ; Rachel Mitchell 1 ; Tiffany Shaw 1
HBP: Anissa Young 1
