Houston Brings the Bats to Complete Sweep at Southern Miss

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	F	H	E
HOUSTON	0	6	0	0	0	1	4	11	11	0
USM	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	4

Pitching	IP	ER	K/BB	H
Donna Bourgeois (W, 7-6)	4.1	0	1/2	3
Amanda Crabtree	2.2	0	7/0	0

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Batting	H	AB	R	RBI	BB
Katy Beth Sherman	3	5	2	2	0
Holly Anderson	3	4	0	1	0
Haley Outon	1	1	1	3	0

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The University of Houston softball team earned its first Conference USA series sweep in Hattiesburg, Miss., as the Cougars defeated Southern Miss at the USM Softball Complex on Sunday, 11-0.

Houston moved to 21-12 and 5-4 in Conference USA after completing its first sweep in league play with heavy doses of offense all weekend. The Cougars outscored the Golden Eagles, 26-2

"I was glad to see us finish on Sunday. That was very important for us," head coach Kyla Holas said. "Sundays make the difference for teams that win championships."

Senior Donna Bourgeois (7-6) made the start in the series finale. The Lafayette, La., native threw 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and two walks to earn her seventh win of the season.

Making her second relief appearance of the weekend, senior Amanda Crabtree took over in the fifth to keep Bourgeois' shutout in tact. She struck out seven in her 2.2 innings of work.

Senior outfielder Katy Beth Sherman shifted from left to right field during the game, and paced the Cougars on the offensive side. She went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and runs scored in the win.

The Cougar freshmen used the team's first C-USA sweep as an opportunity for a few firsts of their own. Haley Outon crushed her first career homer in the seventh for three RBI, while fellow rookie Erin Martin drilled her first hit to collect the first RBI of her career on Sunday.

"I was glad to see Haley get her first one," Holas said. "That's a lot of pressure - especially for a power hitter - to get that first one off of you."

For the third game this weekend, the Cougar offense rolled out to a hot start. On Sunday, Houston caught fire to take a 6-0 lead just two innings into the series finale.

After slugging three homeruns and a double the day before, junior catcher Melissa Gregson did not see much to hit on Sunday. She drew a walk to kickoff the top of the second. Back-to-back singles by sophomore shortstop Brooke Lathan and redshirt junior Jennifer Klinkert loaded the bases. A muffed pickoff attempt gave Gregson room to score before Lathan came home on a wild pitch to give the Cougars the 2-0 advantage.

Still at it, senior right fielder Angela Spittler and sophomore centerfielder Ashleigh Jones reached on a walk and a fielder's choice to load the bases for the second time of the inning. Sherman swiftly took care of that when her single darted past the right fielder, clearing the bases and landing her on third.

Sophomore third baseman Holly Anderson executed a brilliant squeeze play by laying down a bunt in front of the plate to bring Sherman home and give Bourgeois the early 6-0 cushion.

By the top of the fourth, Golden Eagle starter Beth Dietrich (5-10) had worn down after facing 18 batters in the early innings. Sherman's infield single to lead off the fourth ended Dietrich's outing for reliever Courtney Ramos. Ramos handed Gregson her third walk of the game, but didn't allow another Cougar to reach as the game moved into the bottom of the fourth.

In the field, Bourgeois cruised through the first four innings after surrendering just two hits and walking one. In the top of the fifth, she recorded a hit, an out and a walk to bring an end to her solid start. Senior Amanda Crabtree was called in to close it out, and she threw a strikeout and a fly ball to end the inning.

With one down in the top of the sixth, Sherman and Anderson churned out back-to-back hits to prompt USM head coach Howard Dobson to bring in his fourth pitcher of the game. Gabby Luciani entered the game, and sophomore designated player Reina Gaber tagged a sacrifice fly to left to bring home Sherman, putting Houston up, 7-0.

"It was good to see our offense make the adjustments we needed to make against all of the different pitchers they threw at us," Holas said.

Houston took advantage of its final at bat, plating four runs via Martin's first RBI and Outon's first homerun, a three-run bomb to left, to secure the 11-0 final score.

For the third time in as many games, Crabtree struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh for the victory.

UP NEXT
Houston will return to Cougar Softball Stadium for its first home game since March 13. The Cougars will play host to a three-game series against Marshall on April 2-3.

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