Houston Powers Past UTEP with Back-To-Back Run Rules

April 9, 2011

Game One Boxscore | Game Two Boxscore
Game One Boxscore (PDF) | Game Two Boxscore (PDF)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	F	H	E
HOUSTON	2	1	0	3	1	6	13	15	0
UTEP	0	0	0	0	0	3	3	5	1

Pitching	IP	ER	K/BB	H
Amanda Crabtree (W, 14-6)	5.0	0	10/3	2
Diedre Outon	1.0	3	1/1	3

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Batting	H	AB	R	RBI	BB
Katy Beth Sherman	3	5	1	1	0
Brooke Lathan	2	3	2	0	1
Melissa Gregson	1	3	1	3	1

	1	2	3	4	5	F	H	E
HOUSTON	3	4	0	2	1	10	11	2
UTEP	1	0	0	0	1	2	5	1

Pitching	IP	ER	K/BB	H
Donna Bourgeois (W, 11-6)	5.0	1	3/0	5

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Batting	H	AB	R	RBI	BB
Melissa Gregson	3	3	2	5	0
Holly Anderson	2	3	3	2	0
Katy Beth Sherman	2	3	2	0	1

HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball team used an entourage of offensive contributors to post a pair of run-rule victories against UTEP at the Helen of Troy Complex Saturday afternoon, 13-3 (6) and 10-2 (5).

Houston (27-12, 10-4) battled wind gusts of nearly 20 mph throughout the day to clinch the series by taking both games via run rule. Playing on a mission, Houston extended its win streak to nine straight, the longest of the season.

"You did see a full-team effort today," head coach Kyla Holas said. "It took a lot to do what they did today. UTEP is a very tough place to play and they did a good job. Hopefully we can come out and finish it tomorrow."

In game one, senior Amanda Crabtree (14-6) struck out the first six batters of the game and collected 10 total during the series opener. She kept a no-hitter alive for nearly five innings as she surrendered just two hits over her scoreless five-inning start.

In the nightcap, senior starter Donna Bourgeois (11-6) allowed two runs, only one earned, while scattering five hits over her complete game performance. She struck out three and walked none en route to her 11th victory of the season.

At the plate, junior left fielder Melissa Gregson led the Cougar offense when she drilled her 11th and 12th homeruns of the season en route to a 4-for-6 day with a pair of doubles. After cranking out three RBI in game one, she drove in a career-high five RBI in the second game.

"She is in a good spot," Holas said of Gregson. "When you're in it, you have to fight like crazy to stay in it. When she's taking walks as well as hitting, that's when she's really keeping her focus."

Senior Baillie Lott and freshman first baseman Stesha Brazil each sent long balls into the mountains just beyond the outfield walls in El Paso. Saturday's four homeruns brought Houston's season total to 40, surpassing the total number the team hit in 2010 (39).

Homeruns weren't the whole story on Saturday, however, as senior right fielder Katy Beth Sherman put up a 5-for-8 performance in both games. Sophomore third baseman Holly Anderson put together a 3-for-6 day with a pair of RBI.

Nine Cougars connected on at least one hit in game one, while six members of the lineup racked up hits in both games.

"We continued to put runs on the board in every inning," Holas said. "We also got better at base running in the second game, which I was happy with. We were able to use some people who stepped up and made big plays like Angela (Spittler) and (Mary Tyler) Dobson. Those were tough conditions to play in and we were able to rise above it."

GAME ONE: Houston 13, UTEP 3 (6 innings)
Houston jumped on the board just three batters into the game after Sherman kick started the game with a choppy base hit over the shortstop. Sophomore third baseman Holly Anderson sac bunted her over, but the small-ball effort went unneeded as Gregson went yard on the next play.

Crabtree held a 2-0 lead before she threw her first pitch and went right to work protecting it. In the bottom of the first, Crabtree gave up a walk to centerfielder Becky Smith but collected three strikeouts to leave her standing and send the Cougars back to the plate.

They used that opportunity to tack on another run in the top of the second and take a 3-0 lead. Freshman catcher Haley Outon knocked an RBI double to left center, driving in redshirt junior Jennifer Klinkert who had drawn the Cougars' first walk.

Houston's senior starter went through the same routine in the home half of the second, surrendering a walk but striking out three to retire the inning. A groundball and a pop-out bunt, which Crabtree caught, in the top of the third marked the first outs of the game that were not by strikeout.

Matching her effort, the lineup went back at it in the top of the fourth, using five-consecutive hits to post three more runs. Klinkert and Brazil sparked the rally with a leadoff single and double, respectively, to put runners on second and third with Outon coming to the plate.

Outon responded with an RBI single through the left side to bring Klinkert home and give Houston the 4-0 lead. The Cougars weren't done yet as sophomore centerfielder Ashleigh Jones drove in Brazil. Sherman sent her third hit of the game up the middle to score Jones and cap off five-consecutive hits for the Cougars for the 6-0 lead.

While Crabtree was cruising, Lathan knocked a double to left and came home two batters later when Klinkert dropped a single into right field to give the Cougars the 7-0 edge.

With two outs to her credit in the bottom of the fifth, shortstop Samantha Alvillar and second baseman Kayla Oranger recorded back-to-back hits to bust up Crabtree's bid for a no-hitter. They were the only hits the senior surrendered.

The Cougars made the busted no-no a distant memory when they ignited for six more runs in the top of the sixth. An error to lead off the inning extended Houston's half of the sixth, allowing room for senior pinch-hitter Baillie Lott to crank a three-run homerun.

UTEP starter Laura Ramos (2-5) walked Klinkert, ending her start for reliever Megan Atchison. Brazil welcomed her to the game by turning on her third homer of the season, putting Houston's lead out of reach, 13-0.

Making her first appearance since early March, freshman Diedre Outon came in to close out the game. She surrendered three runs off of hits in the bottom of the sixth to hold onto the 13-3 win.

GAME TWO: Houston 10, UTEP 2 (5 innings)
The nightcap got out to a wild start as Houston took a 3-0 lead in the team's first at bat, using a pair of singles, a double, a triple and a little added drama.

Sherman and Anderson led off the game with back-to-back singles before Gregson stepped up and dropped a double into left field to score Sherman. Lathan followed the three-consecutive hits with one of her own. The shortstop's first triple of the season brought in two more runs to put Houston ahead, 3-0.

Lathan, however, would leave the game after trying to steal home on a wild pitch. A collision with UTEP catcher Chelsea Troupe forced her ejection, prompting junior Mary Tyler Dobson to take her place.

In the bottom half of the first, an error allowed right fielder Kia Moore to reach base. A hit batsman and a wild pitch landed her on third base before Ramos drove in the unearned run with a groundout to cut into the deficit, 3-1.

Houston got it right back and then some in its next trip to the plate. Rolling out a hit parade, the Cougars batted around in the top of the second to rally for four more runs, extending the lead, 7-1.

Lott, Jones, Anderson, Gregson and Klinkert each tagged hits in the inning, including Gregson's second double of the game that accounted for two of the runs.

In the meantime, Bourgeois and her defense played focused gusts of wind over 20 mph swirling around them. When third baseman Kayla Black hit a double to left to lead off the bottom of the second, the left side of the infield teamed up to toss her out trying to advance to third. Although an error loaded the bases, Bourgeois coaxed an easy pop-out to leave the bags packed and end the threat.

Houston took an inning off in the top of the third, posting only its second scoreless inning of the day. The break was short lived as Gregson torched her second bomb of the day, 12th of the season, to add to her team's lead, 9-1. A Miner defensive mishap gave Brazil room to score after drawing a walk to lead off the top of the fifth. Although second baseman Kayla Oranger came across in the bottom half of the inning, it wasn't enough to keep the game from ending due to the 10-2 run rule.

UP NEXT
Houston and UTEP will square off in game three on Sunday. The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.

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