University of Houston Athletics
Houston Set to Face East Carolina in Conference USA Semifinals
5/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 13, 2011
| HOUSTON vs. EAST CAROLINA - C-USA TOURNAMENT | |
|---|---|
| Time | 4:30 p.m. ET |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. |
| Stadium | ECU Softball Stadium |
| Series Record | Houston leads, 22-12 |
| Live Stats | |
| Promotions | Conference USA Tournament Central |
| Social Media |  Facebook •  Twitter |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The University of Houston softball team will matchup against tournament host, East Carolina, in the semifinal round of the 2011 Conference USA Softball Championship at ECU Softball Stadium, Friday at 4:30 EDT.
Houston (40-15) got by the Golden Eagles of No. 8 Southern Miss, 4-2, in the first round of the league championship in the final game on Thursday evening. No. 5 East Carolina took down No. 4 Memphis, 5-1, prior to Houston's game to advance to day two.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
The Cougars and Pirates met up just two weeks ago when Houston traveled to ECU to take all three games of the regular-season series. Without the use of senior pitcher Amanda Crabtree, fellow senior Donna Bourgeois and freshman Diedre Outon picked up the workload. Outon collected a pair of wins to earn her first C-USA Pitcher of the Week award following the series.
Houston defeated ECU's three-time C-USA Pitcher of the Year Toni Paisley twice during that weekend, and now hold an all-time record of 22-12 against the Pirates.
HOUSTON (40-15)
Bourgeois (16-6) and Crabtree (18-7) teamed up to earn the win and the save, respectively, against USM on Thursday. Bourgeois posted her 12th-straight victory to move to 16-6 on the year, while Crabtree struck out seven and walked none en route to her second save on the year.
Heading into the semifinals, Crabtree needs just four strikeouts to become Houston's all-time, single-season strikeout leader.
At the plate, C-USA Player of the Year Melissa Gregson tallied a base hit and a run scored in the opening round of the tournament. All-Freshman Team catcher Haley Outon set the pace in round one, going 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI against Southern Miss.
All-C-USA first team selection, sophomore third baseman Holly Anderson went 1-for-3 on Thursday. She now has at least one hit in 20 of the Cougars' last 23 games, and continues to lead the team with a .338 batting average.
EAST CAROLINA (37-20)
Paisley (28-11) buckled down and threw a complete game in ECU's first-round victory against Memphis to pull the slight 5-seed, 4-seed upset on Thursday. The win marked the fourth-straight tournament victory for last season's C-USA Tournament champions.
Backed by a 10-strikeout effort from Paisley, ECU strung together five runs off of six hits in the Pirates' first-round game. Right fielder Jill Jelnick and designated player Jordan Lewis recorded 2-for-4 performances, while first baseman Priscilla Velasquez drove in three RBI.
2011 Conference USA Softball Championship
ECU Softball Stadium
Greenville, N.C.
Thur., May 12
Game 1: No. 2 Tulsa vs. No. 7 Marshall - Tulsa 10-0 (5)
Game 2: No. 3 UAB vs. No. 6 UCF - UCF 2-1
Game 3: No. 4 Memphis vs. No. 5 East Carolina - ECU 5-1
Game 4: No. 1 Houston vs. No. 8 Southern Miss - Houston 4-2
Fri., May 13
Game 5: No. 6 UCF vs. No. 2 Tulsa - 3 p.m.
Game 6: No. 1 Houston vs. No. 5 East Carolina - 4:30 p.m.
Sat., May 14
Game 7: Winners of Game 5 & 6 - 1 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
All Times Eastern
