University of Houston
7-6
No. 17 Arizona State
12-2
Softball's Late Rally Falls Short
2/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. -- A late rally in the top of the seventh fell short as Houston Softball dropped to No. 17 Arizona State 6-5 in the Diamond Devil Invitational Friday evening.
The Cougars fall to 7-6 on the season while the Sun Devils improved to 12-2.
Houston jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first inning when the Sun Devils starting shortstop made two costly errors. Senior Katie St. Pierre reached base on the first error and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kaylin Crumpton. The next play, freshman Elise LeBeouf hit a single to the shortstop before she sailed it into the dugout, allowing St. Pierre to score and LeBeouf to move to second.
During the bottom of the second, ASU tied it up 1-1 on a two-out RBI single to centerfield. A two-run home run by ASU's Ulufa Leilua pushed the Sun Devils lead to 3-1.
A few innings later, Crumpton slapped an RBI double into left center to cut ASU's lead down to one.
Arizona State had a late, three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth sparked by two Cougar errors. But Houston didn't let up and tried to rally in last chance top of the seventh.
With two outs and the end of the game on the line, Crumpton hit another single into left field and moved to second when LeBeouf took a ball to the shoulder. On a 1-2 pitch, senior Julana Shrum blasted a three-run home run over the center field wall for her first home run of the season and her 12th career HR.
Freshman RHP Savannah Heebner claimed the loss for the Cougars. She pitched 5.1 innings and allowed three earned runs while striking out two. Freshman RHP Presley Bell came in relief for 0.2 innings and didn't allow a hit.
NEXT AT BAT
Houston returns to Farrington Stadium tomorrow as they face No. 21 Minnesota at 1:30 p.m. (CT). The Cougars take on Mount St. Mary's at 4 p.m. to close out day two of the tournament.
STAY CONNECTED
For all the behind-the-scenes action, follow Houston Softball on Twitter @UHCougarSB and "Like" /HoustonCougarSoftball on Facebook. Houston Softball is now on Instagram (@uhcougarsb).
SHASTA PASS
The Houston Fan Experience Headquarters is proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2015-16 athletic season. For just $50, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Women's Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial savings as single-game tickets start at $8 for all four sports. To purchase a Shasta Pass, CLICK HERE.
JOIN DIAMOND CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Softball program by joining the Diamond Club. To find out more information about the Diamond Club, visit UHCougars.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GOUH.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ryndak, D. (5-0)
L: Heebner, Savannah (2-3)
Batting:
2B: Crumpton, Kaylin 1
HR: Shrum, Julana 1
RBI: Crumpton, Kaylin 1 ; Shrum, Julana 3
SH: Crumpton, Kaylin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pierre, Katie 1 ; Crumpton, Kaylin 1 ; LeBeouf, Elise 1 ; Shrum, Julana 1 ; Heebner, Savannah 1
SB: Pierre, Katie 1
HBP: LeBeouf, Elise 1
Batting:
HR: Leilua, Fa 1
RBI: Palacios, S. 1 ; Soria, J. 1 ; Gonzales, C. 1 ; Leilua, Fa 2 ; Butterfield 1
SH: Soria, J. 1
SF: Gonzales, C. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Becerra, T. 1 ; Spiel, A. 1 ; Leilua, Fa 2 ; Eisen, Missy 1 ; Davis, A. 1
SB: Becerra, T. 1
PO: Girard, N. 1
