University of Houston
20-10, 0
ECU
15-17, 0
Houston Sweeps Doubleheader to Take Series at ECU
3/24/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Season Stats 
| Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
GREENSVILLE, N.C. -- The University of Houston Softball team swept a doubleheader at ECU, winning 10-7 and 11-0 in six innings to win its American Athletic Conference opening series on Saturday afternoon at ECU Softball Stadium.
With the sweep, the Cougars improve to 21-10 overall and 2-1 in The American, while the Pirates fall to 15-18 and 1-2.
Sophomore third baseman Sarah Queen went 5-for-5 between the two games with a double, home run, four walks, six RBI and three runs scored. In the first game, Queen tied her career high with a three-hit showing.
In the circle, sophomore Trystan Melancon and Savannah Heebner each picked up wins to improve to 5-4 and 13-3, respectively. In the first game, Melancon tossed five innings, before being relieved by junior Presley Bell and Heebner. In the second game, Heebner tossed a two-hitter with three strikeouts in recording her sixth of the season and 15th overall of her career.
HOUSTON 10, ECU 7
KEY INNINGS
1st | Houston took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. With one out, sophomore center fielder Lindsey Stewart singled in the infield and stole second. Two batters later, Queen delivered her with a single to the shortstop.
2nd | In the top of the second inning, the Cougars scored five more runs. Sophomore first baseman Kelli Montgomery drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from junior right fielder Maya Thomas before scoring on a fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore second baseman Arielle James. After junior catcher Brooke Vannoy reached on a hit by pitch, Stewart (RBI single), senior left fielder Kaylin Crumpton (RBI single) and Queen (two-RBI double) all followed with base hits to make it 6-0.
3rd | Having batted around in the second, Montgomery singled through the left side to leadoff the third. Thomas followed with a bunt single. During the next at bat, Vannoy laid down a sacrifice bunt, but an error on the play allowed her to reach safely and Montgomery to score. Garcia plated Thomas one batter later with a groundout to make it 8-0. However, ECU homered in the bottom frame to make it 8-1.
4th | The Cougars tacked on another run in the fourth. With one out, Queen drew a walk before freshman designated player Aspen Howie traded places with her on a fielder's choice. After Howie stole second, Montgomery brought her around with a double into the left-center gap.
5th | The Pirates hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth.
6th | ECU added a grand slam in the sixth to make it 9-7.
7th | With two outs in the top of the seventh, Queen collected her third base hit of the game with a single into the right-center gap. Howie followed with a single down the single down the left-field line to plate Queen and cap the scoring for the 10-7 final.
HOUSTON NOTES
Top Offensive Players:
Sarah Queen | 3-3, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI
Maya Thomas | 2-3, R
Kelli Montgomery | 2-4, 2B, BB, RBI, 2 R
Lindsey Stewart | 2-5, SB, 2 R
Pitching Breakdown:
Trystan Melancon (W, 5-4) | 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 K
Presley Bell | 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Savannah Heebner | 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
HOUSTON 11, ECU 0 (6 INN.)
KEY INNINGS
1st | James opened the game with a double into the right-center gap. Two batters later, Crumpton tripled down the right-field line and Queen singled up the middle to make it 2-0.
4th | Queen led off the fourth with a walk, and Howie reached on a fielder's choice where no out was recorded to put two on. Montgomery followed, collecting her second double of the day with a one-hopper to the wall in left center to drive in Queen. Howie and Montgomery later scored on a throwing error to stake Houston out to a 5-0 lead.
5th | With one out in the fifth, Queen drew a walk and Howie cleared the bases with a two-run home run over the wall in left field to make it 7-0.
6th | The Cougars tacked on four more runs in the top of the sixth. Sophomore Breezy Burton drew a pinch-hit walk to lead things off. Senior De'Zha Scott pinch ran for Burton and advanced to second on a wild pitch before James scored her with a double to center field. James, who also advanced on wild pitch, scored on a throwing error before Queen homered to left center for the 11-0 final.
HOUSTON NOTES
Top Offensive Players:
Sarah Queen | 2-2, HR, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
Arielle James | 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Kelli Montgomery | 1-3, 2B, RBI, R
Kaylin Crumpton | 1-4, 3B, RBI, R
Pitching Breakdown:
Savannah Heebner (W, 13-3) | 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
ON DECK
The Cougars will host UCF in their conference home-opening series across March 29-31 at Cougar Softball Stadium. Fans should note the series runs Thursday-Saturday with Easter on Sunday.
COUGAR SOFTBALL STADIUM UPGRADES
Thanks to a record year for the Diamond Club, Houston Softball announced the addition of an LED, Daktronics video board (completed) and indoor practice facility as major upgrades to Cougar Softball Stadium.
According to Daktronics, the new outfield video board will be the fifth largest at an on-campus softball stadium in the country and the largest in the state of Texas. The board, which will sit just beyond the left-field wall, will stand 29-feet-3.1-inches tall and measure 24-feet-4.0-inches wide with 576 square feet of space (24-feet by 24-feet) for live video, instant replays, statistics and scoring information, graphics and animations, and sponsor messages. The display features a 13HD pixel layout for crisp, clear imagery for a great view from every seat at the stadium.
The indoor facility, which will replace the current batting cage down the right-field line, will measure 70-feet by 80-feet. The 5,600-square-foot space will feature five batting cages, measuring 60-feet long by 15-feet wide each, with retractable nets for the space to be used in a variety of ways. The facility will have a synthetic turf floor and will be temperature controlled.
In total, the two capital projects represent $1.2 million in upgrades.
SHASTA PASS
The Houston Athletics Ticket Office is once again proud to offer the Shasta Pass for the 2017-18 season. For just $80, Cougar fans can purchase one Shasta Pass, which allows season-long general admission entrance to all Houston Volleyball, Soccer, Women's Basketball and Softball home games.
The Shasta Pass offers Houston fans a substantial saving as single-game tickets start at $5 for all four sports. To purchase a Shasta Pass, call 713-GO-COOGS or CLICK HERE.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Softball on Twitter and Instagram at UHCougarSB, and "Like" UHCougarSB on Facebook.
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. For more information, CLICK HERE.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Melancon, Trystan (5-4)
L: SANFORD, Whitney (5-8)
Batting:
2B: Queen, Sarah 1 ; Montgomery, Kelli 1
RBI: James, Arielle 1 ; Crumpton, Kaylin 1 ; Queen, Sarah 3 ; Howie, Aspen 1 ; Montgomery, Kelli 1 ; Garcia, Mariah 2
SH: Thomas, Maya 1 ; Vannoy, Brooke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: James, Arielle 2 ; Stewart-Vaughn, Lindsey 2 ; Crumpton, Kaylin 1 ; Howie, Aspen 1 ; Montgomery, Kelli 2 ; Thomas, Maya 1 ; Vannoy, Brooke 1
SB: Stewart-Vaughn, Lindsey 1 ; Howie, Aspen 1
HBP: Vannoy, Brooke 1
Batting:
HR: BURROUGHS, Meredith 2 ; MCCLELLAN, Tate 1
RBI: BURROUGHS, Meredith 5 ; MCCLELLAN, Tate 2
Base Running:
RUNS: KING, Tyler 1 ; INAE, Ashleigh 2 ; BURROUGHS, Meredith 2 ; MCCLELLAN, Tate 1 ; NARRON, Olivia 1
