University of Houston
29-16, 8-6
Tulsa
26-20, 6-8
Houston Bests Tulsa, 3-2, to Clinch Series
4/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Softball team bested Tulsa, 3-2, to clinch the American Athletic Conference series, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon at Cougar Softball Stadium.
With the win, the Cougars improve to 29-16 overall and 8-6 in The American, while the Golden Hurricane falls to 26-20 and 6-8.
Sophomore third baseman Sarah Queen hit a go-ahead, leadoff home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The home run is her team-leading eight of the season and second of the series. For the game, Queen finished 1-2 with two walks.
Junior Brooke Vannoy turned in the lone multi-hit performance for either team, going 2-for-2 with a pair of singles, one walk and one run scored.
In the circle, junior Presley Bell improved to 4-3 behind three shutout innings of relief of starter Trystan Melancon.
KEY INNINGS
1st | The Cougars struck first with one run in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs, junior first baseman Savannah Heebner singled into the right-center gap and Queen walked to put two runners on. In the next at bat, freshman designated player Aspen Howie singled to right field to deliver Heebner from second base for a 1-0 advantage.
4th | A Tulsa solo home run evened the score in the top of the fourth. However, senior left fielder Kaylin Crumpton drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk in the bottom frame to retake the lead at 2-1.
5th | After the Golden Hurricane evened the score with another solo homer in the top of the fifth, Queen hit a leadoff home run to straight away center for the 3-2 final to clinch the series.
HOUSTON NOTES
Top Offensive Players:
Sarah Queen | 1-2, HR, 2 BB, RBI, R
Brooke Vannoy | 2-2, BB, R
Kaylin Crumpton | 1-2, BB, RBI
Lindsey Stewart | 1-2
Maya Thomas | 1-3
Aspen Howie | 1-4, RBI, SB
Savannah Heebner | 1-4, R
Pitching Breakdown:
Trystan Melancon | 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Presley Bell (W, 4-3) | 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
ON DECK
Houston goes for the series sweep on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. and will air on ESPNU. For a direct link to the broadcast, click here.
ESPNU CHANNEL FINDER
Comcast: 125/725 HD
uVerse: 605/1605 HD
Direct TV: 208
Dish: 141 HD
FiOS: 573
Spectrum: 370
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 is the fifth largest at an on-campus softball stadium in the country and the largest in the state of Texas. The board, which sits just beyond the left-field wall, stands 29-feet-3.1-inches tall and measures 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: Bell, Presley (4-3)
L: POCHOP, Samantha (8-7)
Batting:
2B: HOLLINGSWORTH, Julia 1
HR: MEINEN, Haley 1 ; HUGHES, Shannon 1
RBI: MEINEN, Haley 1 ; HUGHES, Shannon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MEINEN, Haley 1 ; HUGHES, Shannon 1
CS: ESTOCADO, Shelby 1
Batting:
HR: Queen, Sarah 1
RBI: Crumpton, Kaylin 1 ; Queen, Sarah 1 ; Howie, Aspen 1
SH: Stewart-Vaughn, Lindsey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Heebner, Savannah 1 ; Queen, Sarah 1 ; Vannoy, Brooke 1
SB: Howie, Aspen 1
HBP: James, Arielle 1
