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Friday, May 3
Houston
6 p.m.
University of Houston
36-16, 11-7
4
vs
1
ECU
21-30, 3-16
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5
6
7
R
H
E
ECU
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0
1
0
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Houston
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10
1
Bats Remain Hot in Series-Opening Win
5/3/2019 9:00:00 PM | Softball
Cougars reach 10-hit mark for third game in a row
HOUSTON – The University of Houston Softball team kept its hot bats alive on Friday night, as a 10-hit performance led to a 4-1 win over ECU at Cougar Softball Stadium.
Houston's 10-hit outing marks the third game in a row the Cougars (36-16, 11-7 AAC) have tallied at least 10 hits in a game. The win over the Pirates (21-30, 3-16 AAC) marks Houston's 11th win in their past 13 contests.
Friday also saw a pair of three-hit nights from senior outfielders Sarah Barker and Maya Thomas. Barker's 3-for-4 performance puts her .388 season average now ranks second in the conference, while Thomas has now hit safely in her past 11 games, having recorded a hit in nine consecutive at-bats.
Junior infielder Arielle James added an insurance run on the board, with her leadoff solo home run in the fifth. Aside from the offense, senior pitcher Presley Bell lowered her season ERA to a miniscule 1.24 by not allowing an earned run against ECU, retiring the final 15 batters she faced in the win.
KEY INNINGS
3rd | The Pirates came out on top first, scoring a run in the third to take a 1-0 lead over the Cougars.
4th | Houston put up big numbers in the fourth, as three runs off four hits in the inning gave the Cougars a 3-1 advantage. After Houston's first two batters reached base to start the inning, senior first baseman Savannah Heebner singled home freshman outfielder Bethany Busch to tie the score at one. With two outs in the frame, senior catcher Brooke Vannoy continued the rally, as her single down the line scored senior outfielder Maya Thomas to give the Cougars their first lead of the game. Once senior outfielder Sarah Barker brought around Heebner with her base hit in the gap, Houston held a 3-1 lead heading into the fifth.
5th | The Cougars stretched their lead to three and added an insurance run to the board, thanks to a leadoff, solo home run from junior infielder Arielle James.
OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION
Maya Thomas | 3-3, R
Sarah Barker | 3-4, RBI
Arielle James | 1-4, HR, R, RBI
Savannah Heebner | 1-3, R, RBI
Brooke Vannoy | 1-3, RBI
PITCHING BREAKDOWN
Presley Bell (W, 12-3) | 7.0 IP, 0 ER, BB, 3 H,
ON DECK
Houston looks to win its fifth series of the season and fourth in a row on Saturday, as the Cougars will square up with the Pirates for game two of the series. First pitch for the contest is slated for 2 p.m.
Prior to the start of the game, Houston will recognize three of its six seniors and honor Rachel Hill, Maya Thomas and Savannah Heebner with a special pregame ceremony. The Cougars will conclude their weekend of senior festivities before Sunday's series finale.
THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP
The University of Houston is hosting the 2019 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship, taking place from May 9-11 at Cougar Softball Softball Stadium. Fans who wish to purchase tickets to the event can do so now for a low as $5 by clicking 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.
– UHCougars.com –
Houston's 10-hit outing marks the third game in a row the Cougars (36-16, 11-7 AAC) have tallied at least 10 hits in a game. The win over the Pirates (21-30, 3-16 AAC) marks Houston's 11th win in their past 13 contests.
Friday also saw a pair of three-hit nights from senior outfielders Sarah Barker and Maya Thomas. Barker's 3-for-4 performance puts her .388 season average now ranks second in the conference, while Thomas has now hit safely in her past 11 games, having recorded a hit in nine consecutive at-bats.
Junior infielder Arielle James added an insurance run on the board, with her leadoff solo home run in the fifth. Aside from the offense, senior pitcher Presley Bell lowered her season ERA to a miniscule 1.24 by not allowing an earned run against ECU, retiring the final 15 batters she faced in the win.
3rd | The Pirates came out on top first, scoring a run in the third to take a 1-0 lead over the Cougars.
4th | Houston put up big numbers in the fourth, as three runs off four hits in the inning gave the Cougars a 3-1 advantage. After Houston's first two batters reached base to start the inning, senior first baseman Savannah Heebner singled home freshman outfielder Bethany Busch to tie the score at one. With two outs in the frame, senior catcher Brooke Vannoy continued the rally, as her single down the line scored senior outfielder Maya Thomas to give the Cougars their first lead of the game. Once senior outfielder Sarah Barker brought around Heebner with her base hit in the gap, Houston held a 3-1 lead heading into the fifth.
5th | The Cougars stretched their lead to three and added an insurance run to the board, thanks to a leadoff, solo home run from junior infielder Arielle James.
OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION
Maya Thomas | 3-3, R
Sarah Barker | 3-4, RBI
Arielle James | 1-4, HR, R, RBI
Savannah Heebner | 1-3, R, RBI
Brooke Vannoy | 1-3, RBI
PITCHING BREAKDOWN
Presley Bell (W, 12-3) | 7.0 IP, 0 ER, BB, 3 H,
Houston looks to win its fifth series of the season and fourth in a row on Saturday, as the Cougars will square up with the Pirates for game two of the series. First pitch for the contest is slated for 2 p.m.
Prior to the start of the game, Houston will recognize three of its six seniors and honor Rachel Hill, Maya Thomas and Savannah Heebner with a special pregame ceremony. The Cougars will conclude their weekend of senior festivities before Sunday's series finale.
The University of Houston is hosting the 2019 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship, taking place from May 9-11 at Cougar Softball Softball Stadium. Fans who wish to purchase tickets to the event can do so now for a low as $5 by clicking here.
Follow Houston Softball on Twitter and Instagram at UHCougarSB, and "Like" UHCougarSB on Facebook.
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.
– UHCougars.com –
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bell, Presley (12-3)
L: POEPPING, Erin (14-19)
Batting:
RBI: INAE, Ashleigh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ZIEMBA, Kendra 1
SB: JARVIS, Faith 1
Batting:
2B: Barker, Sarah 1
HR: James, Arielle 1
RBI: Barker, Sarah 1 ; James, Arielle 1 ; Heebner, Savannah 1 ; Vannoy, Brooke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: James, Arielle 1 ; Busch, Bethany 1 ; Thomas, Maya 1 ; Heebner, Savannah 1
SB: Busch, Bethany 1
CS: Thomas, Maya 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP/1B
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
C/INF
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