Cougars Slug Past Demons

Saturday, March 12

Houston, Texas

4 p.m.

University of Houston

11-12

Northwestern State

12-9

Northwestern State

Houston

3/12/2022 8:46:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Schulte homers twice, Thomas hits 1st collegiate home run in doubleheader sweep

HOUSTON – Second baseman Becca Schulte went yard twice, third baseman Ja'Naiya Thomas hit her first collegiate home run and the Houston softball team swept its doubleheader against Northwestern State on Saturday 7-2 and 5-3.

GAME 1
The Cougars (12-12) scored in four different innings and graduate student Hannah Todd earned her second-straight win as a starter, topping the Demons (12-10) 7-2.

Houston scored first, a sacrifice fly off the bat of shortstop Rock Benavides in the second inning. Benavides pushed the Cougars' second run across on a safety squeeze bunt play in the fourth inning.

Second baseman Becca Schulte started the fourth inning with a double to center field and then stole third base. Benavides' squeeze play helped plate the second baseman. A single by third baseman Ja'Naiya Thomas scored pinch runner Katy Repa to give the Cougars the 3-1 lead.

Schulte hit her seventh home run of the season, a three-run blast in the fifth inning, doubling Houston's run total and pushing the lead to 6-1.

Houston scored its seventh run on a fielding error in the sixth inning.

Coming off a career-high complete game 9.0 inning outing on Thursday, Todd struck out a career-high five batters in her third win of the year, tossing 5.2 innings, allowing six hits and two runs.

Senior Kenna Wilkey earned her second save of the season, entering with a pair of runners on with two outs in the sixth inning. Wilkey struck out three in 1.1 innings in relief.

GAME 2
Thomas crushed her first collegiate home run and the Cougars topped the Demons in the second game of the doubleheader, 5-3.

Catcher Kati Ray Brown started the scoring for Houston, sending a fly ball deep enough to score left fielder Amanda Carden from third.

Thomas' second inning home run put the Cougars up 3-0 before the Demons plated a run in the fourth inning.

Houston scored a fourth run on a couple of unforced NSU errors in the fourth inning. Thomas walked, stole second, swiped third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

Schulte hit her second home run of the day in the fifth inning, a solo shot that snuck inside the left field foul pole. The graduate student leads the team with eight home runs in 22 games played.

Wilkey tossed her team-leading third complete game, spinning 7.0 innings with a season-high nine strike outs. Wilkey last struck out nine batters while at Northwestern on April 26, 2019, striking out 13 Michigan State batters.

NEXT UP
Houston finishes the three-game series with Northwestern State on Sunday inside Cougar Softball Stadium at 12 p.m.

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