Cougars’ Comeback Comes up Short in Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship First Round

OKLAHOMA CITY – The University of Houston Softball team nearly completed a seventh-inning comeback but ultimately fell to Kansas, 6-5, in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship at OGE Field at Devon Park on Wednesday evening.

After trimming the deficit to four with a run in the sixth, Houston (25-30) loaded the bases three times and scored three in the seventh in hopes of keeping its season alive, but Kansas (28-24-1) dashed the Cougars' hope to clinch the win and advance to the second round, setting up a meeting with Oklahoma tomorrow.

Graduate Shelby Smith (10-15) twirled a complete game in the circle for the Cougars. Senior Kasey Hamilton (11-14) earned the victory while Lizzy Ludwig picked up her second save of the season, pitching the final two-thirds of an inning.

Player Highlights
●      Jazmyn Rollin: 1-2, R, 2 BB
●      Lair Beautae: 1-4, 2 RBI
●      Shelby Smith: 2-3
●      Katy Repa: 1-2, R, RBI, SF

Game Highlights
●      Houston hit two sacrifice flies in the game, bringing its yearly total to 25.
●      With two hits in the contest, Smith tallied her 10^th multi-hit game of the year.
●      Graduate Jazmyn Rollin reached base in each of the last nine games.
●      The Cougars scored 330 runs in 2024, its second most ever in a season.

Key Innings
1^st | Kansas snagged an early lead in the first-round matchup as sophomore Hailey Cripe hit a two-run home run to right-center.

2^nd | Houston answered in the top of the second. With runners on the corners, graduate Katy Repa hit a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed freshman Bethany Aguilar to score, cutting the deficit to one.

Kansas extended its lead back to two in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff triple off the bat of super senior Ashlyn Anderson set up a Jayhawk sac-fly that made the score 3-1.

4^th | Kansas added another three runs in the fourth. After a trio of singles loaded the bases, Cripe cleared the bases with a double to center field, opening up Kansas' lead to 6-1.

6^th | Houston trimmed the Jayhawk advantage to four in the visiting half of the sixth. Graduate Jazmyn Rollin led off the inning with a single, stole second, then advanced to third as junior Turiya Coleman reached on an error. Graduate Bree Cantu followed up Coleman by hitting Houston's second sac-fly of the game to plate Rollin.

7^th | The Cougars rallied in the seventh. Loading the bases with three consecutive singles, a fourth single from junior Lair Beautae plated two and kept runners on the corners. Rollin walked next to reload the bases and Coleman forced home a run on a fielders' choice to make the score 6-5. Cantu again loaded the bases by reaching on an error, but a pop-out to shortstop cut the comeback short, clinching a 6-5 win for Kansas.

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