The last Conference USA tripleheader of the season for the UH softball team begins on Saturday when it plays Marshall in Huntington, W. Va.
Saturday features a doubleheader beginning at noon, and the series concludes Sunday with the finale at 11 a.m.
After getting a pair of wins over first-place foe East Carolina, the Cougars (26-22, 10-10 C-USA) will now take on the conference’s last-place team.
The Cougars, though, are winless on the road in conference play, a fact head coach Kyla Holas called unacceptable.
“We have to go in and take some games this week,” Holas said.
Coached by Shonda Stanton, the Herd (24-25, 3-15 C-USA) returns 11 players from last season’s team. Marshall dropped a pair of games against Southern Miss on Sunday, committing 10 errors and allowed 14 runs.
“They do have a good offense. (Marshall) is one of those teams that I think is real aggressive. They swing and steal a lot, (and have) the most stolen bases in the conference,” Holas said.
Three Marshall players are batting over .300, and between them have 15 homeruns and 67 RBI. The Herd’s production at the plate poses problems for the UH pitching staff, but after their strong showing over the weekend, Bailey Watts and Amanda Crabtree have a lot of momentum at their back. The duo has combined to strike out 203 batters this season.
The Cougars are 10-3 all-time against Marshall. Because of their struggles with consistency this season, these final conference games could have a big impact on their placement in the conference championship, which begins May 13.
The Cougars will squeeze in a doubleheader against non-conference opponent Baylor on May 8. The matchup was postponed because of weather earlier in the season.
