UH could not match the momentum that won them the first game of a double-header against No. 15 Baylor in the second game. The Cougars lost 6-4 Tuesday at Cougar Field, snapping their 11-game winning streak.
The Cougars (29-13, 11-4 Conference USA) started strong with an 8-0 run-rule win over the Bears (32-8). However, they could not stave off the Bears in the rubber match.
“The first game I felt like it was a whole team effort,” sophomore third baseman Holly Anderson said. “Everyone contributed; even the people on the bench were loud, and it got us the momentum that was ours to take.
“In the second game, I feel like that even though we dug ourselves a hole, we all worked together to come back. It just kind of slipped away from us.”
UH took the first lead of the game when first baseman Stesha Brazil scored an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning. The Bears responded with a three-run third inning, and senior pitcher Donna Bourgeois was replaced with freshman Diedre Outon. Outon inherited runners on first and third base, but escaped unscathed with a groundout to first.
Demoralized by the sudden 3-1 deficit, UH remained scoreless until the sixth inning when designated player Reina Gaber hit a home run to center field to get the Cougars within one. A triple from Katy Beth Sherman and a single from Ashleigh Jones put the Cougars back on top 4-3.
Baylor forced extra innings in the bottom of the seventh on a passed ball. The Bears earned the winning two-run home run in the eighth, shutting down the UH offense in the eighth.
In game one, two offensive outbursts were responsible for the Cougars commanding an eight-run win. Four-run outputs in the second and fifth innings was all the Cougars needed for the mercy-rule win. That was paired with Amanda Crabtree’s five scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts.
Though the Cougars are disappointed with the split, they are confident heading into their conference series with Tulsa.
“We’re so confident right now that it doesn’t matter how bad we are,” Anderson said. “As long as we pull together as a team.”
UH continues conference play Saturday with a three-game series against Tulsa (32-9, 13-2). The series opens with a double-header at 1 p.m. Saturday in Cougar Softball Stadium.
