The Cougars had two game-clinching hits, including a grand slam, to sweep the doubleheader series against Lamar University on Thursday.
After beating BYU in all three games in a weekend series in Utah, where the Cougars snapped BYU’s 42-game non-conference home winning streak, UH looked to continue its own three-game winning streak in a matchup against the Cardinals.
In the first game of the day, freshman Katie St. Pierre had a walk-off single to score in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, beating Lamar 10-9.
“I wasn’t feeling any pressure, Coach just told me to get in there,” said St. Pierre.
Three pitchers contributed to victory, with junior Baily Watts picking up her 14th win of the season. Watts recorded two strikeouts in her one-inning appearance.
The Cougars’ bats had life throughout the game.
After Lamar jumped out to a 2-0 lead, senior infielder Holly Anderson hit a two-run homerun to tie the game. Anderson also added a RBI double in the fourth inning to inch the Cougars closer to the lead. Following a back-and-forth contest, Lamar had a 9-6 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior catcher Haley Outon smacked a two-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth to tie the lead 9 to 9 and setting the stage for St. Pierre’s walk-off single.
“I get up there and just have confidence in myself and I just trust in what I have been working on all week,” Anderson said.
In the second game of the double header, junior pitcher Diedre Outon recorded a six-inning shutout with four strikeouts, giving Outon her third win on the season. Junior infielder Kendra Cullum ended the game after hitting a grand slam, which extended the Cougars’ lead to eight and enacted the run-rule in the sixth inning.
“I have just been working really hard this week and I wasn’t getting my hit-by-pitches, so I just had to step up and hit the ball,” Cullum said, laughing.
The Cougars jumped to an early 2-0 lead after an error and a bases-loaded walk scored Haley Outon and junior outfielder Taylor Duplechain respectively.
The Cougars have been averaging 7 runs in the past two weeks.
“That’s all my teammates, I just try to do everything I can to get on base and get me in,” Cullum said.
The Cougars take on Conferences-USA foe Marshall for a three-game weekend series beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cougar Softball field.
“We got to work extra hard in practice tomorrow, and I think carrying these wins over is going to (boost) our confidence going into Marshall,” Anderson said.
