The Cougars found victory on both the softball and baseball fields against the University of Memphis Tigers on Sunday. The teams combined to go 5-1 against the Tigers over the weekend.
Softball
In their last regular season series of the year, the softball team earned a three-game sweep against the Tigers, catapulting them to fourth place in the American Athletic Conference at 9-9.
The Cougars finished the year 26-28 overall and will head to the AAC tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Thursday.
In the first game, the Cougars won 6-1 as senior outfielder Katie St. Pierre bounced back, after struggling in the previous game versus non-conference opponent McNeese State University. She went 3-3 at the plate and scored two runs.
Both freshmen infielder Rachel Hill and outfielder Maya Thomas were 2-3 inside the batter’s box against the Tigers. Hill scored two runs and had an RBI, the latter was her 14th of the season.
After a slow start to the second game, the Cougars struck first in the bottom of the third when sophomore outfielder De’Zha Scott made a double steal to reach home. Scott was put in the game to base run for senior infielder Courtney Klingler, who hit a single.
The Cougars went on to win 2-1.
During the final game, the Tigers got off to a fast start as they took a 3-0 lead heading into the sixth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, freshman outfielder Elise LeBeouf got things going for the Cougars by smashing the ball past the outfield and into the stands for her sixth home run of the season. After shutting out the Tigers in the top of the seventh, the Cougars blasted two more home runs to secure the win.
Freshman catcher Brooke Vannoy led off the final inning with her seventh home run of the year. Klingler iced the game with a walk-off home run.
UH softball will face Memphis again this week in the first round of the AAC tournament. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. Thursday.
Baseball
Baseball also earned the series win by going 2-1 against Memphis this weekend. The two wins put the Cougars one game ahead of the Tigers in the AAC standings. UH is 8-9 in conference play and 27-19 overall.
In the series opener, the Cougars dropped the game 12-4 to the Tigers, but eight different players managed to record a hit. Senior first baseman Justin Montemayor had one hit and two RBI.
During the second game, the Cougars scored two runs early on and held the Tigers scoreless for the first six innings before a tie in the seventh.
After two scoreless innings by both teams, the game went into extra innings, which is a first for UH this season. The Cougars started the 12th inning with consecutive singles before senior catcher Jacob Campbell was intentionally walked to load the bases.
At the next bat, redshirt sophomore Connor Hollis won the game 3-2 with a single.
In the series finale, the Cougars used the first three innings to score six runs and set up the win. The Cougars jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning before scoring a run in the second and two in the third.
Freshman designated hitter Joe Davis continued to increase his stats this season by going 2-4 at the plate, notching two runs and two RBIs. He has 25 runs and 40 RBIs on the year.
Freshman pitcher Mitch Ullom earned the win as he pitched all nine innings and allowed just one earned run and four hits. He also walked two and struck out five. He is 6-2 on the year with a .225 ERA.
The Cougars will play at Rice University on Tuesday before returning home to play the University of Louisiana–Lafayette on Wednesday.
