The UH softball team took two wins over Texas-San Antonio in its double header Wednesday at Cougar Softball Stadium with a shutout in Game 1 and 5-3 victory in Game 2.
Game 2 against the Roadrunners remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when junior catcher Elaina Nordstrom hit a three-run home run to put the Cougars up 3-0.
Freshman outfielder Casey Willow drove in two runs with a double in the bottom of the fourth to bring the score to 5-0.
Although UH posted five runs in four innings, head coach Kyla Holas said the entire lineup needs to be producing at the same time.
"Right now we’ve got to make sure that we’re having good at bats and making good choices, and I still don’t think – top to bottom – we’re doing that," Holas said. "We’re very sporadic. Certain people are on at certain times, and we’re striving for one through nine being on at the same time."
After UTSA posted three runs in the fifth and sixth, Holas sent in senior pitcher Angel Shamblin to replace senior Barbie Love, who pitched 5.2 innings and gave up nine hits and three runs.
Shamblin struck out three batters in the 1.1 innings she pitched. In Game 1 against the Roadrunners, Shamblin shut out UTSA 3-0.
"I think we’re a little too comfortable with her," Holas said. "Our other pitchers need to step up and do their part. We can’t keep throwing Angel (into) every single game."
Freshman first baseman Jennifer Klinkert and junior outfielder Laurie Wagner both hit their tenth homeruns of the season in Game 1. Klinkert put the first run on the board in the bottom of the second of Game 1, and Wagner did the same in the bottom of the fourth to put the Cougars on top, 2-0.
After tying the UH record for career triples with 11, junior infielder Jessica Valis scored on a sacrifice out from Nordstrom in the bottom of the fifth.
"It’s really helping our team out when I can get on base to start off, whether it’s a single or a triple," Valis said. "It gets the team really pumped up when you start the game with a triple. It’s a lot less work."
Shamblin pitched the entire game, giving up two hits and striking out seven.
UH will get back into conference play when they face East Carolina on Saturday and Sunday at Cougar Softball Stadium.
"We’re in a spot where we can’t lose ball games," Holas said. "Every time we take a loss right now, it affects us in rankings, which can affect us in postseason."
