Softball

UH looks to avenge early season losses to Bobcats

Catcher Haley Outon leads the Cougars with 10 home runs this season.  |  Joshua Siegel/The Daily Cougar

Catcher Haley Outon leads the Cougars with 10 home runs this season. | Joshua Siegel/The Daily Cougar

The Texas State Bobcats visit Cougar Softball Stadium to face UH for a doubleheader on today.

The two teams faced each other on March 2 and 3 in College Station for the Texas A&M Invitational.  The Bobcats swept the Cougars 5-0 and 5-4 in the two-game series.

The Cougars (20-15, 9-3 Conference USA) are a much different team now than when they faced the Bobcats last month.

Then, the Cougars lost 12-of-15 games and averaged only 2.8 runs per game during that stretch.  Currently, the Cougars have won 10-of-12 with a six run per game average, including four run-rule wins.

But the Bobcats will be battle tested for the game.  They have faced six teams currently ranked in the top 25, highlighted by a a 1-0 shutout over No. 20 Baylor on Feb. 25.

The Bobcats (22-11, 8-2 Southland Conference) have a dominant pitching staff.  Senior Chandler Hall leads the team in wins (12) and strikeouts (113), while posting a 1.87 ERA.

Junior pitcher Anne Marie Taylor has 10 wins and two no-hitters, one of which being a perfect game against Southeastern Louisiana.

She posts a team best 1.70 ERA and is eighth in the nation in shutouts with seven.

The Cougars match up well against the Bobcats pitching staff.  UH has a team batting average of .310, which is ranked 33rd in the nation.

Junior Reina Gaber sets the table for the Cougars’ offense.  She leads the team in hits (36) and has a .360 batting average.

Catcher Haley Outon provides the power as she has 10 homeruns and 34 RBI, both of which lead the team and are good for third and fourth, respectively, in C-USA.  Outon’s .351 batting average is tied for third best on the team.

The first game is scheduled for 4 p.m. with game two to follow at approximately 6 p.m.

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