The Cougars are in the middle of a three-game losing streak and will need to turn it around before this weekend when conference play continues. | Courtesy of UH Athletics
After losing in two nail-biters over the weekend, the Cougars (16-16 overall, 2-1 conference) aim to rebound against the Lamar Lady Cardinals (17-18 overall, 8-4 conference) in a doubleheader at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at home.
The Cougars are currently on a three-game skid. While they rank fourth in the American Athletic Conference in ERA, opposing teams are getting a decent amount of hits off the rotation at 141 in the season so far.
Starting pitchers Trystan Melancon (2.39 ERA) and Savannah Heebner (2.41 ERA) both dropped to 7-6 on the season after close losses (3-1 and 2-1, respectively) to the Texas Longhorns on Sunday.
In the first game, the Cougars drew first blood with a run in the first inning but failed to muster a hit all game until the seventh. Meanwhile, the Longhorn offense responded in the bottom of the first and grabbed the lead for good in the third.
The second game fared slightly better for the Cougars’ bats as they racked up six hits, but the Longhorns prevailed in extra innings on a walk-off RBI single.
The Lady Cardinals are also coming off a three-game losing streak after getting swept this weekend by Southeastern Louisiana.
A bright spot for the Lady Cardinals is senior catcher/infielder Brynn Baca. Up until the final game against Southeastern Louisiana, Baca reached base at least once for 25 straight games.
Additionally, junior outfielder Brittany Rodriguez currently holds a .422 batting average. These two could be the catalysts for a capable Cardinals offense.
Mistakes on defense have come back to haunt the Cardinals as of late. Errors were their biggest downfall in the prior series, including a pitching error that gave Southeastern Louisiana the lead in the fourth inning.
The lack of consistency with the pitching staff has also proved troublesome for the Cardinals. If the Cougars want to wake up their bats, this series could be a ripe chance to do so.
The first pitch of the Lamar doubleheader is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Cougar Softball Field.
