The Houston softball team finished the Oklahoma Hall of Fame Classic with a 1-2 record over the weekend, including a win over No. 7 Oklahoma State.
The tournament was a mixed bag for UH. On one hand, the Cougars were outscored 20-8 in total and gave up first inning runs in each game they played. They were run-ruled in one of their losses.
On the other hand, it broke its losing streak by defeating a top-10 team, the first time it had done so since it defeated No. 5 Texas A&M in 2017.
The win against a ranked opponent also extended the streak Houston has in defeating a ranked opponent every year thus far in head coach Kristin Vesely’s tenure.
Game one
The first game in Friday’s doubleheader got off to a rocky start in the first inning for UH after University of Missouri – Kansas City batted around and plated five runs on seven hits.
UH responded emphatically in the next inning when junior catcher Kati Ray Brown briefly took the team lead in home runs by launching a two-run shot over left field to cut the deficit 5-2.
UMKC got the runs back and then some when infielder Ally Vonfeldt hit a three-run home run for an 8-2 lead.
After scoring another run in the third inning, redshirt senior infielder Sarah Queen pulled even with her teammate Brown for the team lead in home runs with a solo shot the center field.
The home run proved to be the last run for the UH offense as the Cougars fell 9-3.
Game two
Friday’s second game against No. 1 Oklahoma started the same way the previous game did. A five-run first inning that saw two Sooner home runs put the Cougars in an early hole once again.
The score swelled to 7-0 before UH finally got on the board thanks to a fourth inning solo home run from sophomore infielder Britaney Shaw, which proved to be the team’s first and only hit in the game.
The Sooners put the game away in the bottom of the fourth inning after scoring two more runs to take a 9-1 lead, ending the game via run-rule.
Game three
UH broke its seven-game losing streak with its biggest win of the season, defeating No. 7 Oklahoma State 4-2 on Saturday.
The win was powered by Queen who brought in all four runs for the Cougars, including a decisive three-run blast in the third that definitively put her team ahead.
Junior right-handed starter Rachel Hertenberger rebounded from a rough start against Oklahoma by throwing a complete game, surrendering two earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks to earn her third victory on the year. The win also marks her second career win over a top-25 team.
The trend of first-inning scoring continued for the opposition after a lead-off walk and a pair of base hits gave OSU a 2-0 lead.
The top of the third inning was Houston’s inning. After two quick outs, redshirt senior Lindsey Stewart-Vaughn came to the plate and hit single. Junior outfielder Bethany Busch followed the hit with a walk, paving the way for Queen to send her seventh home run of the year over the left-centerfield wall, retaking the team lead in home runs and RBI’s with 17.
UH added an insurance run in the top of the fifth when Queen singled in Vaughn for the 4-2 lead.
With the victory, UH softball moved to 8-12.