The Houston softball team wrapped up its midweek home doubleheader with a split against Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday.
The Cougars opened the day with a 5-0 shutout victory before losing the second matchup 9-7.
In game one, UH got off to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning after SFA hit sophomore outfielder Ja’Naiya Thomas on a pitch and walked sophomore catcher Emma Robertson with bases loaded.
Senior outfielder Paige Hulsey homered in the second inning to extend the lead to 3-0.
After a scoreless stretch on both sides, the Cougars piled on two more runs in the sixth inning to close out the 5-0 win.
Graduate pitcher Kenna Wilkey (11-7) pitched six innings, recording seven strikeouts and only allowed one hit in the shutout.
In the second game, the Cougars relinquished a 7-2 lead as the Lumberjacks scored seven unanswered runs to win 9-7.
Both teams brought out the bats as each side scored two runs in the first to stay even at 2-2.
In the third inning, sophomore infielder Turiya Coleman cracked a grand slam before Robertson followed up with a solo shot to put five runs on the board and lead 7-2.
SFA picked up the heat and sparked its comeback bid with a three-run home run in the fifth to cut the deficit to 7-5.
The Lumberjacks took advantage of a series of wild pitches and passed balls to bring in three runners home and lead 8-7.
SFA picked up another run on a sole home run to lead 9-7 before silencing UH’s bats in the seventh inning and securing the comeback victory.
UH will open its home conference slate and host East Carolina in a three-game series on April 6-8 at Cougar Softball Stadium.