The Cougars could not capitalize on the momentum of two straight wins entering their series with Kansas, falling in all three matchups. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
The UH softball team had a tough series this past weekend going 0-3 against the Kansas Jayhawks at home.
Houston, which had won two games in a row entering the series, were looking continue that success but fell substantially short.
Game 1
The first game started off slow for the Cougars. Kansas got its first run in the first inning and UH did not strike on the scoreboard until the fourth.
Junior utility Turiya Coleman hit a home run to right field while graduate utility Bree Cantu added another run in the inning.
In addition, graduate pitcher Shelby Smith also hit a homer to center field in the fourth, giving the Cougars a 3-2 lead at the end of the inning.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, that was where the scoring stopped.
The Jayhawks were able to garner two runs including one that came off of a home run leading to Kansas getting the 4-3 win.
Game 2
Despite scoring first in the game from a run by graduate catcher Kennedy Thomas after a single by Coleman, UH got dominated in the second matchup.
For the first three innings things were close.
UH matched Kansas’ home run with a single hit through the right side by Coleman allowing graduate student Jazmyn Rollin to score a run, which gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead.
The fourth inning was where Kansas ran up the score after four total runs and a home run to left field, giving the Jayhawks a 5-2 lead.
The fifth consisted of similar fortitude for Houston as Kansas dished in two more runs giving them a comfortable 7-2 lead.
Houston would score two final runs in the seventh inning from graduate utility Bree Cantu homered to right center field and Rollin scored, but the Jayhawks scored four runs in the period as Kansas won 11-4.
Game 3
The final game of the series was similar to the first in terms of margin.
The Cougars would score first after a ground ball hit by sophomore sophomore infielder Mandy Esman paved the way for a run by graduate pitcher Shelby Smith, which gave UH a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
That would be Houston’s lone run of the game though, as the Jayhawks would score two final runs of the game in the third ultimately leading to Kansas sweeping the series winning 2-1 in the game.
The Cougars will look to get back in the winning column on Tuesday, March 26, when they face the Prairie View A&M Panthers at home.
