Houston infielder Maddie Hartley (33) slides into home plate as the ball makes its way towards ULM catcher Hollie Thomas (26) during an NCAA college softball game, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Houston softball gave spectators their money’s worth during opening weekend, going 5-0 in the Easton Classic with several historic comebacks.
“We showed a lot of character and a lot of grit,” coach Kristen Vesley said. “We are showing resilience and showing our team chemistry out.”
Game 1
The Cougars started their 2025 campaign with a dramatic come-from-behind win against St. John’s on Friday.
A four-spot in the sixth inning by Houston gave them an 8-5 lead, with eight batters taking a plate appearance. Freshman first baseman Brooke Wells started the scoring with an RBI double, the first of three consecutive doubles in the inning.
Although the offense put the Cougars in front, the collective effort from the relief arms kept the door open for such a comeback.
Freshman pitcher Rylee Michalak was able to navigate around two baserunners in the first inning, but the third time was the charm for St. John’s in the top half of the second. Graduate catcher Celia Macari looped a single into center field, giving the Johnnies a 1-0 lead.
Houston had a chance to respond when they loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the second, but freshman left fielder Ariel Redmond struck out, keeping the Cougars off the board.
Three RBI singles gave St. John’s a commanding 5-0 lead in the third inning, with the offensive barrage only ending after a double-steal attempt went awry.
The Cougars’ first run came when freshman designated hitter Madison Hartley scalded a 1-0 pitch off the video board in left field for her first collegiate homerun. Sophomore second baseman Bethany Aguilar tacked on another run with a single to center field to trim the deficit to 5-2.
Redshirt Junior pitcher Paris Lehman and Hartley combined to throw three scoreless frames, giving way for Houston’s sixth-inning comeback, which was just enough to hold off a two-out rally attempt in the seventh inning by St. John’s.
Game 2
Needing three runs to extend the game into extra innings and four to win in regulation, Houston strung together six walks, including a walk-off walk from Aguilar to stun New Mexico, who were up 8-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Houston drew 13 walks across the seven innings, with seven different players reaching base on balls.
Akin to game one of the opening-day doubleheader, the Cougars were in an early hole. Freshman right fielder Allie Williams gave New Mexico a 3-0 lead through the half of the second inning with an RBI groundout.
Aguilar opened the scoring for Houston in the third inning with an RBI single to right field. Unforced errors by the Lobos, in the form of a passed ball and a hit-by-pitch, while the bases were loaded, allowed the Cougars to tie the game at 3-3.
New Mexico delivered the next five runs of the ballgame, including a three-run home run from freshman designated hitter Ella Dawson in the fifth inning.
The Lobos’ self-inflicted mistakes continued in the sixth inning when two consecutive throwing errors gifted Houston two runners in scoring position, both of whom scored.
Hartley advanced to 2-0 on the season, delivering over two innings of one-run ball in the final frames of the 9-8 win.
Game 3
Houston showcased its flair for the dramatic once again on Saturday, winning 6-4 in 10 innings and walking off New Mexico for the second time.
A sacrifice fly from Hartley in the fifth inning gave the Cougars a 3-2 lead heading into the sixth inning, but freshman infielder Jessica Deleon came through for New Mexico with two outs in the seventh, singling home the tying run.
Following Deleon’s RBI single, both teams combined to go 1-for-15 at the plate before Deleon once again delivered for the Lobos, hammering a pitch to left field for a go-ahead homerun in the 10th inning.
Sophomore centerfielder Jordee Wilkins got Houston’s 10th-inning rally started with a leadoff single. She was able to advance to second base after Redmond laid down a sacrifice bunt.
After Hartley’s second RBI of the game tied the contest at 4-4, sophomore third baseman Makenna Mitchell stepped up to the dish with an opportunity to keep Houston undefeated.
She battled in the at-bat, working the count full. On the 3-2 delivery, Mitchell got a pitch she could handle, and it didn’t take long for New Mexico’s outfielders to realize the ball had become a souvenir.
The home run was both Mitchell’s first as a Houston Cougar and her first at the collegiate level.
It was also Houston’s first extra-innings win since defeating South Florida 5-4 on May 5, 2023.
Freshman reliever Nevaeah Brown picked up her first win, after coming in to spell Michalak, who only allowed three runs in the nine and a third innings that she tossed.
Game 4
The Cougars wasted little time getting the bats going in the second half of Saturday’s doubleheader, going up 2-0 in the first inning courtesy of Wells’ first collegiate homerun.
Three singles in the third inning from Lousiana-Monroe quickly tied the game up at 2-2, but some two-out lightning from Mitchell and Wells drove home three runs to give Houston a 5-2 lead heading into the fourth.
After recording the first out of the fourth inning, the Warhawks tagged Lehman for back-to-back home runs, ending her outing. Sophomore reliever Gigi Solis was one out away from limiting the damage to two runs, but an RBI double and a wild pitch put two more runs on the board.
Houston only recorded one hit through the next three innings and stranded four baserunners as they saw Louisiana-Monroe tack on two more runs.
Down to their last six outs, the Cougars once again displayed the composure that had propelled them to their first three wins.
Mitchell drove home the first two runs of the eight-run onslaught with a double to left-center, the first of three RBI hits in the sixth inning.
After Wells drew her second walk of the game, a wild pitch put both her and Mitchell in scoring position for sophomore right fielder Mikalah Nitta, who lined a single to left field to bring them home.
Seven Cougars took a plate appearance before the first out of the sixth inning was recorded, and by the time Houston’s barrage ended, the team had tallied five hits and four walks in the inning.
Sophomore first baseman Maryssa Zenzen made sure the Warhawks didn’t go quietly into the night with a two-run home run, but Hartley was able to slam the door again for Houston, recording the final two outs of the 13-10 victory.
Game 5
Houston proved no lead is safe at Cougar Softball Stadium, mounting their biggest comeback in program history by overcoming an 8-0 hole to win 15-11 on Sunday.
The first five batters for Louisiana-Monroe all reached base in the first inning, culminating in a 3-run homerun from Zenzen that put up a 5-0 on the scoreboard with no outs yet recorded.
Coming in relief of senior starter Ranci Willis was Hartley, and she was able to stop the bleeding by generating a popup and two groundouts.
The Warhawks’ bats were only silenced for one inning, as they singled in three more runs in the third frame, putting Houston in an 8-0 hole, their biggest deficit during the opening weekend.
Hartley’s two-way play was on display again in the Cougars’ half of the third inning, doubling to right-center field. What ensued was yet another crooked number from Houston, with the entire batting order coming up to the plate at least once. Seven hits and six runs were tallied in total.
Brown, who came in to begin the third inning, only allowed one run in the next two frames, allowing Houston to drive home the equalizer after a sacrifice fly from Mitchell scored Hartley, who had just doubled for the second time in the game.
A thorn on the side of the Cougars across the two-game series, Zenzen once again slugged a home run to give the lead back to Lousiana-Monroe. Freshman catcher Hollie Thomas’ sacrifice fly added an insurance run.
Luckily for Houston, they still had more late-game magic left in them, delivering another six-run inning. Senior left fielders Gabby Rawls and Mitchell both added two RBIs to their totals. It was the first time all weekend that Houston had batted around the order twice in the same game.
Michalak, who came in relief was able to record a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh to seal the Cougars’ fifth and final comeback of opening weekend.
Houston recorded 17 hits in total and was 10-17 with runners in scoring position.
Wells and Hartley led the way offensively all weekend, hitting .562 and .467 respectively.
The Cougars will return to action on Feb. 14 when they begin another doubleheader at home against Pittsburgh and Nevada
