Houston infielder Kylei Griffin (35) celebrates her home run with teammates against HCU during an NCAA college softball game on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Houston Softball completed a series of games for the Houston tournament at Cougar Softball Stadium from Feb. 5 through Feb. 7. They won all four games in their first major tournament of the season and established 800 total program wins, a major milestone for the team.
The Cougars would go on to play the Houston Christian University Huskies and the Fairfield Stags back-to-back, showing their dominance and confidence in every game they played.
Major players for the Cougars throughout the tournament include Sophomore outfielder Ariel Redmond, who had six runs on six hits with one home run, sophomore infielder Madox Mitchael, who had four runs on four hits with two home runs and sophomore infielder Maddie Hartley, who had two runs on six hits with two home runs.
Tournament Recap
For their first opponent, Houston faced off against the HCU Huskies throughout the first two days of the tournament, winning both games by a combined score of 15-1.
In the first game, the Coogs dominated with an 8-1 win, scoring three home runs and posting a .385 batting average, their second-highest so far.
The second game of the series continued in the same way, winning with a score of 7-0 and preparing themselves for their second series against Fairfield, winning both games against HCU in dominant fashion.
For their second opponent, Houston played against the Fairfield Stags, having a close first game and a dominant performance in their second game, winning both games by a combined score of 12-3.
In their first game, it seemed Houston’s momentum had slowed, as Fairfield was 2-1 after the fourth inning. However, after a crucial double from Mitchael, Houston would score two runs to put themselves in the lead and win the game 3-2. After their first game, Fairfield would collapse, giving up nine runs in their next game, losing to Houston 9-1.
What’s Next
Houston Softball prepares for its next major tournament on Feb. 12, which is the Houston Invitational. It will feature the Pittsburgh Panthers, Lafayette Leopards, Penn State Nittany Lions, Michigan Wolverines, and the Incarnate Word Cardinals.
All of the games will be at Cougar Softball Stadium, where Houston Softball looks to build upon its success and defend its home turf.
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