Softball Serves Up Shutouts At Southern Miss

Saturday, April 16

Hattiesburg, Miss

3:00 PM

University of Houston

25-20, 8-6

Southern Mississippi

19-28, 5-12

Houston

Southern Miss

4/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

April 16, 2005

Box Score

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - A pair of shutouts extended the Houston softball team's season-long winning streak to seven games, with an afternoon doubleheader sweep of Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss.

With the wins, the Cougars move ahead of the Golden Eagles in the all-time series record with a 10-9 mark, while improving their own 2005 record to 25-20 and 8-6 in C-USA. Southern Miss falls to 19-26 on the season and 5-12 in league action.

Pitchers Angel Shamblin, Carl Kennimer and Crystal Briscoe picked up the shutouts on the day with Shamblin scattering three hits and striking out five in a Game 1 victory, while Kennimer and Briscoe combined for the Game 2 shutout with Kennimer throwing six innings and Briscoe picking up the save in the seventh.

In Game 1, the Cougars were out hit 3-1, but costly errors on the Southern Miss fielders allowed two runs to score before junior Jaci Gonzalez broke up the no-hitter in the seventh and plated junior Brooke Johnson to ice the game.

It was freshman Dru Daniels' run in Game 2 that proved to be the game winner, and for Daniels, it was her third game-winning run in as many series.

Game 1 saw Houston score early as a trio of errors in the second inning handed the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the ballgame, as the Golden Eagles' Allison Bullard dropped two consecutive fly balls in shallow left field.

The first drop allowed senior Michelle Keith to reach second base with two outs in the inning. Bullard dropped a second straight fly on the next batter that allowed Keith to score and junior Brandi Clark to reach second.

Junior Brooke Johnson became the third straight Houston batter to benefit from the Southern Miss fielding, as she reached first safely on a throwing error by the Golden Eagles' pitcher, Danielle Wymer. The error also plated Clark to put the Cougars up 2-0.

Houston and Southern Miss battled through the rest of the game with neither team scoring until the seventh inning when Johnson was walked with two outs and Gonzalez broke up the no-hitter with a double to right center that brought Johnson home.

The Cougars' pitcher Angel Shamblin closed out the ballgame to secure her fourth shutout of the season by retiring three straight Golden Eagles' batters, and claiming the 3-0 victory for Houston.

In Game 2, the Golden Eagles threatened to score early as the leadoff batter, Jessica Huerta reached base on a walk, then successfully stole second and third. But Clark closed out the inning with a fully extended diving catch in foul territory to end the first inning.

Houston too had opportunities to score with runners in scoring position in both the second and fourth innings, but was unable to bring anybody home.

Freshman Dru Daniels and senior Kristen Glowacz teamed up in the fifth to put Houston on the scoreboard after four scoreless innings. Daniels, who reached base on a single down the right field line, advanced to second after a Golden Eagles error that also allowed Shamblin to reach first.

Glowacz took advantage of the situation and smacked a single up the middle that brought home Daniels and gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead.

Holding solid at 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth, junior Crystal Briscoe came with one on and no outs, and retired the next three Golden Eagles, earning her first save of the 2005 season, and ensuring the Cougars' a 1-0 win.

The two teams take the field in the final game of the C-USA series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Hattiesburg.