Cougars Post Extra-Inning Win and Comeback Victory to Remain Undefeated

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Softball team remained unbeaten on the season with a pair of wins on Day Two of the Easton Classic.

After a marathon 6-4 victory in 10 innings against New Mexico, Houston (4-0) turned on its offense for a 13-10 batting showcase in the nightcap, downing ULM in the first of two games between the teams this weekend.

GAME ONE – HOUSTON 6, NEW MEXICO 4 (10 Inn.)
While freshman Rylee Michalak spent 9.1 innings in the circle, ceding only three earned runs in her second career start, freshman Nevaeh Brown (1-0) picked up the victory for the Cougars in her collegiate debut. She shut down New Mexico in the 10^th inning, picking up two outs without allowing a baserunner. Lexi Atcitty (0-1) took the decision for New Mexico (3-3) after permitting three runs, all earned, on three hits in 3.1 innings of work.

Player Highlights

Jordee Wilkins: 3-4, 3 R, 3B
Bethany Aguilar: 2-4
Makenna Mitchell: 1-5, R, 2 RBI, HR
Maddie Hartley: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, SH, SF

Game Highlights

Sophomore Makenna Mitchell's walk-off home run was Houston's first since Britaney Shaw walked off against Boise State on March 10, 2022.
Houston evened the all-time series against New Mexico, 2-2.
The Cougars tallied a pair of sacrifice flies in the game.
Freshman Jordee Wilkins hit her first career triple.
The win is Houston's first in extra-innings since a 5-4, nine-inning victory over South Florida on May 5, 2023.

Key Innings
3^rd | Houston took the lead in the bottom of the third. Capitalizing on an error with the bases loaded, Wilkins put Houston on the board by crossing the plate. Freshman Brooke Wells added another Cougar run with a sac-fly that pushed home freshman Ariel Redmond to put Houston up 2-0.

5^th | While New Mexico plated a pair of runs to even the score in the fourth, the Cougars reclaimed the lead as freshman Maddie Hartley posted Houston's second sac-fly of the game and drove home Wilkins.

7^th | The Lobos forced extras in the seventh, evening the score at three-all as Jessica DeLeon singled home a run.

10^th | After New Mexico took its first lead of the game with a solo homer in the top of the inning off the bat of DeLeon, Wilkins opened up the home half of the inning with an infield single. Reaching second on a sac-bunt, a Hartley single drove her home to retie the score and put the winning run on base. In the next at-bat, Makenna Mitchell sealed the win for the Cougars, crushing a two-run homer to clinch a 6-4 win.

GAME TWO – HOUSTON 13, ULM 10
Sophomore Gigi Solis (1-0) picked up her first win of the season in relief, tossing four innings in her season debut. Maddie Nichols (0-1) took the loss for ULM (1-3) after three runs scored on two hits and a walk without an out recorded.

Player Highlights

Makenna Mitchell: 2-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI
Maddie Hartley: 2-3, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B, BB, HBP
Brooke Wells: 2-2, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2 BB
Jordee Wilkins: 0-1, 3 R, 3 BB

Game Highlights

The win was Houston's first-ever 13-10 victory in program history.
The Cougars' eight runs in the sixth inning are the most since plating eight in the first inning at BYU on March 29, 2024.
Both Hartley and Wilkins scored three runs in the game. Wilkins scored three runs in both games of the day.
Three Cougars posted multi-hit games: Hartley, Mitchell and Wells.
Four Cougars recorded multi-RBI games: Hartley, Mitchell, Wells and Nitta.

Key Innings
2^nd | After Wells hit her first career homer to put Houston up by two in the first, ULM answered in the top of the second. With a runner on third, a single off the bat of Maryssa Zenzen put the Warhawks on the board. Another single later in the frame evened the score at 2-all.

Houston reclaimed the edge in the bottom of the inning. Back-to-back walks set the stage for a two-run double off the bat of Mitchell. Wells immediately followed it up with an RBI single that scored Mitchell, putting the Cougars up by three.

4^th | Four runs via two homers and a double in the third gave ULM a 6-5 lead in the third and the Warhawks added to their advantage with another pair of runs on a two-RBI double from Morgan Brown in the fourth.

6^th | Down 8-5 entering the inning, Houston completed its comeback in the sixth. A walk, single and wild pitch put two runners in scoring position with Mitchell using her second double of the game to drive home both Hartley and Wilkins. After Wells reached to put two runners back on base, sophomore Mikalah Nitta put Houston back in front with a two-run double of her own. Houston pounced on a defensive miscue to extend its lead to 10-8, followed by Hartley capping the inning with a three-run double that pushed Houston's edge to 13-8.

While the Warhawks hit a two-run homer in the seventh, Hartley shut the door on any comeback attempt to seal the win for Houston.

UP NEXT
The Cougars close play at the Easton Classic with a 12:30 p.m., Sunday rematch with ULM.

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