Cougars Drop Game Two Against Iowa State

Saturday, March 21

Ames, Iowa

1 PM

University of Houston

17-16, 1-7

Iowa State

18-10, 2-3

Houston

Iowa State

Photo by: ©Juan DeLeon Creative

3/21/2026 4:36:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Esman tallies 100th career hit; four Cougars produce multi-hit performances in loss to Cyclones

AMES, Iowa – The University of Houston Softball team dropped game two of its Big 12 road opening series, 9-7, against Iowa State at the Cyclone Sports Complex on Saturday.

The Cougars (17-16, 1-7 Big 12) had four multi-hit performers on the day highlighted by a career milestone as senior Mandy Esman recorded 100^th career hit with two doubles on the day. Trailing 7-3 after three, the Cyclones (18-10, 2-3 Big 12) produced six-runs in the final three innings to comeback and take the series.

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

Madox Mitchael: 2-3, 2 RBI, R, 2B, BB
Mandy Esman: 2-4, RBI, R, 2B
Makenna Mitchell: 2-4, RBI, 2 R, BB
Maddie Hartley: 2-5, RBI, R

NOTABLES

Esman reached a career milestone as she tallied her 100^th career hit and 67^th as a Cougar after producing her 25^thcareer multi-hit outing with two doubles on the day.
Sophomore Madox Mitchael continued her recent form at the plate, notching two hits on the day to now tally 14 hits in her last nine games.
With a pair of hits, sophomore Maddie Hartley notched her 33^rd and 34^th hits of the season, matching her 2025 season total in 14 less games.
Senior Kylei Griffin made her first start in 26 games for the Cougars (Feb. 13 vs Penn State), featuring as designated player while producing an RBI on the day.
Senior Gabby Rawls made her first start of the season, featuring at left field while scoring a run and taking two walks at the plate on the day.

KEY INNINGS
1^st | Houston came out strong offensively as patience at the plate produced a single and a pair of walks to load the bases with no outs. Mitchael's walk on a full count provided the first run of the game for the Cougars before Griffin tallied an RBI grounder to short to double Houston's lead at 2-0. A fielder's choice bunt from sophomore Isabel Cintron made it 3-0 Cougars, scoring sophomore Ariel Redmond from third before Esman's first double of the day plated Mitchael to cap off the top of the first.

3^rd | With the bases loaded once again in the third, Hartley singled to left field to score Esman and extend Houston's lead to 6-3. Junior Makenna Mitchell followed up by reaching first on a fielder's choice, bringing Rawls home to lead 7-3.

UP NEXT
Houston will close out the series with game three against Iowa State set for noon, Sunday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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