University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
20-27, 3-17
Arizona State
34-13, 7-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 17 | 2 |
| Houston | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
Cougars Drop Series Against Arizona State
4/18/2026 9:32:00 PM | Softball
Four Seniors honored pregame, Houston cracks three homers in loss
Â
The Cougars (20-27, 3-17 Big 12) scored in each of their first four innings, cutting the deficit to as little as one run at 9-8 in the fourth, but three multi-run innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth by the Sun Devils (34-13, 7-10 Big 12) stretched the gap late to seal the series in two.
Â
PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS:
- Maddie Hartley: 3-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, HBP
- Mandy Esman: 2-4, RBI, R
- Ariel Redmond: 2-3, HR, RBI, R, HBP
- Makenna Mitchell: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R
NOTABLES
- With three homers on the day, the Cougars now rank second in program history for single season home runs, passing the 2011 team with 67. They sit five behind from tying the program record of 73 set in 2008.
- Sophomore Maddie Hartley matched a career-high three hits on the day, tallying her 15th multi-hit game of the season as well as of the 21st of her career.
- Hartley's 19th homer of the season propels her up to a tie for second on the Houston single-season homer list, joining Laurie Wagner in 2008.Â
- Senior Mandy Esman recorded two hits in back-to-back games this series, marking her 12th of the season.Â
- Senior Kylei Griffin extended her hit streak to six games, totaling 11 hits in that stretch.
- Sophomore Ariel Redmond cracked her first homer in 21 games, sending a solo shot to deep center field in the third inning.
KEY INNINGS
1st | Leading off the game for the Cougars, Hartley took the fourth pitch of the at bat deep for a solo shot to center for Houston's first run of the game.
Â
2nd | With the bases loaded and no outs, junior Makenna Mitchell sent a sac fly to right field, plating Esman from third to cut the deficit to 5-2. On the ensuing pitch, Griffin singled to left infield and scored junior Bethany Aguilar, making it 5-3 in the second.
Â
3rd | Leading off the bottom of the third, Redmond cracked a solo shot to deep center field for the team's second homer of the day.Â
Â
4th | After Hartley reached first on a hit by pitch, Mitchell delivered the Cougars' third homer of the day with a two-run blast to deep center, cutting the deficit to 9-6. With two outs, Esman singled to short before a throwing error opened the door for freshman RyLee Gardner and sophomore Madox Mitchael to reach home and cut the gap to one run at 9-8.Â
Â
UP NEXT
Houston will cap off the weekend against Arizona State with the series finale set for noon, Sunday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.Â
Â
SUPPORT YOUR COOGSÂ
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Softball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective – and by joining the Diamond Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Softball for needs beyond its operating budget.
Â
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarSB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Softball. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarSB.
− UHCougars.com −
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lauppe, Meika (10-3)
L: Brown, Nevaeh (9-11)
Batting:
2B: Schepp, Emily 1 ; Ho-Ching, Tiare 1
HR: Chester, Katie 1 ; Swan, Samantha 1 ; Pond, Kaylee 1 ; Ulrich, Brooklyn 1
RBI: Roberts, JazMarie 1 ; Chester, Katie 5 ; Swan, Samantha 5 ; Avila, Yazzy 1 ; Pond, Kaylee 2 ; Ulrich, Brooklyn 2
SF: Chester, Katie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lewis, Nehanda 1 ; Chester, Katie 1 ; Ho-Ching, Tiare 2 ; Shull, Corie 1 ; Swan, Samantha 3 ; Pond, Kaylee 4 ; Windle, Tanya 2 ; Ulrich, Brooklyn 2
CS: Swan, Samantha 1
HBP: Ho-Ching, Tiare 1
Batting:
HR: Hartley, Maddie 1 ; Mitchell, Makenna 1 ; Redmond, Ariel 1
RBI: Esman, Mandy 1 ; Hartley, Maddie 1 ; Mitchell, Makenna 3 ; Redmond, Ariel 1 ; Griffin, Kylei 1
SF: Mitchell, Makenna 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Esman, Mandy 1 ; Aguilar, Bethany 1 ; Hartley, Maddie 2 ; Mitchell, Makenna 1 ; Redmond, Ariel 1 ; Mitchael, Madox 1 ; Gardner, RyLee 1
HBP: Cintron, Isabel 1 ; Hartley, Maddie 1 ; Redmond, Ariel 1
