Softball Guts Out Series Finale at East Carolina
April 29, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. - With two outs in the ninth inning, Haley Valis ripped a 0-2 pitch that just went over the centerfield fence for a two-run homer that lifted the University of Houston softball team to a critical 3-1 victory over East Carolina Sunday afternoon in the series finale of Conference USA weekend series at the ECU Softball Field. Houston also had to overcome an injury to Conference USA Player of the Year candidate Jessica Valis, who left the game in the first inning attempting to tag Kaui Tom on a stolen base attempt at second base. It's the first time that the Shiner native has missed an inning in her Cougar career, a streak that came to a close at 771.1 consecutive frames. The Cougars (37-15, 18-3 C-USA) received another solid performance from Angel Shamblin in the circle. The junior right-hander was touched up for one run on six hits. The Florida native recorded nine strikeouts en route to her 25th victory of the season as the Houston ace moved to 14-0 in conference play. "This game was the ultimate battle," head coach Kyla Holas said. "It felt like an entire season jammed into one game. Win or lose, this was a prime example of why you play the game. Both teams fought hard to the bitter end. We did an excellent job of keeping our composure in a hostile environment after losing Jessica in the first inning." "There was no doubt that Jessica's injury was a shot to the gut," Holas continued. "The good news is that we have two mature veterans in Candi Kloecker and Amanda Grote that are very versatile in multiple positions. Angel also settled us down and put together a gritty performance on the mound. She showed excellent leadership in a tough situation and pitched win instead of not to lose."
"I wanted to put everything on the field," Shamblin said. "After Jessica's injury, I knew I needed to step up in a bigger way. I threw a couple of pitches I shouldn't have, but the defense really stepped it up today." Courtney Spittler started a two-out rally in the sixth inning, knocking a double into the left centerfield gap. Candi Kloecker put the Cougars ahead 1-0 on her first hit of the season, an RBI-single to centerfield. "Both Courtney and Candi have worked hard down the stretch despite not getting a lot of playing time," Holas said. "Good things happen to players when you fight in practice and are ready to make the most of your opportunities." "It felt like it was my time to be a clutch player in a clutch situation," Kloecker said. "I knew that I had been hitting in practice for a reason. Coach (Holas) always has a plan and there's a reason why things happen. Courtney did a great job of getting things started, and I was glad to make a big play when we needed one." East Carolina (35-18, 11-9 C-USA) responded in the home half of the frame as Vanessa Moreno connected on an 0-2 offering from Shamblin and belted a home run off the left field foul post to even the score at 1-1. The run also stopped Shamblin's consecutive scoreless innings streak in conference play at 30.1 frames. The game went to extra innings and the Pirates had a chance to push a run across in the eight inning. After Jessica Johnson drew a walk, pinch runner Stacey Andrews moved into scoring position on a Moreno sacrifice bunt. Erin St. Ledger knocked a single to left field, but Laura Durham fired a one-hop bullet to the plate to end the threat. Andrews had originally slid around a tag attempt from Houston catcher Elaina Nordstrom, but missed the plate was called out as the two players raced towards the plate with the game on the line. "We ended up on the right side of that call after Andrews made a great slide," Holas said. "Elaina did a great job of not giving up on the play after missing the tag." Nordstrom used that momentum and started the ninth inning with a leadoff double. Lara Lang entered the game to pinch run for Nordstrom. Two batters later, Haley Valis belted a two-run homer for the final margin of 3-1. ECU hurler Toni Paisley was tagged with the loss and dropped to 17-5 on the season after allowing three runs on seven hits. The freshman pitcher recorded 10 strikeouts against zero. "I was more focused and determined in my last at-bat," Valis said. "It was real important to stay calm in that situation and keep the fundamentals. I fouled off a couple of pitches off so I felt good about my chances if I could get the timing down." Houston concludes its regular season schedule against Marshall next weekend. Saturday's doubleheader at the Cougar Softball Stadium begins at 1pm. The program will recognize seniors Candi Kloecker, Carla Kennimer and Laura Durham in between games. "We want to finish out the regular season strong at home," Shamblin said. "Winning this series at East Carolina was great but now it's behind us. We have to keep moving forward with a strong week of practice and keep our momentum heading into the conference tournament."
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