By Kaitlyn DeHaven | Digital Managing Editor
Baylor softball (13-11) fell to the Houston Cougars (21-8) 2-0 and 6-1 in a doubleheader Tuesday at Getterman Stadium.
The team was coming off two wins at McNeese State, but couldn’t carry their momentum over to this week.
The first game was pretty evenly matched, with the teams fighting for each hit.
At the top of the second inning, freshman outfielder Lou Gilbert made a running double play at second and first, which quickly eliminated the Cougars from their shot at scoring in that inning.
In the third inning, the Cougars took the lead. Lindsey Stewart stole second, followed by two big hits by Sarah Baker and Arielle James to give Houston a 2-run lead, which they held for the rest of the game.
The game was at a strikeout stand-still until the seventh inning, where it seemed as if Baylor might have a shot at tying up the game. The team had the bases loaded with only one out, but while trying to get a run, the Lady Bears had back-to-back outs at home base.
Neither team played a very strong hitting game, with Houston coming in at .160 and the Lady Bears coming in at .192. Baylor had five hits, which was more than Houston, but the Cougars’ tough defense proved to be the difference.
The team finished out the game with no runs, five hits and no errors, while Houston finished with two runs, four hits and one error.
The second game was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning, when a Houston double scored three, putting the Cougars in the lead 3-0.
The Cougars quickly expanded their lead to 6-0 in the top of the fifth, leaving the Lady Bears still scoreless for the night.
Baylor finally scored their first run of the night in the fifth inning. With a full count in the top of the seventh, Gilbert dove for an impressive catch to send it to the final frame. The Lady Bears ultimately fell, 6-1.
Baylor has one final tune-up before conference play starts as they face Central Arkansas at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Getterman Stadium.
