PROVO, Utah – The Cougars dropped a 9-3 decision to the University of Houston during game one of the doubleheader on Saturday followed by a close 3-2 loss in game two at Gail Miller Field.

The Cougars (14-18, 4-0 PCSC) had to play catch-up in both games, but were unable to cap a comeback. Houston (22-10) displayed strong pitching on the day to seal the three-game sweep.

“What we need to do is be more consistent on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively,” BYU assistant coach Vaughn Alvey said. “We get behind in counts early in games and give up runs early in games. It takes the air out of everybody’s sails. We need to score early and keep our opponents from scoring early.”

Game One

Despite keeping the score within striking distance for the majority of the game, BYU (14-17) couldn’t overcome a five-run Houston (21-10) seventh inning in the 9-3 loss.

The Cougar pitching staff struggled during the first game with Tori Almond, Katie Manuma and Hannah Howell each finding time on the mound. Almond dropped to 5-4 on the season, recording the loss for Cougars.

Houston pitcher Diedre Outon (3-3) had a solid performance during the opening game, pitching a complete game and giving up three runs. BYU finished with three runs on nine hits, while Houston scored nine runs on 10 hits for the victory.

Houston got off to a hot start, getting on board in the first inning. Centerfielder Haley Outon hit a line drive two-run home run over the center field wall to put the Scarlet Cougars up 2-0.

Houston’s Julia Pecina got on base in the top of the second with a long double over Carly Duckworth’s head. With the bases loaded and two outs, the next Houston batter squeezed a single into right field to drive in two runs and up its lead to 4-0.

The Cougars came close to narrowing Houston’s four-run lead with bases loaded in the bottom of the second and third innings, but weren't able to capitalize. 

BYU’s defense kept the Houston offense off the board in the fourth and fifth innings with back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Marissa Bravo got on base for the Cougars with a single into left field. Manuma then singled up the middle to advance Bravo into scoring position before Alexandra Hudson Shamo drove a single into the left-field gap to bring in the team's first run of the game.

The Cougars left Lacey Millett stranded in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth, before Houston caught fire with the bats in the top of the seventh. The Scarlet Cougars added five insurance runs on five hits to up their lead to 9-1.

Looking to rally in the bottom of the seventh, pinch-hitter Jenna Goar singled to shortstop. The Cougars next batter, pinch-hitter Megan Arnold hit a bouncing ball to shortstop to beat out the throw to first. Hicken advanced to first with one out after being hit by Outon from the mound. Coryn Taualii then reached base on a fielder’s choice, driving in Goar to narrow the Houston gap to 9-2. The Cougars went on to score another run, but came up short for the 9-3 loss.

Game Two

Never trailing by more than one run, the Cougars couldn't complete the comeback and dropped a 3-2 decision.

Howell recorded the loss for the Cougars to fall to 5-12 on the season. JC Clayton had a solid game from the plate, hitting 3 for 4 and scoring two runs. Third baseman Ashlee Brawley Robinson had a strong defensive effort, finishing the game with six assists.

Houston got on the board in the first inning for the third time in the series. With runners on the corners, Houston baited catcher Anna Hudson into throwing to second to get the runner and in turn brought in the Scarlet Cougars' first run from third base.

BYU held Houston scoreless during the second and third innings, fueled by strong defense and pitching from Duckworth. In the bottom of the third, Clayton hit a hard single near second base and beat out the throw to reach first safely. Millett advanced Clayton to second after laying down a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Shamo blasted a single over the head of the third baseman to drive in Clayton and tie the game at one apiece through three.

Houston battled back, retaking the lead in the top of the fourth. With a runner on second base, first baseman Jaime Edwards singled to right field, driving in a run. Duckworth got out of the inning with a timely strikeout, but the advantage remained in favor of Houston 2-1 after four innings of play.

Howell substituted in relief of Duckworth in the top of the fifth inning, getting out of the inning with no damage done. BYU tied the score in the bottom of the fifth at two apiece when Manuma drove home Clayton from third with a hard single between the third baseman and shortstop.

In the top of the sixth, Houston regained the lead at 3-2. BYU tried to answer, but instead left Duckworth stranded at third in the bottom of the frame.

In the top of the seventh, BYU got out of a jam with Houston leaving two runners in scoring position. Going into the bottom of the inning trailing by one, Millett reached base on a fielding error with one out. Bravo singled up the middle and Shamo followed with a full-count walk to load the bases. Duckworth then hit a pop-fly to right field to seal the game and allow Houston to leave with the three-game sweep.

The Cougars return to action and conference play at Utah Valley University April 5 with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. MDT.

PROVO, Utah--The BYU softball team will host Houston this weekend in a non-conference three-game series at Gail Miller Field on Friday at 6 p.m. MDT and Saturday starting at 1 p.m. MDT. 

BYU QUICK HITS

• BYU is currently on a five game winning streak, its highest of the season, after winning its home opener against Marist and sweeping San Diego in its conference opener last week. 
• BYU started the 2012 home season with an 8-0 record. Overall they were 17-1 at home, with the lone loss coming against No. 20 Hawai’i. This year they are 1-0. 
• Senior shortstop JC Clayton broke the all-time hit record at BYU in the team’s four-game series against USD. Clayton has 269 career hits and a team and conference-leading 44 hits this season. Clayton was named PCSC Player of the Week for the third time this year. 
• Senior Hannah Howell was named the College Sports Madness Pitcher of the Week for the PCSC. Howell went 2-0 last week alongside a 0.93 ERA and 13 strikeouts. She also got the first hit of her career against San Diego. 
• BYU has an all-time record of 1-3 against Houston and has never played them in Provo. 

OPPONENT NOTES

The Scarlet Cougars are sporting a record of 19-9 this season with an 8-1 record in the Conference USA standings. The team is led by head coach Kyla Holas who has headed the team since its inception in 1999. Since then, the team has had 11 consecutive winning seasons, five NCAA Regional appearances and two NCAA Super Regional Appearances. The Scarlet Cougars have four players who are hitting over .300 in senior Holly Anderson, freshman Katie St. Pierre, junior Haley Outon and senior Reina Gaber. With a .394 clip, Anderson leads the team in total bases with 56 and has a team-high seven stolen bases on the year. Outon brings power to the lineup with eight home runs to pad her .815 slugging percentage. Outon is also ranked 61st in the NCAA in home runs per game, fifth in walks, 16th in on base percentage and 12th in sacrifice flies. Houston has four pitchers on its staff who have made appearances this season, but are led by redshirt junior Bailey Watts. Alongside an impressive ERA of 1.66, Watts has compiled an 11-2 record this season with the help of 71 strikeouts and a .181 opponent average. Watts numbers have placed her on the NCAA watch as well, ranking 51st in shutouts, earned run average and victories. 

With the same number of games under their belts, BYU has out-hit Houston 229-200 so far this season, but the Scarlet Cougars have an advantage in extra-base hits wtih 43 doubles to BYU’s 27 and 17 home runs to BYU’s 8. BYU has an advantage at the mound with 157 strikeouts on the year to Houston’s 125 and in the field, turning nine double plays to the Scarlet Cougars' six. Houston will welcome No. 4 Alabama to its home field on Wednesday night before traveling to Provo for the three-game series on Friday and Saturday.  

THEY'RE BACK

It was a slow start to the season for the BYU pitching staff, but after going 5-0 in its home and conference debut the staff looks to be gaining confidence on the mound. 

Tori Almond earned two wins in solid performances against Marist and San Diego. She pitched 13.1 innings and gave up only one earned run on seven hits. She held San Diego hitless in her 3.1 innings of work on Saturday and ended the week with 12 strikeouts and a 0.53 ERA. 

Hannah Howell, who picked up a majority of the innings due to injuries in the preseason, also got back on track. She earned two wins against San Diego and added 13 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.93 to her weekend stats. She was also named College Sports Madness Pitcher of the Week for the PCSC. 

CONSISTENT CLAYTON

Senior shorstop JC Clayton has been as consistent as they come for BYU softball. The California native made an impact right away for the Cougars, starting in 54 games her freshman year. She had a career-high 80 hits that season alongisde a .430 batting average and a career-high 56 runs scored. Her consistency througout the season helped lead BYU to its first ever NCAA Super Regional against Arizona. 

In her sophomore and junior seasons she started in every game and continued to add to her impressive freshman stats, leading the Cougars to two more NCAA Regional appearances and two conference championships. 

In her first three years at BYU, Clayton garnered Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year, Mountain West All-Conference First Team, Easton Second-Team All-American, NFCA All-Region First Team, All-WAC First Team and two BYU Offensive Player of the Year accolades. 

At the beginning of this season, she was named to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2013 USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year. With four hits against USD on Saturday, she surpassed Angie Quiocho to hold the new all-time hit record with 269 career hits. Clayton also set a game record in game two on Saturday against the Toreros for stolen bases in a game with four.

“JC has been a cornerstone on our team for four years now,” Eakin said of her accomplishment. “She is a complete player. This record could stand for a very long time.”

Clayton is also second in career batting average with .403, fourth in career runs scored with 169, second in career triples with 9 and third in career stolen bases with 38. She has also won three of the seven PCSC Player of the Week honor’s so far this season. 

WHERE TO WATCH

Friday's game will be broadcast live on BYU Radio-Sirius XM 143, while Saturday's doubleheader will be broadcast via BYUtv.