HOUSTON — The Sam Houston softball team dropped a pair of games to open the Houston Tournament at the Cougar Softball Complex on Friday.
The Bearkats (5-8) lost a close contest to Pitt in game one then fell to Illinois to close out day one of competition.
Sam Houston will face Pitt again on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Pitt 2, Sam Houston 1
Pitt scored two runs in the fourth inning to slip past Sam Houston on Friday.
The Bearkats took a 1-0 lead in the third when
Haley Mountain hit a lead-off double down the left field line.
Emily Telg dropped down a sacrifice bunt, and
Ellie Grill singled through the right side to bring home Mountain.
Starting pitcher Daryn Gram cruised through the first three innings and got the first batter of the fourth to strikeout. An error got a rally started and back-to-back doubles set the stage for the Panthers to score a pair of runs.
Illinois 8, Sam Houston 0 (5 inn.)
Illinois scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning to hand Sam Houston a run-rule loss in game two on Friday.
Illinois scored two runs in the first, one in the second and two in the third.
Ellie Grill and
Elia Hebel each had singles for the Bearkats.
Julia Herzinger walked, and Grill and
Brodie Quinlan were both hit by a pitch.
