Pitching and power-hitting led the way as Houston ended an 11-game losing skid in Big 12 play with a 9-1 win over Texas at Schroeder Park on Friday night.
Harold Coll singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the second inning . . . Ace Reese was hit by a pitch and Cary Arbolida (2-for-3) followed with a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position while becoming the first out of the inning . . . A wild pitch with two outs scored Coll and gave Houston a 1-0 lead.
Anthony Tulimero (3-for-4) was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning with Houston still leading by a run . . . Coll singled into left field before being erased on a double play which moved Tulimero to third base . . . Arbolida got a chance to swing the bat with two outs and he delivered . . . Arbolida hit a drive 411 feet over the wall in center field to the right of the batter’s eye and the Cougars led 3-0.
Houston starter Owen Woodward, making his first start of the season, was perfect through 4 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts . . . A solo home run with one out in the top of the fifth inning broke things up and Woodward struck out the following batter with noticeable discomfort on the strikeout pitch . . . Woodward’s first pitch to the next batter was his last of the night as he was in visible pain after he released the pitch and he tossed his glove to the ground.
Woodward exited the game at 72 pitches and in an interesting twist, Saturday’s scheduled starter Cade Citelli took the mound to record the final out of the top of the fifth inning.
Jonathan French led off the bottom of the inning with a sole home run to left field . . . Justin Murray put down a surprise bunt and he beat the throw to first base for a one-out single . . . After an attempted double-steal resulted in an out at home plate, Murray was second base when Tulimero singled into shallow center field to give Houston a 5-1 advantage.
Reese led off the bottom of the sixth inning by slicing a single into left-center field . . . Arbolida demolished a 1-1 pitch that disappeared into the night as it traveled toward Elgin Street and Houston led 7-1.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Coby DeJesus singled to left field reaching base for the first time in the game . . . Tulimero homered to left field with two outs, a two-run blast to give Houston an eight-run advantage heading to the ninth inning.
Citelli dominated over the final 4 1/3 innings allowing Texas just one base runner on a seventh inning single . . . Citelli faced the minimum in three different innings and finished with six strikeouts and no walks and improved to 2-0 on the year with the win.
“I had everything working. In the pen I had to warm up fast, you know. It’s unfortunate what happened to Woody,” Citelli said after the game. “I had all my pitches working and I pounded the strike zone.”
Asked about the difference for a pitcher between being a regular starter last year and being used out of the bullpen this season, Citelli keeps it simple.
“Nothing changes. I mean, it’s all routine, staying with it every day,” Citelli said. “That’s all it takes. I know I have the stuff, just getting ahead early, that’s a big difference from last year.”
After the game, Arbolida laughed when asked about putting down a sacrifice bunt in the second inning before hitting two home runs later in the game.
“I mean, it helped. It got me to see the ball a little bit better,” Arbolida said. “I was just working on trying to hit the ball hard.”
“I just saw a fastball up a little bit and then took it that way, up and out, and took it over right-center,” Arbolida said of his first home run. In describing his second home run, Arbolida said, “I just missed his hanging slider, and then he threw another one, and I just took it over the left field fence.”
Arbolida described how not overthinking has been key to his recent success at the plate. Like Citelli, the simple approach is the one that is working right now.
“Just trying not to think too much, because when I think too much, that’s when it goes downhill,” Arbolida said. “So I just try not to overthink and just trust what Kiv’s teaching us and tee it up and just go with that.”
Woodward ended his outing with ten strikeouts and he allowed just the one hit in a nearly perfect outing . . . Neither Houston pitcher walked a batter and the two combined for 16 strikeouts.
The Cougars and the Longhorns get back to it on Saturday evening at Schroeder Park . . . Citelli was scheduled to make his first weekend start of the season in the middle game, but his surprise appearance after Woodward’s departure means a change in plans, it is unknown as of now who will make the start Saturday . . . A 6:30pm first pitch is scheduled.
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