Houston Tops Arizona State to Even Series Ahead of Season Finale

Houston faced Arizona State Friday at Schroeder Park

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston evened the weekend series with Arizona State on Friday night winning 5-3 at Schroeder Park.

Back-to-back home runs opened the game as Arizona State took a quick and early 2-0 lead.

Blake Fields walked to lead off the bottom of the third inning . . . The Arizona State staff, likely noticing the drop in velocity by ace Cole Carlon, went to the mound and after a short conference the left-handed was removed from the game and a replacement was allowed time to get ready.

With one out, Tyler Cox tripled home Fields and Cox scored moments later on an infield single by Tre Broussard . . . After Broussard was replaced by pinch-runner Irvin Weems, Weems stole second base, and Cade Climie doubled to the right field corner to bring Weems across the plate to tie the game at three.

Houston starter Paul Schmitz gave up two early solo home runs, and then another solo home run in the third inning, but he gave his team four innings and struck out five batters, including striking out the side in the third inning.

After the seventh inning stretch, with the game still tied, Fields led off by sending a baseball high into the night toward Elgin over the wall in left-center field, it was his third home run of the season and it gave the Cougars their first lead of the night, 4-3.

An inning later, Climie led off by legging out a single to third base . . . With one out, Carsten Sabathia III walked before Antonelli Savattere singled into center field to load the bases . . . Riley Jackson was hit by a pitch to force Climie across the plate and Houston took the 5-3 lead.

Jackson, on a night when he had little luck at the plate (hit-by-pitch RBI aside), showed up on defense tracking down some tough ground balls at first base, one he tossed to Harrison Boushele for an out and the other he took himself to record the final out of the eighth inning.

Jackson LaLima made an incredible play to record the final out of the game at first base . . . LaLima, a late-inning substitution at third base fielded a bouncing ball as he moved toward the pitcher’s mound, he fielded the ball cleanly and whipped a throw in one motion to first base where Jackson stretched and scooped the ball, the play was close but the out call was upheld on review.

Boushele was superb in relief of Schmitz, pitching the final five innings in nearly perfect fashion . . . Boushele allowed just two hits and no runs . . . Boushele worked around a defensive error in the seventh inning and induced an inning-ending double play to face the minimum . . . Boushele also faced the minimum in top of the ninth inning to close out the 5-3 victory.

Houston and Arizona State will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Schroeder Park . . . First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.

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Houston Sweeps 2026 Silver Glove Series, Run-Rules Rice 14-3

Houston faced Rice for the third time this season on Tuesday.

By Steve Parkhurst

It only took seven innings Tuesday night for Houston to complete a sweep of the Silver Glove Series over Rice with a 14-3 run-rule victory at Schroeder Park.

A nine run first inning set the tone for Houston as they sent 14 batters to the plate . . . The Cougars took advantage of five walks and a hit by pitch, and added five base hits to create the early separation from the Owls . . . And Rice went to the bullpen twice in the first inning.

The three Rice runs were all unearned, aided by two defensive errors . . . In total, the Houston staff did not allow an earned run in the seven innings the game lasted.

Houston has a day off before the face Big 12 opponent Arizona State at Schroeder Park with the series starting Thursday to close out the regular season schedule . . . First pitch Thursday is set for 6:30pm.

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Cougars Drop Final Game in Tucson, Settle for Series Win

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston returns home with a Big 12 series win, but the Cougars were denied a sweep on Sunday in Tucson as Arizona used an eighth inning rally to win 6-5.

Houston was trailing 4-0 when Arizona went to the bullpen to open the sixth inning . . . The Cougars put the first five hitters of the frame on base, starting with Tyler Cox who was walked before Tre Broussard (2-for-4) singled to reach base . . . Cade Climie was walked to load the bases for Antonelli Savattere who then singled into shallow right-center field to get Houston its first run of the game.

Xavier Perez was walked to force in Broussard and the deficit was cut in half . . . Carsten Sabathia III flew out to center field to score Climie on the sacrifice fly ball and the Cougars trailed by just a run.

Blake Fields delivered a two out single to clear the bases and Houston took a 5-4 lead as the Cougars batted around in the frame.

The Wildcats scored a run in the seventh inning to tie the game and a run in the eighth inning to take the lead.

Houston returns home and will welcome Rice to Schroeder Park on Tuesday evening . . . The sole midweek game will be game three of the 2026 Silver Glove Series, which the Cougars have already claimed by virtue of winning the first two games this season . . . First pitch on Tuesday is set for 6:30pm.

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Houston Outlasts Arizona in 13 Innings Saturday Night

By Steve Parkhurst

It took 13 innings, but Houston was able to claim its second Big 12 series win of the season with a 7-5 victory over Arizona in Tucson on Friday night.

Riley Jackson broke the scoreless tie when he led off the top of the second inning with a one-handed moonshot over the left field wall, his ninth home run of the season, giving Houston a 1-0 lead.

The score remained there until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Wildcats plated four runs, most by virtue of some small ball, but capped by a two-run home run.

Tyler Cox (4-for-6) reached first base on a bunt single to lead off the top of the seventh inning . . . Tre Broussard (4-for-7) followed with a single into shallow left field . . . Cade Climie then tied the game at four with a three-run drive to left-center field that travelled 413 feet, it was his 10th home run of the season.

Richie Roman was superb with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four Arizona batters before giving way to left-handed Ryne Rodriguez who pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and allowed just one run.

The game remained tied until the 12th inning when the Cougars finally broke through once again . . . Broussard singled to left field with one out to reach base before he stole second base . . . Climie then pounded a ball to the wall in left-center field, easily scoring Broussard for the 5-4 lead on Climie’s fourth RBI of the game on his third base hit of the night.

But Arizona tied the game once again in the bottom of the 12th inning.

In the top of the 13th inning, Jackson LaLima blooped a single into center field to put Houston in front once again . . . Leading by one run, Broussard hit a sacrifice fly and the RBI extended the Cougar advantage to 7-5.

Houston and Arizona will conclude the weekend series on Sunday in Tucson with a first pitch scheduled for 1pm CT.

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Houston Opens Trip to Arizona with 7-4 Win

By Steve Parkhurst

Behind the second consecutive strong start by Kendall Hoffman, Houston took game one of the weekend opener 7-4 against Arizona Friday night in Tucson.

With one out in the top of the first inning after Tre Broussard singled and stole second base, Xavier Perez dropped a single into right field with two outs to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead . . . The single for Broussard extended his current hitting streak to eight games.

Arizona tied the game in the bottom of the first inning, but Houston responded in the top of the second inning . . . With two outs, and Riley Jackson at second base after a leadoff double, a potential inning-ending pop up off the bat of Jackson LaLima was dropped by the Wildcats shortstop and Jackson scored from second on the error for a 2-1 Houston lead.

Leading 4-2 in the top of the sixth inning, the Cougars offense went about padding the lead behind Hoffman . . . Jackson LaLima singled home two runs chasing Arizona starter Owen Kramkowski . . . Tyler Cox (3-for-5) greeted the new pitcher with a two RBI double for a 7-2 advantage.

The three spot in the sixth inning proved to be the deciding margin of victory over Arizona in the opener.

After the third inning, Hoffman did not allow a hit until the eighth inning, with no Wildcat batters reaching base in three of those four innings.

The final line for Hoffman does not do justice to the quality of his outing on Friday night . . . Hoffman allowed just two runs through seven innings and took the mound for the eighth inning when three straight hits led to two more Arizona runs before Alex Solis was summoned from the bullpen to record the first out and then Ryne Rodriguez followed to get the final two outs.

A week ago, Hoffman pitched 8 1/3 innings against Cincinnati and was given no run support in the tough luck loss.

Houston and Arizona will resume the weekend series on Saturday evening with a first pitch scheduled for 8pm . . . Paul Schmitz will be on the mound for the Cougars look to win the road series.

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Houston Tops McNeese 4-2, Pitching Strikes Out 14

Houston preps for McNeese ahead of Wednesday’s midweek.

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston topped McNeese 4-2 Wednesday night at Schroeder Park to conclude back-to-back home-and-away midweek games.

Tre Broussard, batting in the two spot on Wednesday after having hit leadoff for a few games, singled into center field with one out and then stole second base moments later . . . With Broussard moving toward third base on a steal attempt, Cade Climie punched a single through the hole at third base into left field and Broussard scored easily for a 1-0 lead.

Still leading by a run in the bottom of the third inning, Jackson LaLima sent a no-doubter 414 feet over the left field wall with one out for a 2-0 lead.

Lefty Chris Scinta started for the Cougars and despite allowing three singles in the first inning, yielded nothing to the Cowboys offense in one inning of work . . . Freshman Connor Udland took the mound to start the second inning and retired the next nine straight batters he faced, a perfect three innings pitched, and he struck out four McNeese batters.

Harrison Boushele took the mound to start the fifth inning and proceeded to toss four scoreless innings, two of them perfect, and allowing just one base hit in each of the other two innings.

Climie and Xavier Perez opened the bottom of the sixth inning with singles and a sacrifice bunt by Riley Jackson moved both into scoring position . . . Carsten Sabathia III grounded out and scored Climie to give the Cougars a three run advantage.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Tyler Cox singled before Broussard (3-for-4) singled for his third hit of the night . . . Climie (4-for-4) drove in Cox with a single into left field and Houston led 4-0.

A two out two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning closed the margin by half, but Richie Roman was able to strike out the final McNeese hitter to close out the 4-2 victory.

Houston pitchers combined to strikeout 14 McNeese batters.

Houston will welcome Cincinnati to Schroeder Park for a Big 12 weekend series on Friday night . . . Action is scheduled to get underway at 6:30pm, with weather a possible factor in the series this weekend.

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Cougars Fall to the Lumberjacks in Midweek Road Game

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston fell to Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches 5-2 on Tuesday afternoon to conclude their latest road trip.

The Lumberjacks used three singles and a walk to scratch across two runs in the bottom of the first inning for an early 2-0 lead.

Those two runs stood as the only score until the top of the fifth inning when the Cougars put together a two out rally . . . Antonelli Savattere and Dylan Maxcey set the table with back-to-back singles before Jackson LaLima took a pitch high and out of the zone and dumped it into left field for a run-scoring single . . . Tre Broussard was then walked on five pitches to load the bases and the Lumberjacks went to their bullpen for the second time in the game to get out of the jam leading 2-1.

SFA added three more runs to their tally in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 5-1 lead.

LaLima delivered again for the Cougars in the top of the seventh inning when, batting in the nine spot, he hit a one out solo home run over the left field wall to shrink the Lumberjack advantage to three, 5-2 . . . The home run was the eighth of the season for LaLima.

Alex Solis, Ryne Rodriguez, and Diego Luzardo all pitched scoreless relief to give the Cougar offense a chance to get back in the game . . . Luzardo took the bump for the bottom of the eighth inning and retired all three batters he faced, two of them by strikeout.

The Cougars are headed back home and will be in action Wednesday night against McNeese for a second game of the midweek . . . For Houston it will be the first game at Schroeder Park since April 11 when they closed out a series with BYU . . . First pitch Wednesday night is set for 6:30pm.

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Cougars Undone by the Horned Frogs in Run-Rule Finale

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston was run-ruled 14-2 in seven innings by TCU on Sunday to put an end to a dreary weekend at Lupton Stadium in Ft. Worth.

The Cougars were held scoreless until the game was all but over, plating two runs in the top of the seventh inning, one on a passed ball and the other on a sacrifice fly ball off the bat of Justin Cherrington in a pinch-hitting appearance.

The Houston offense did not have a strikeout until the fifth inning as they were at the plate swinging and putting the ball in okay, often right at defender . . . Cougar batters registered eight fly ball outs before the first strikeout was recorded.

The Houston offense was held to just five hits in the ballgame as a trio of TCU pitchers controlled the game.

Diego Luzardo (one inning), Cameron Edmonds (2/3 inning), and Alex Solis (1/3 inning) were the only three Houston pitchers not to allow a run.

The Cougars will next be in action on Tuesday afternoon in Nacogdoches where they will face Stephen F. Austin at 4pm before returning to Schroeder Park to play host to McNeese on Wednesday night.

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Cougars Lose Opener to TCU; Climie Homers Twice

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston was overpowered by TCU 8-3 at Lupton Stadium on Friday night to open the Big 12 weekend series.

The Cougar offense had few answers for the pitching staff of the Horned Frogs, with Cade Climie being the exception.

Climie hit two home runs, one to left-center field, one to right-center field, both came on 1-0 pitches, and neither came with runners on base, to help keep up with the output of the TCU offense.

Caleb Kimble provided an inning of scoreless work in relief of starter Kendall Hoffman who pitched six complete innings . . . Diego Luzardo, making just his third appearance of the season, entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and retired the only batter he faced.

With the Cougars trailing 8-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Antonelli Savattere singled home a run but that was all Houston could score in the game.

The Cougars and the Horned Frogs will play the middle game of the series Saturday afternoon at Lupton Stadium . . . Houston will send Paul Schmitz to the mound with a first pitch is set for 2pm.

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Cougars Claim Another Silver Glove Series with 4-3 Victory at Rice

Houston played game two of the Silver Glove Series at Rice on Tuesday

By Steve Parkhurst

After a delay of one hour and fifteen minutes due to weather, Houston outlasted Rice 4-3 Tuesday night at Reckling Park to claim the Silver Glove Series for the fifth season in a row.

The Cougars took an early lead when Xavier Perez drove in the first run of the game in the top of the first inning with a double to the wall in right field . . . Houston added a run in the top of the second inning when a throwing error on a Jackson LaLima sacrifice bunt attempt gave Houston a 2-0 advantage.

Rice tied the game in the bottom of the second inning and forced Houston to the bullpen with two out in the bottom of the third inning.

Right-hander Alex Solis retired the next seven straight batters, including striking out the side in the fifth inning . . . Solis struck out six Owls and yielded just one run when a leadoff batter hit by a pitch eventually came around the bases to score.

Max McCraray took the mound in relief of Solis in the bottom of the seventh inning and retired the next three batters he faced into the eighth inning.

Cade Climie put Houston in front in the top of the fifth inning with a home run over the left field wall, it was his fifth home run of the season.

The Owls tied the game at three in the bottom of the seventh inning and after a scoreless eighth inning, the stage was set for drama and heartbreak in the ninth inning or beyond.

Richie Roman took the mound in the eighth inning with one out and retired the final two outs to keep the game knotted up at three.

After two quick outs in the top of the ninth inning, Riley Jackson willed a ball over the wall in left-center field to give the Cougars their final run, and the deciding one . . . The home run was the eighth home run of the season for Jackson.

After retiring the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth inning, Roman hit batters on consecutive pitchers to give the Owls two free baserunners . . . A fly ball that looked destined for the left field berm off the bat was reined in easily by Blake Fields on the warning track and victory was secured.

The Cougars and the Owls still have one game yet to play in the Series this season, that will take place on May 12 at Schroeder Park . . . For both teams it will be the final midweek game of the season.

Houston will be back in action this weekend up in Ft. Worth where they will take on TCU in Big 12 play . . . First pitch on Friday is set for 6pm.

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