Month: March 2021

Houston Walks-Off Series Finale in 10

Luke Almendarez makes a throw to first in Sunday’s series finale with UTA

Fresh off a Saturday double-header, the Houston Cougars and UT-Arlington Mavericks needed one extra inning to settle Sunday’s series finale at Schroeder Park . . . The Cougars prevailed 5-4 in ten innings to split the weekend series as heavy clouds and sporadic rain showers held of just long enough.

The Mavericks wasted little time getting things going, a two-out single was followed by a two-run home run to right for an early 2-0 lead against Houston starter Ben Sears.

Houston leadoff hitter Brandon Uhse was attempting to bunt and instead got a pitch right in the mid-section of his body . . . He stayed in the game long enough to take his base and was eventually erased on an inning-ending double-play, but he left the game and Jonathan Thomas took his place in the batting order and in center field for the remainder of the game.

Steven Rivas led off the second inning by hitting the first pitch saw over the right field wall . . . The next three straight batters reached base for the Cougars on two singles and a walk . . . Samuel Tormos then hit a chopper to short and the fielders choice allowed Will Pendergrass to score from third . . . With Brad Burckel on third, Tormos took off for second in an attempt to steal second, Mavericks catcher Andrew Miller fired to second and Burckel broke for home, second baseman Tommy Williams was not able to field the throw cleanly, Burckel crossed home plate just moments before Tormos was thrown out at first base allowing the run to count and giving the Cougars a 3-2 lead.

Ben Sears got two outs in the sixth and after a walk he was relieved by Derrick Cherry . . . Cherry got a fly out to center to end the sixth frame for the Mavericks who stranded runners on second and third . . . Sears went 5 2/3 innings and only allowed the two earned runs in the first inning, he exited with the lead and the chance to win the game if the Houston lead held . . . Sunday’s outing was a solid rebound outing for Sears.

Derrick Cherry followed with a scoreless seventh, but the Mavericks tied the game in the eighth as they manufactured the unearned tying run . . . A scoreless ninth for both offenses sent the game to an extra frame.

In extra innings, with the rule in place that a runner starts on second base to begin each inning, the Mavericks immediately bunted their runner to third . . . A shallow fly to right-center was then caught by Steven Rivas and with the runner at third tagging, Rivas fired home, the throw was wide and Houston catcher Kyle Lovelace had to move to his right to field the ball and then dove toward the plate to attempt to get the runner, but the runner was ruled safe at home and UTA took a 4-3 lead.

The Cougars began their half of the tenth with pinch-runner Andrew Papantois on second base . . . Brad Burckel hit a slow roller up the first base line that the pitcher was unable to get a grip on, Papantonis moved to third on the play . . . It was Burckel’s second hit of the afternoon and he was the only Cougar with multiple hits . . . Ian McMillan followed with a single toward second base that the second baseman fielded but his throw to first as he was falling away from first was weak, and it allowed McMillan to reach on the single while Papantonis scored the tying run.

Kyle Lovelace came to the plate with no outs and runners on the corners . . . Lovelace bunted the first pitch between the mound and first base, the first baseman fielded with his glove and tossed the ball home in the same motion but Brad Burckel snuck in around the catchers tag attempt to score the winning run and give the Cougars a 5-4 win.

Ryne Huggins picked up the win, his first of the season, as the result of pitching 1/3 of an inning, ending the tenth . . . All told, Derrick Cherry pitched four innings and did not allow an earned run and added two strikeouts . . . In ten innings, the Cougars offense managed just six hits, but it was enough as five runs scored . . . The Cougars improve to 12-11 with the win Sunday and they spilt the series with the Mavericks; a series which featured thirteen home runs over the four games between the two squads.

The Cougars open conference play Thursday at Schroeder Park when they host Wichita State University for a four game series . . . The Easter weekend schedule will open with Thursday’s game beginning at 6:30pm, a double-header will be played on Friday beginning at 2pm, and the concluding game will begin at 11:30am on Saturday. –

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Hernandez Homers Three Times in Opener, Cougars Drop Twin Bill

Jaycob Deese offers up the first pitch in game two of Saturday’s double-header

The Mavericks of UT-Arlington took both games of a Saturday twin bill by a combined score of 20-14 over the Houston Cougars at Schroeder Park.

Before the Cougars came to bat in the first, they were already attempting to erase a 3-0 deficit . . . With one out, Luke Almendarez hit his first collegiate home run to trim the UTA lead to 3-1 . . . The Mavericks then added a grand slam in the third to increase their early lead to 7-1 . . . Carter Henry relieved starter Blake Schultz in the third.

In the Cougars half of the third, Ryan Hernandez hit a two-out three-run home run to draw the game closer at 7-4 . . . After the Mavericks added two runs in the top half of the fifth, Hernandez hit his second home run in as many at-bats, sending one 424 feet to cut into the UTA lead 9-5.

Hernandez hit his third home run of the game in the seventh, a two-run shot with Luke Almendarez on second after a one-out double to left-center . . . Almendarez (3-for-5) and Hernandez (3-for-4) were the only Cougars with multiple hits in game one, they each had three hits . . . Hernandez is the first Houston Cougar to homer three times in a single game since Connor Wong did it against Tulane in April 2017.

Carter Henry threw 5 2/3 innings in his appearance, allowing three hits and three strikeouts . . . Henry’s outing was a tremendous boost for the bullpen as he ate up a lot of innings after a short start from Blake Schultz . . . Tyler Bielamowicz recorded the first out in the top of the ninth when he went high on the left field wall to bring back what was sure to be a two-run home run, instead it was recorded as a long out.

Mavericks shortstop Josh Minjarez hit his second home run of the game with two outs in the ninth to give his team a 12-7 lead that the Mavericks would hold on to after a scoreless final two innings from the Cougars offense.

Jaycob Deese took the mound for the Cougars in game two, making his first start for Houston but his ninth appearance.

In the bottom of the first, Steven Rivas doubled to plate one run in giving Houston an early 1-0 lead. . . Will Pendergrass followed with a two-run home run to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead . . .For Pendergrass, it was his second home run in as many days and his fourth of the season as he went 2-for-3 and walked once in the second game.

UTA took a 4-3 lead in the fourth when a sacrifice fly to center scored a runner from third who had reached base on a double and then moved over to third on a groundout . . . Brad Burckel put the Cougars back in front when he hit a two-run home run off the scoreboard in right field to give the Cougars a 5-4 advantage in the fourth.

UTA tied the game at five in the seventh on a solo home run to center field as Deese’s night came to an end . . . Prayer relieved Deese after the home run and go three fast outs to end the frame . . . Prayer went 2 2/3 innings being replaced with two outs in the eighth by Layne Looney . . . Looney would add another inning of work, holding the Mavericks and keeping the Cougars within three at 8-5 . . . The Cougars mounted a two-run rally in the ninth but they fell a run short in the 8-7 Saturday finale.

The Cougars and the Mavericks close out the four-game weekend series on Sunday at Schroeder Park . . . Houston has not yet announced a starting pitcher, though with recent history it would be safe to assume right-hander Ben Sears will take the ball for Todd Whitting’s team . . . First pitch is at 1pm. –

Cougars Win Behind Gasser, 4-1

Robert Gasser tosses the opening pitch Friday night at Schroeder Park

The Houston Cougars welcomed the UT-Arlington Mavericks to Schroeder Park Friday night for a four-game weekend set with a 4-1 victory behind another outstanding performance by Cougars starter Robert Gasser.

The two teams were scoreless going into the fourth when the Mavericks plated their sole run of the evening on a single to center by first baseman Dylan Paul.

With two outs in the fifth, Will Pendergrass reached on a bouncer to deep short that he legged-out at first for a single . . . An errant attempted pick-off throw that got past the first baseman moved Pendergrass to second . . . Brad Burckel than drove a ball to the wall in right-center under the scoreboard for a game-tying triple . . . Kyle Lovelace followed with a single into center field that scored Burckel giving the Cougars a 2-1 lead.

Gasser picked-off two runners in the game, both broke for second base as Will Pendergrass fielded throws from Gasser that he relayed perfectly to Ian McMillan at second for both outs.

Will Pendergrass hit a one-out solo home run in the home half of the seventh to extend the Cougars lead to 3-1 . . . As soon as Pendergrass connected on the pitch that was low and inside, he knew it was gone . . . One out later, the Mavericks went to the bullpen for the first time of the evening . . . Pendergrass was 2-for-3 in the Friday contest, as was teammate Kyle Lovelace, the only two Houston players with multiple hits.

Gasser was still strong the later the game went, hitting 93mph on his hundredth pitch in the eighth . . . Gasser, in picking up the win, would go 7 2/3 innings allowing just one run and striking out nine on 111 pitches . . . The outing was Gasser’s longest of the season, surpassing his seven inning start against Texas . . . Derrick Cherry took the mound with two on and two out and got a strikeout to end the UTA threat.

The Cougars added an insurance run in the eighth on a fielders choice off the bat of Tyler Bielamowicz that brought home Luke Almendarez from third . . . Derrick Cherry retired the side quickly in the ninth, striking out two, including the final out . . . Cherry picked up his second save on the year with his 1 1/3 innings on the mound . . . Gasser earned the win, his third of the season.

Ryan Hernandez returned to the lineup on Friday, though in a somewhat limited role . . . Hernandez served as the designated hitter and batted in the three spot, a spot usually occupied by Steven Rivas who was moved to the five spot for the game . . . Hernandez lined a single to left-center in the eighth for his only hit of the game, and his first hit in nearly two calendar weeks.

Houston and UTA square-up again on Saturday in a double-header with the first pitch slated for 2pm . . . Right-hander Blake Schultz with start for the Cougars in game one, and no starter has been named yet for the Cougars in game two. –

Run-Rule Ends Cougars Road Trip

Steven Rivas faces Oklahoma on Sunday in Norman, OK

A disappointing road trip to Norman, Oklahoma came to a close on Sunday as the Sooners swept their three game home series with a 12-2 defeat of the Houston Cougars in a seven-inning run-rule shortened game.

Ryan Hernandez was not in the lineup at all in the weekend series with Oklahoma . . . Ryan has not appeared in a game since last Tuesday when he had a single pinch-hit appearance against Texas A&M.

After being held scoreless through two innings, the Sooners opened up the scoring with four runs in the third inning, capped by a two-run home run to left by Conor McKenna . . . Ben Sears rebounded nicely with a quick fourth inning facing only three batters, striking out one.

The Cougars put together a two-run fifth inning started on a one-out single by Brad Burckel, who moments later stole second . . . Brandon Uhse hit an infield single to third which scored Burckel from third . . . After a single by Will Pendergrass, Steven Rivas doubled deep into the left field corner, Uhse scored easily, but Will Pendergrass was thrown out at home on a nice relay from the third baseman . . . The scoring had cut the Sooner lead down to 4-2.

But the Sooners had a rebound of their own when they exploded for five runs in the fifth keyed by a Brandon Zaragoza two-run home run giving the Sooners a 9-2 lead . . . Ryne Huggins relieved Sears with two outs and ended the inning without further damage.

The Sooners added a run in the sixth on a solo home run, and one-out later Huggins would be relieved by Layne Looney . . . Looney issued two walks and was quickly relieved by Sean Bretz, who also walked two on his way out of the game . . . Maddux Miller entered the game and walked one, the fifth straight Sooner, before getting an inning-ending fly out to center, but Oklahoma had taken a 12-2 lead.

The Cougars had a chance to extend to the game in the seventh with the run-rule in effect for a Sunday game, but after putting runners on first and second courtesy of two lead off walks, a double-play and a strikeout ended the frame and the game as Oklahoma took the game 12-2 and swept the three game series.

Brad Burckel was 2-for-2 in the Sunday contest while Steven Rivas was 2-for-3, the only two Cougars with multiple hits, accounting for four of the team’s seven total hits in the defeat . . . The bottom three spots in the batting order totaled three hits and two walks in the seven inning game, this is always a good sign for the Cougars when the bottom of the order is getting on base, but the top and middle of the order is hampered with the absence of Ryan Hernandez.

The Cougars will now work their way back to Houston where they will host a double-header against Prairie View A&M on Wednesday . . . Look for right-hander Blake Schultz to get one of the starts on Wednesday . . . First pitch is at 2pm from Schroeder Park. –

Cougars Avoid Shutout Late, Drop Game 2 in Norman

Andy Belcik faces the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday in Norman, OK

The Houston Cougars had no answers for the questions the Oklahoma Sooners were posing on Saturday afternoon in Norman, Oklahoma as the Sooners took game two of the weekend by a final score of 19-1.

For the second straight day, Ryan Hernandez was not anchoring the lineup, still nursing an injury . . . Hernandez injured himself on the final play of last Sunday’s win in San Marcos, and has only had one pinch-hitting since then, that came on Tuesday against Texas A&M.

After neither team scored in the first frame, Oklahoma took a modest 1-0 in the bottom of the second on Houston starter Cameron Prayer, making his first Saturday start of the season, but his fourth start overall.

Things unraveled at that point when a four run third was followed by a five run fourth, both of which preceded a six run fifth as Oklahoma took a commanding 16-0 lead.

Oklahoma starter Jake Bennett went six strong innings allowing just two hits and striking out six on an efficient seventy-six pitches . . . While the Sooners bullpen kept Houston off the scoreboard, Oklahoma was adding to their lead on a three-run home run in the seventh to extend the lead to 19-0.

Houston finally got a run across the plate in the eighth when Brad Burckel singled to score Luke Almendarez from third to make the score 19-1 . . . Almendarez was on base after his second single of the afternoon, he was 2-for-3 in the game and the only Cougars with more than one hit.

Carter Henry pitched the seventh and eighth innings for the Cougars, he was the only pitcher that Oklahoma did not score on . . . Henry allowed two hits, as the Sooners collected twenty total hits on Saturday.

The Cougars will try to salvage a game on this road trip when they face-off against the Sooners again on Sunday . . . Ben Sears will be on the mound for Houston . . . First pitch will be at noon. –

Gasser Fans 11, Cougars Fall in Norman

Tyler Bielamowicz faces Oklahoma starter Wyatt Olds in Norman on Friday

The Oklahoma Sooners welcomed the Houston Cougars to Norman, Oklahoma with a 7-2 defeat on Friday night . . . A close contest at the middle point of the game, turned into a runaway shortly thereafter.

Robert Gasser (2-2) took the mound for Todd Whitting’s team and despite eventually being tagged with the loss, he kept the game close and struck out eleven Sooners in 5 1/3 innings of work.

Tyler Bielamowicz hit a home run on the first pitch of the second inning from Oklahoma starter Wyatt Olds to put the Cougars in front 1-0, their only lead of the game.

The Sooners tied the game in the second after two singles and a fielder’s choice left the bases loaded . . . A batter hit by a pitch scored the Sooners one and only run in the inning, an unearned run against Gasser . . . Sooners took a 2-1 lead when the first batter of the third inning homered to right.

Brandon Uhse hit a triple with one out in the sixth, but the Cougars could not get him home.

Sooners added three runs in the sixth when they loaded the bases before two singles plated three runs.

The Cougars got a run closer in the seventh when Ian McMillan doubled with one out, and after a wild pitch moved him to third, Will Pendergrass brought him home on a sacrifice fly to left field to get Houston to within 5-2.

Brandon Uhse doubled down the third base line with one out in the eighth, but the Cougars were unable to score him after that . . . Uhse 2-for-4 and was the only Cougar with more than one hit, and he accounted for two of the four Houston extra-base hits.

Jaycob Deese, who relieved Robert Gasser in the sixth, went 2 1/3 innings getting the game into the eighth when he exited with one out in favor of Maddux Miller . . . Miller closed out the inning with the Sooners leading 7-2.

Ryan Hernandez did not start and he did not see a pinch-hit appearance as he did against the Aggies on Tuesday . . . Hernandez continues to be nagged by a muscle injury he sustained last Sunday on the final play against Texas State . . . It goes without saying, the Cougars lineup looks a lot different when Ryan is absent.

If the Cougars are to continue their road series win streak, they will have to begin with a win on Saturday when the two teams match-up again . . . Cameron Prayer will be on the mound making his first Saturday start and his second straight weekend start . . . First pitch on Saturday is at 2pm. –

Timely Hitting, Tough Pitching Lead Aggies Past Cougars

Blake Schultz throws the first pitch against Texas A&M on Tuesday

The Houston Cougars had few answers against Texas A&M at Schroeder Park on Tuesday night as the Aggies walked away 9-4 winners.

The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the first inning when a bases loaded groundout by Tyler Bielamowicz scored Brandon Uhse from third base . . . But that would be the only Cougars run until they plated three more in the fifth inning.

The Cougars fell into a deficit in the second inning when the Aggies nine-spot hitter, Kalae Harrison, hit an opposite field grand slam that just cleared the left field fence . . . Ryne Huggins entered the game in the second and ended the bigger threat even while walking one batter as the Aggies held the 4-1 lead.

The Cougars were without Ryan Hernandez in the middle of the lineup, for the most part, Hernandez was injured on the last play of Sunday’s win and was held out defensively Tuesday as part of a day-to-day routine . . . Ryan saw one at-bat in the fourth as a pinch-hitter, but the appearance was to no avail.

The Aggies added to the lead on a two-run home run in the fourth by Austin Bost . . . Andy Belcik entered the game with no outs and worked out of a jam to keep the Cougars in the game.

Ryne Huggins pitched two important innings, carrying the game into the fourth for the Cougars after the short outing by starter Blake Schultz.

The Cougars mounted a rally in the fifth when Luke Almendarez (2-for-5) led off the inning with his second hit of the night . . . With one out, Tyler Bielamowicz went with a pitch and drove it into right field for a single, Almendarez moved to third on the play . . . Ian McMillan promptly drove a line drive into left scoring Almendarez . . . Will Pendergrass (2-for-4) then drove in two runs with a single to right cutting the Aggies lead to 6-4 before the fifth ended . . . Pendergrass and Almendarez were the only Cougars hitters with more than one hit in the Tuesday contest.

Andy Belcik left the game in the sixth with two outs, the importance of his outing on Tuesday cannot be overlooked, he ate up some big innings in the middle of the game and kept the Cougars in the game.

The Aggies scored two in the sixth to increase their lead to 8-4.

Ben Sears pitched a scoreless seventh, in a rare midweek appearance for the right-hander, who has been the Saturday starter, but was unable to pitch out of the second inning in his last start against Texas State . . . Sears threw eighteen pitches and struck out two batters, the appearance will likely be considered part of a regular throwing routine for Sears and should not prevent him from starting on Saturday.

The Aggies added a run in the eighth, taking a 9-4 lead that they would hold onto as they sent Houston on the road now with a loss.

In all, eight pitchers saw action for the Cougars on Tuesday night . . . Of the eight pitchers, only three did not yield a run to the Aggies.

The Cougars will now have an off day before leaving for Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in a weekend series . . . First pitch from Norman is at 6:30 on Friday evening. –

Cougars Win Road Series, Improve to 10-5

Houston wins their second consecutive road series in San Marcos on Sunday

Pitching was not the name of the game this weekend in San Marcos, with the notable exception of Robert Gasser in his Friday night start, as the Houston Cougars left town with an 8-7 victory and a series win . . . Houston outscored Texas State over the weekend 29 to 25, a weekend which saw the wind blowing out on Saturday and blowing in on Sunday.

To get the game started in the first, Tyler Bielamowicz took a one out walk, then Steven Rivas singled to right on the next pitch moving Bielamowicz to third . . . Ryan Hernandez hit a liner toward shallow left-center and the Bobcats centerfielder made a sliding grab, but Tyler tagged-up and scored from third to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.

Texas State tied the game at one in their half of the inning, also on a sacrifice fly to center . . . The Bobcats extended their lead in the third when they scored on a single followed by two a two-run home run by Johnny Gonzalez to give them a 5-1 lead.

The Cougars put together a multiple-run inning of their own in the fourth when they got singles from Ryne Edmondson, Will Pendergrass and Brad Burckel . . .  A bases load walk to Kyle Lovelace scored one . . . Brandon Uhse then worked a 2-0 count and Texas State coaches had seen enough from their starter, they went to the bullpen in the middle of the at-bat . . . After the pitching change, Uhse knocked a double into the left field corner scoring two and getting the Cougars to within a run . . . Tyler Bielamowicz tied the game at five with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Neither starter made it out of the fourth inning as Houston starter Cameron Prayer exited in the fourth and was relieved by Jaycob Deese . . . Deese ended the threat after inheriting a runner on first with no outs.

Four straight Cougar batters reached base to lead off the fifth inning . . . Will Pendergrass was one of those four, hitting a single to right that gave the Cougars a 6-5 lead . . . Kyle Lovelace then grounded into a double play that scored a run to make the score 7-5 . . . Brandon Uhse then drove a double into right-center to push the Houston lead to 8-5.

Meanwhile, Jaycob Deese tossed scoreless fifth and sixth innings, but got into some trouble in the seventh before being lifted for Derrick Cherry after three innings of work . . . A run scored on a bases loaded walk, but Cherry struck out three batters to limit the damage . . . Cherry then worked a scoreless eighth.

The Bobcats clawed their way toward a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, after plating on run on a single to left . . . Derrick Cherry then got a bouncer to Brad Burckel who started the game-ending double play as the potential tying run crossed the plate . . . Jaycob Deese improves his record to 2-1 with the 8-7 win and Derrick Cherry earned his first save of 2021 with his three innings of relief pitching.

In a reversal of Saturday’s loss, the bottom five spots in the Cougars batting order saw three batters produce two hits each and it accounted for eleven runners on base and scored seven runs . . . Brandon Uhse was 2-for-4 on Sunday with 3 RBI in the lead off spot . . .Will Pendergrass, Ian McMillan and Brad Burckel each contributed two hits to the road win.

The Cougars close out this road trip with a 3-1 record and have won both road series this season and improve to 10-5 on the 2021 campaign.

The Cougars head back to Houston now and have a day off tomorrow . . . Houston returns to action on Tuesday night at 6:30pm when they host Texas A&M at Schroeder Park. –

Rivas Homers Twice, Cougars Fall in San Marcos

Houston Cougars vs. Texas State Bobcats in San Marcos on Saturday

With rain showers to the north and the wind blowing out at great speed  on Saturday afternoon, the Houston Cougars took their undefeated record on the current road trip to Bobcat Ballpark hoping for a third straight road win . . . In a semi-reversal of Friday night, Houston took an early lead on Saturday, but Texas State pummeled the Houston pitching staff on their way to a 15-9 win.

The Cougars took an early lead in the top of the first, after one-out singles by Tyler Bielamowicz and Steven Rivas, Ryan Hernandez kept things going with the third straight single, driving in Bielamowicz from third to give the Cougars an early 1-0 advantage.

The Bobcats went quickly in the first, but they tagged Houston pitchers for four runs in the bottom of the second to take a 4-1 lead . . . Texas State would score a run in every inning after that, with the exception of the seventh.

The top of the third inning saw some bizarre activity . .  .Brandon Uhse hit a grounder that seemed routine, but a wild throw to first landed Uhse at second base on an error . . . A few pitches later, Tyler Bielamowicz swung and fouled a ball off, but his swing was interfered with by the catcher and while it was not initially called, the umpires convened and eventually got the call right, awarding  Bielamowicz first base and putting two runners on. . . Steven Rivas sent the next pitch over the wall in left-center to tie the game at four . . . For Rivas it was his first home run in two weeks and his seventh of the season.

Texas State did not let the tie score last for long, answering immediately with a solo home run to retake a 5-4 lead. Sean Bretz saw some trouble, exacerbated by hitting a batter with a pitch, but he got double play to second to end the inning and keep the game a one-run affair.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Bobcats padded their lead eventually taking a 7-4 lead into the fifth . . . After blanking Houston in the top of the inning, the Bobcats added a run in the fifth on a bases loaded walk . . .Ryan Hernandez made a diving grab into foul territory on a liner to end the inning.

Ryan Hernandez then led off the top of the sixth with a home run to left, to make the score 8-5 as the Cougars attempted to inch back . . . Texas State got the run right back in the bottom of the sixth on a lead off home run, putting them in front 9-5.

Texas State cushioned their lead in the bottom of the eighth adding six runs and putting a lot of distance between the two squads as  the Bobcats took a 15-5 lead into the ninth.

After two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for Houston in the top of the ninth, Steven Rivas cleared the bases with a grand slam to right, his second home run of the day to go with seven RBI . . . The slam would get the Cougars to within six runs at 15-9, but moments later the Bobcats ended the game and the Cougars road win streak.

Rivas (3-for-5) and Hernandez (2-for-5) each had multiple hits, accounting for five of the Cougars seven hits . . . The bottom five spots in the Cougars lineup were hitless as all hits were generated by the top four in the order  . . . By contrast, the Texas State offense had twenty hits and seven home runs and scored at least one run in six of eight frames.

On an average day nine runs would be enough to win a game . . . Saturday was not average.

The Cougars and Bobcats will play a rubber match Sunday at 1pm to conclude the series . . . The Cougars have not announced a starting pitcher yet, but look for left-hander Cameron Prayer to make his second straight Sunday start, Prayer is rested having not pitched since his shortened start last Sunday. –