Month: March 2023

Late Heroics Lead Houston to 5-4 Win in 10 Innings

Josh Ekness was on the mound Friday as the Cougars opened conference play

Houston used a rally in both the ninth and tenth innings to rally past No. 8 East Carolina 5-4 in the opening game of conference play on Friday night at Schroeder Park.

Josh Ekness made his first Friday night start on the mound for Houston and was really good against a Pirates offense that can score runs . . . Over 6 2/3 innings, Ekness kept Houston in the game with his power-pitching on full display.

Catcher Anthony Tulimero was the extent of the Houston offense until the late inning comeback . . . Tulimero led off the bottom of the second inning with a home run to left field for the early 1-0 lead . . . A sixth inning one-out walk to Alex Lopez was followed by a two-out Tulimero double to left-center to get Houston to within a run at 3-2.

Justin Murray replaced Ekness on the mound and handled the final 3 2/3 innings of the game without allowing a run and even playing some good defense on the mound, helping his own cause late in the game.

Trailing 4-2, Murray led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single, his only hit in four plate appearances . . . Brandon Burckel (2-for-4) followed with a single of his own . . . Ian McMillan put down a sacrifice bunt to move the tying run to second base with one out . . . Brandon Uhse, in a pinch-hit appearance, grounded out to shortstop, scoring Murray from third base . . . Malachi Lott then sliced an opposite-field double to the wall in left field to tie the game and eventually send it to extra innings.

Lopez led off the bottom of the tenth inning with a double, taking advantage of some sloppy outfield play by East Carolina to alertly wind up on second base . . . Cameron Nickens, the reigning player of the week in The American, then bounced a single between first and second base into right field to allow Lopez to cross the plate as the winning run from second base . . . For Nickens it was his only hit in five plate appearances.

Houston Head Coach Todd Whitting pointed to the tenth inning plate approach by Nickens on a tough night at the plate overall. “Proud of Cam for having a selfless, tough at-bat to win the game,” Whitting said. “A tremendous at-bat against one of best bullpen guys in country.”

Friday night was the first game this season that East Carolina has played a game outside of North Carolina . . . The 5-4 loss was just the Pirates seventh loss of the season in 26 games . . . Murray earned the win, his first of the season, and continues to be impressive on the mound . . . In Murray’s seven relief appearances, he has allowed just a single earned run.

The Cougars (13-13, 1-0) and the Pirates (19-7, 0-1) resume their weekend series on Saturday at Schroeder Park . . . Paul Schmitz will be on the bump for Houston . . . First pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm.

Cougars Notebook – March 27, 2023

Cameron Nickens has been named Player of the Week in The American.

By the numbers:

.375 average

9 runs scored

2 doubles

5 home runs

9 RBI

“The sophomore had at least one home run in each of Houston’s victories last week. He also had hits in every game and multiple hits in three contests,” added The American via their press release.

Houston Homers Seven Times on Sunday, Wins 18-9

Josh Ekness throws the first pitch Sunday at Schroeder Park

Houston reached double-digit runs for the second day in a row on Sunday defeating UT Arlington 18-9 at Schroeder Park to end the weekend overall with a 2-1 record.

Cameron Nickens led off the bottom of the second inning with a home run to give Houston a 1-0 lead.

One inning later, Ian McMillan (4-for-5) led off with a home run of his own, but the Cougars were not done in the frame . . . A one-out single by Malachi Lott was followed by a Zach Arnold single before Alex Lopez made it three-straight singles, this one scoring Lott for a 3-0 lead.

The Mavericks took a 6-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning off of Houston pitching.

The Cougars responded with a four-run frame capped by a home run by Arnold that soared 428 feet and Houston led by a run, 7-6 . . . Nickens then led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his second home run of the game and his fifth of the past week for a 8-6 Houston advantage.

The Mavericks, who scored 15 runs in Friday’s game, would not go away Sunday afternoon.

Drew Bianco was hit by a pitched ball to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning . . . Lott followed with an infield single, his third hit of the game to that point . . . Arnold then with the opposite way with a home run to right field, his second of the game, a three-run shot to give Houston the lead again at 11-9.

Arnold was not done . . . After Lott led off the seventh inning with a single, Arnold launched another home run over the wall in left-center field and Houston had a seven run lead at 16-9.

Brandon Burckel (2-for-4) hit Houston’s seventh home run of the game with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning . . . Brandon Uhse got a pinch-hit opportunity in the same frame and drove in a run to extend the Cougars lead to 18-9.

Lott was 4-for-5 for the second day in a row in the victory . . . Arnold also had four hits in a 4-for-6 performance.

Kyle Ayers and Braden Forsyth handled the final four innings on the mound for Houston and kept the Mavericks from getting back into the game . . . Ayers picked up his first win of the season and is now 1-0 after three innings of quality pitching.

Three different Houston hitters had four hits in the Sunday contest, part of an offensive outburst that saw the team knock out twenty hits

Having evened their record on the year at 12-12, the Cougars are off Monday before playing a midweek game up in Huntsville on Tuesday before returning home to open conference play next weekend against East Carolina . . . First pitch on Tuesday will be at 6:30pm in Huntsville.

Houston, Schmitz Dominate Northwestern 10-2

Paul Schmitz delivers the first pitch of Saturday’s game against Northwestern

After a miserable Friday night performance, the Cougars rebounded on Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats behind right-hander Paul Schmitz for a 10-2 victory.

Zach Arnold got the scoring started in the bottom of the third inning with a RBI single into left-center for a 1-0 Houston lead.

Cameron Nickens hit his third home run of the week, a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Houston a 5-0 lead . . . Malachi Lott was 4-for-5 in the game with a RBI in both the fifth and seventh innings.

Schmitz has earned his way into the weekend rotation and his Saturday outing was another shining example of his efficiency and effectiveness as a starter . . . Schmitz took the game into the seventh inning, when the Wildcats scored their only runs of the game, getting two outs before giving way to Owen Woodward.

After the seventh inning stretch, Anthony Tulimero hit a three-run home run over the wall in left-field, a ball that traveled 406 feet and the Cougars led 8-2.

Woodward handled the final 2 1.3 innings of word and earned his second save of the season . . . Schmitz (1-1) earned his first win of the season.

The Cougars close out the homestand on Sunday when they will face Friday’s opponent, UT Arlington . . . A properly rested Josh Ekness will get the start for Houston, his second consecutive Sunday start . . . First pitch at Schroeder Park is scheduled for 1pm.

Cougars Top Jaguars in Midweek Madness

Houston continued its winning ways of late by defeating Southern 16-7 at Schroeder Park on Wednesday night.

With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Alex Lopez singled to reach base and ended up on third base after an errant throw to first by the pitcher on a pickoff attempt . . . Cameron Nickens (3-for-6) followed with his second two-run home run in the two days to tie the game at two.

Still tied in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Cougars bats came alive . . . Justin Murray led off the frame with a home run to left field to give Houston its first lead of the night . . . One out later, Drew Bianco homered to straight away center field just to the left of the batter’s eye, a two-run shot and the Cougars led 6-2.

RBI singles by Lopez and Anthony Tulimero added to the Houston seven running and Houston led 9-2 going to the fifth inning.

Kyle Ayers made the midweek start for Houston . . . Ayers struggled in the first inning but was throwing hard and stayed in through four innings, striking out nine batters along the way.

A six-run seventh inning padded the Houston lead 16-5.

Despite some mound troubles, Houston closed out the Jaguars by a 16-7 final score, the fifth consecutive win for the Cougars . . . Tommy Egan and Braden Forsyth contributed scoreless frames in the Wednesday victory with Forsyth claiming the win after his solid outing.

Houston has a day off before a weekend series opens at Schroeder Park on Friday . . . The possible weather problems this weekend have altered the Friday first pitch, which is now scheduled for 3pm . . . The Cougars will face UT Arlington on Friday and Sunday, and Northwestern on Saturday night.

Houston Wins at McNeese 9-6, Plays at Home Wednesday

Cameron Nickens homered in the first inning at McNeese on Tuesday

After their three-game sweep in Minnesota, the Cougars returned home late Sunday before traveling to Lake Charles to face McNeese on Tuesday night . . . The Cougars topped the Cowboys 9-6 to make it four victories in a row.

The Cougars got on the board early on Tuesday night and staked starter Cade Citelli to a nice early lead, something Citellie has not been accustomed to in his earlier starts this season.

The second batter in the Houston lineup, Alex Lopez (2-for-3), drew a one-out walk in the top of the first inning . . . Cameron Nickens immediately followed with a home run to left-center field for a 2-0 Houston lead.

Still leading 2-0 in the top of the third inning, Lopez and Nickens hit back-to-back one out singles . . . Catcher Anthony Tulimero (3-for-5) hit a blast off the scoreboard in left-field for a three-run home run to give Citelli a five-run cushion.

In the top of the fifth inning, Justin Murray drove in two runs on a double into the left field corner and Ian McMillan brought him home on a sacrifice fly ball to center field and the Cougars led 8-0.

Citelli was cruising for the most part, striking out eight Cowboys batters over five innings, departing in the top of the sixth inning as he reached 90 pitches in his midweek outing.

The Cowboys got back into the game against the Houston bullpen cutting the Cougars lead to 8-6 late.

Back-to-back one-out singles by Tulimero and Nick Collins in the top of the ninth inning led to a sacrifice fly to right field by McMillan plating Tulimero and the Cougars led 9-6.

Murray took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning and struck out three Cowboys batters to preserve the Houston victory and pick up the save . . . Citelli earned the victory with his excellent start, his first win as a Houston Cougar.

The Cougars (9-11) return home tomorrow to face Southern at Schroeder Park for their final midweek game this week . . . Malachi Lott, who left Tuesday’s game after his at-bat in the first inning due to a possible illness, is likely to start if his health is right . . . First pitch Tuesday will take place at 6:30pm.

Cougars Win 5-2, Sweep Minnesota

Alex Lopez is greeted by his teammates after homering Sunday in the 8th inning

Houston completed its first sweep of the 2023 season in Minneapolis on Sunday by topping Minnesota 5-2 at US Bank Stadium.

Houston trailed 1-0 going into the top of the third inning . . . With two outs in the frame, Drew Bianco singled to reach base . . . Malachi Lott (4-for-4) followed with a single that moved Bianco over to third base . . . A double-steal attempt allowed Lott to reach second, a throw by the second baseman to home plate was wild and allowed Bianco to score the tying run while Lott moved up to third base on the error.

Zach Arnold walked and stole second base before Alex Lopez (2-for-4) lined a single up the middle to score both Lott and Arnold to give the Cougars a 3-1 advantage.

Josh Ekness made his second start on the mound in less than a week, but he was practically just as effective as in the other two outings . . . Ekness departed Sunday’s game with two outs in the bottom of the third inning just shy of 40 pitches and still leading 3-1.

After the game, Head Coach Todd Whitting explained the early departure of Ekness. “Today was a good prep day for Ekness with regard to his routine to start next weekend,” Whitting said. “He was on a very low pitch count as today was more about mindset and preparation.”

With Houston leading 3-2 in the top of the eighth inning, Lott tripled to lead off the frame, it was Lott’s fourth hit of the game batting in the leadoff spot . . . Arnold plated Lott on a sacrifice fly hit to center field . . . Lopez followed with a solo home run over the tall right field wall in US Bank Stadium’s makeshift baseball setup and the Cougars took a 5-2 lead needing just six more outs.

A combination of pitchers followed Ekness after he left the game including Tommy Egan, Dan Wright, Brendan O’Donnell, Nick Ayers, and Justin Murray . . . Murray closed out the Gophers in the bottom of the ninth inning by striking out all three batters he faced.

Houston pitching allowed six runs over the entire three-game series in Minneapolis, two runs in each game.

Coach Whitting heaped praise on the entire team after the game, “Proud of the team for grinding out a road sweep.” And on Lott’s day at the plate Whitting added, “Lott showed what he is capable of every day. He has the ability to beat you with his bat and his speed.”

The Cougars are traveling home after Sunday’s game . . . Houston will then turn around and travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana on Tuesday to face McNeese at 6pm . . . The Cougars will then return home to host Southern on Wednesday night at Schroeder Park.

Houston Rallies in Final Frames to Take Series

Houston rallied for two runs in the ninth inning and two more in the tenth inning to earn a 4-2 victory in ten innings on Saturday afternoon at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Right-hander Paul Schmitz made his second consecutive Saturday start for Houston and was really sharp despite two solo home runs, the only runs he allowed . . . Schmitz tossed 6 2/3 innings, the second day in a row the Cougars starter has pitched until they had two outs in the seventh inning . . . Schmitz was working fast and was very efficient on the mound, only yielding the two solo home runs and striking out seven and he also retired eleven straight batters between the second and the fifth innings.

Houston was hitless in the game until a two-out single by Alex Lopez in the top of the sixth inning, but first base was as far as Lopez would get.

Minnesota starter George Klassen pitched 7 2/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit baseball before being relieved on the mound having baffled Houston hitters all afternoon.

With one out in the top of the ninth inning, Zach Arnold singled to begin a rally, also extending his games-reached streak to 17 games . . . Justin Murray then pinch-hit for Alex Lopez and hit a game-tying two-run home run over the left field wall.

Still tied in the tenth inning, Ian McMillan hit a two-out double down the left field line . . . Drew Bianco drove McMillan home with a double of his own, and that was followed by a Cameron Nickens double to give the Cougars a 4-2 lead.

Brendan O’Donnell, Cade Citelli, and Owen Woodward all pitched in relief over the last 3 1/3 innings and kept Minnesota from starting anything resembling a rally with Woodward recording the final four outs of the game to secure the series win.

Houston and Minnesota conclude their weekend series in Minneapolis on Sunday at noon . . . Expect to see left-hander Malachi Lott on the mound to start the game as the Cougars go for their first sweep of 2023.

Houston Opens Minnesota Series with 3-2 Win

Houston has traveled north to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers this weekend in Minneapolis where the wind chills are not likely to rise above freezing before the Cougars leave town on Sunday . . . The freezing weather partially accounts for why only 247 people attended Friday night’s 3-2 Houston victory.

The two teams are playing this weekend in the unusual baseball setup inside US Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings.

Right-hander Maddux Miller made his first career start on Friday night and was extremely effective, taking the game into the seventh inning while keeping the Golden Gophers off the scoreboard.

With the game still scoreless, Justin Murray (2-for-3) led off the top of the fifth inning with a triple to deep left-center field . . . After a walk to Brandon Burckel and then a steal of second base, Ian McMillan grounded out to shortstop to bring Murray across the plate . . . Drew Bianco then put down a perfect bunt on a squeeze play to score Burckel and give the Cougars a 2-0 advantage.

Still leading 2-0 in the top of the seventh, Brandon Uhse (2-for-4) led off the inning with a single and then stole second base . . . Murray then singled up the middle to plate Uhse and extend the Houston lead.

Miller departed with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning leaving two runners on base as he was right at 100 pitches, easily his longest outing in a Cougars uniform . . . Braden Forsyth took the mound to get the final out and end the seventh inning threat.

Back-to-back solo home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning got Minnesota to within a run . . . But Forsyth stayed in and recorded the six outs he needed to close out the 3-2 road victory. . . Miller improved to 2-0 with the win and Forsyth earned his first save as a Cougar.

Houston and Minnesota resume the weekend series on Saturday . . . Paul Schmitz will be on the mound for his second straight Saturday start . . . First pitch at US Bank Stadium is scheduled for 2pm.