Month: March 2025

Cougars and Bearkats Delayed in the Fifth, Will Resume Tuesday

The Cougars prep at Sam Houston ahead of Wednesday’s midweek.

Due to weather and bizarre circumstances in Huntsville, the Houston Cougars game from Wednesday night at Sam Houston will not have a final and official outcome until next Tuesday, March 18.

Scoreless to begin the second inning, Xavier Perez singled on the second pitch of his at-bat to reach base . . . Aaron Lugo also singled on the second pitch of his at-bat . . . Malachi Lott put down a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher, who mis-played the ball to load the bases on the error.

Cade Climie doubled down the left field line to drive in Perez and Lugo for an early two-run lead . . . A walk to catcher Riley Jackson loaded the bases and the Bearkats went to their bullpen for the first time in the game without an out recorded yet in the inning.

Tyler Cox hit a fly ball to right field and Lott sped home on the sacrifice fly with runners still on the corners and only one out . . . A walk to Tre Broussard loaded the bases before Coby DeJesus brought home the final run of the frame on a sacrifice fly ball to right field and Houston led 4-0.

Sam Houston got a run back in their half of the second inning, and the Cougars offense went to work again.

Perez singled to lead off the top of the third inning and Lugo hit his second home run of the season over the wall in left-center field and the Cougars led by five runs . . . One out later, Climie hit the first pitch of his at-bat about 419 feet over the wall in left-center field for his team-leading sixth home run of the season . . . Jackson hit the very next pitch over the wall in left-center field about 416 feet and Houston took an 8-1 lead.

Lugo was hit by a pitch to open the fifth inning, and after stealing second base, he was on third base after a wild pitch . . . Lott lifted a fly ball to left field, deep enough for it to allow Lugo to score on the sacrifice for a 9-6 lead.

As the bottom of the fifth inning was about to get underway, lightning in the area brought a suspension to the proceedings . . . Game three of the Don Sanders Cup was already scheduled for next Tuesday at Constellation Field down in Sugar Land, now it will serve as the continuance of Wednesday night’s game, the final 4 1/2 innings, before the final and concluding game of the series afterward.

Until this game is complete, none of the records or stats from Wednesday night are official . . . Sam Houston will be batting in the bottom of the fifth inning with no outs and Houston leading 9-6.

The Cougars are back at Schroeder Park before that, as Texas Tech heads to town this weekend to open Big 12 Conference play . . . Nothing is official yet but look for right-hander Paul Schmitz to be on the mound for the Cougars when the first pitch is thrown Friday night at 6:30pm.

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Houston Shuts Out Grambling 16-0 as Offense Stays Hot

Graysen Drezek threw six scoreless in his Saturday start.

Houston won its fourth straight series to start the 2025 season by shutting out Grambling 16-0 at Schroeder Park on Saturday night.

While not putting together a six-run first inning as they did on Friday night, the Cougars did take the early lead and never turned back . . .  A two-out rally started when Connor McGinnis (3-for-4) doubled and then stole third base . . . Xavier Perez (3-for-5) singled between third base and shortstop to plate McGinnis and the Cougars had their one-run advantage.

Cade Climie was walked to lead off the bottom of the second inning and one out later Tyler Cox was hit by a pitch . . . Jake Tatom hammered a single just over the leaping reach of the shortstop and into left field allowing Climie and Cox to score as Houston pushed its lead to 3-0.

The Cougars once again used some two-out magic in the bottom of the third inning . . . Climie homered to left field, his third home run in two games, and Riley Jackson hit the very next pitch over the wall in right-center field while Houston took a 5-0 lead into the fourth inning . . . Climie leads Houston in home runs with five.

The Tigers made their first move to the bullpen to start the bottom of the fifth inning . . . Perez greeted the new pitcher by powering a 1-2 pitch over the video board in right-center field, an estimated 433 feet . . . The blast was the fourth of the season for Perez.

Houston picked up an extra run in the bottom of the sixth inning when a throwing by the Tigers shortstop allowed another two-out run to cross the plate . . . Houston led 7-0 going to the seventh inning.

After the seventh inning stretch, Jackson worked a walk and Cox moved him along with a single . . . Tre Broussard then launched his second home run in as many days, the three-run shot to right-center field put Houston in front 10-0.

Graysen Drezek tossed six innings and allowed just two base hits and struck out four Grambling batters . . . Drezek threw 81 pitches and improved his record to 2-0 this season.

Alex Solis relieved Drezek and tossed two scoreless frames . . . Solis retired six of the seven batters he faced and struck out four of them, including four in a row at one point.

The Cougars tacked on five more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, two on a McGinnis double to the right field wall, two by Perez on a triple to the wall in right-center field, and one on an Anthony Avalos RBI single into right field.

Holding a 16-0 lead, right-hander David Stich took the mound in the top of the ninth inning and got the three outs he needed to make Houston 16-0 winners . . . Houston improved to 10-4 with the win.

 The Houston offense has now scored double-digit runs in five of its last six games . . . The Cougars have outscored their three opponents in that stretch 84-20.

Houston and Grambling will wrap up their weekend series on Sunday . . . The Cougars have not yet named a starter for the game, but the first pitch will be tossed at 1pm at Schroeder Park.

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Houston Opens Grambling Series with 17-5 Win

Cade Climie bats Friday against Grambling at Schroeder Park.

Houston rolled over Grambling 17-5 on Friday night at Schroeder Park to open the final non-conference weekend series of the season.

In keeping with a recent trend, the Houston offense started fast in the first inning on Friday night . . . With one out, Kenneth Jimenez and Connor McGinnis took consecutive walks to get things started . . . Carsten Sabathia singled past the Tigers shortstop into center field to drive in Jimenez, and Houston was just getting started . . . Xavier Perez was walked to load the bases and Aaron Lugo followed with a one run-scoring single.

Cade Climie then hammered a 2-1 pitch to left-center field, the ball cleared the wall near the Houston Baseball billboard for a grand slam and a 6-0 first inning lead.

Still 6-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Sabathia led off the inning with a walk and Perez immediately followed . . . Lugo (2-for-4) sent a ball over the left field wall for a three-run tally and the Cougars led 9-0.

Houston led 9-1 going to the bottom of the fourth inning when another offensive explosion took place . . . McGinnis doubled to lead off the inning and he scored one out later when a bouncer by Perez for an error at third base . . . With two outs, three consecutive walks to Climie, Riley Jackson, and Tyler Cox loaded the bases for the Cougars once again . . . Tre Broussard was swinging at the first pitch he saw and sliced it the opposite way toward the left field corner . . . When the ball cleared the wall, Broussard had the second Houston grand slam of the night, and the Cougars had a 15-1 lead.

This was the first time Houston as a team hit two grand slams in a game since Jake Stewart did it himself in 2008.

Houston starter Paul Schmitz was done after five innings having allowed just one run on three hits . . . Schmitz opened the game by retiring the first seven batters her faced and he improved to 3-1 this season with the win.

Reliever Chris Scinta followed Schmitz on the mound and threw a scoreless frame, getting a timely double play ball to second base to end the inning . . . Andres Perez faced one batter and recorded a strikeout.

Climie, batting in the seven spot Friday night, led off the bottom of the sixth inning with his second home run of the game, his first multi-home run game in a Houston uniform and he finished the game 2-for-2.

The Tigers added two runs in the top of the seventh inning when back-to-back leadoff walks by the Houston bullpen eventually came in to score.

Connor Osier and Nick Moten both made their first appearances of the season out of the Cougars bullpen.

The Cougars improve to 9-4 this season with the victory . . . The 17 runs scored on Friday night marked the fourth double-digit scoring effort in the last five games by the Houston offense . . . Over the last five games the Cougars have scored 73 total runs.

The Cougars and the Tigers will face-off in the middle game of the weekend on Saturday once again at Schroeder Park . . . Graysen Drezek will be on the bump for Houston and he will toss the first pitch at 6:30pm.

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Houston Pummels Rice 18-1, Opens Silver Glove Series Strong

Xavier Perez stops at second base Tuesday night, he was 4-for-5 in victory.

Houston crushed Rice 18-1 at Reckling Park in seven innings via run-rule in game one of this season’s Silver Glove Series Wednesday night.

Four Houston pitchers took part in the victory on Wednesday, with freshman right-hander Kendall Hoffman doing the bulk of the work . . . Hoffman led 4-0 by the time he even took the mound in the first inning and he deftly handled the Owls over the first four innings of the game, all of them scoreless . . . Hoffman struck out seven Rice batters, including four in a row at one point, and he allowed just three base hits, all singles.

Xavier Perez continued his recent surge by leading the Houston offense on Wednesday night . . . Perez was 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, a single, and a total of eight RBI . . . The home run by Perez was a moon shot in the top of the seventh inning, a three-run blast with two outs in the inning.

Cade Climie (2-for-4), batting in the eight spot against the Owls, also added a seventh inning home run, his was a two-run shot and pushed the Houston advantage to 18-1.

Tre Broussard singled to lead off the game, and in the second inning he put a ball in play good for an inside-the-park home run as the Rice right-fielder could not make the play on the ball hit down the first base line . . . The home run counted as Broussard’s second of the season on a 2-for-3 night.

In their last three victories, the Cougars have scored 12, 21, and 18 runs.

Houston is off on Thursday and will open a three game set with the Grambling Tigers on Friday at Schroeder Park . . . This will be the final non-conference weekend series for the Cougars . . . The Cougars and the Tigers get underway at 6:30pm.

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Jean Shines, Cougars Dealt Midweek Loss in Ninth Inning Rally

Ryan Dollar made the Tuesday start against UTRGV at Schroeder Park

Houston was dealt a midweek loss on Tuesday night as UT Rio Grande Valley made a late inning comeback and left Schroeder Park 9-5 winners.

Kenneth Jimenez was hit by a pitch with one out in the Cougars half of the first inning . . . A walk to Connor McGinnis put two runners on base with one out.

Carsten Sabathia drove a low line drive to the right-center field gap, the ball going all the way to the wall allowing Jimenez and McGinnis to score for a 2-0 Houston lead.

The Cougars trailed 3-2 when Riley Jackson was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning . . . A single by Broussard brought Jimenez to the plate with one out . . . Jimenez singled in front of the catcher, who fielded the ball and in an attempt to throw to first base, threw the ball up the line in foul territory . . . The play scored Jackson and tied the game at three.

Still knotted at three after the seventh inning stretch, Tre Broussard led off with a single and then stole second base . . . One out later, Connor McGinnis sliced a ball into the gap left-center field which found its way to the wall, easily scoring Broussard as McGinnis took his spot on second base.

Xavier Perez followed with a double to the right field wall allowing McGinnis to cross the plate and Houston took a 5-3 lead into the eighth inning.

Left-hander Antoine Jean took the mound with one out in the top of the fourth inning and was outstanding over 4 2/3 scoreless innings . . . Jean allowed just one hit and one walk and struck out seven Vaqueros batters in what was perhaps his best outing in a Houston uniform.

The Cougars went to the bullpen to open the ninth inning when things caved in on Houston . . . When the frame ended, the Vaqueros had plated five runs on two relievers and led 9-5 going to the bottom of the ninth inning.

Houston got the first two batters on in the bottom of the ninth inning, both via walk but a swinging strikeout and a ground ball double play ended the game and the Cougars were dealt their first midweek loss of the season in a 9-5 defeat.

Jimenez reached base in his first three plate appearances before recording an out . . . Over the last three games dating back to Friday night in Arlington, Jimenez reached base in 11 consecutive plate appearances including a perfect 7-for-7 on Sunday.

For the Cougars, the Tuesday night affair was the first of five games to be played over the next six days.

Houston travels to Rice on Wednesday to face the Owls in game one of the 2025 Silver Glove Series . . . The game at Reckling Park is set to get underway at 6:35pm.

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Houston Romps 21-8 at UT Arlington, Claims Third Series Win

The Houston Cougars prep to face UT Arlington.

Houston dominated UT Arlington on Sunday afternoon at Clay Gould Ballpark in a marathon game that lasted nearly four hours before the Cougars prevailed 21-8 to take the road series.

The series win was the third straight for Houston to open the 2025 season while the Cougars also improved their record to 7-3.

The Houston offense pounded out 20 base hits and took advantage of eight walks and five batters hit by pitch to score 21 runs . . . The Cougars scored three or more runs in five of the first six innings to build a 19-8 lead.

For the third straight day, Tre Broussard led the game off by reaching base, on Sunday it was on a single to left field . . . The Cougars took a 3-0 first inning lead, but it was quickly reversed with a four-run Mavericks bottom of the first inning and Houston trailed 4-3.

Kenneth Jimenez, batting second in the order on Sunday, was hit by a pitch in each of his first two at-bats on Sunday afternoon . . . Jimenez managed to reach base in all seven of his plate appearances in the game, hitting four singles and taking one walk, while also crossing the plate five times and being stranded on third base in the top of the ninth inning.

Aaron Lugo was 4-for-5 with six RBI and Carsten Sabathia was 3-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Cougars offense . . . Xavier Perez also had two hits, a one RBI double and a two-run home run over the wall in right-center field, and he drove in a third run on a fielder’s choice.

Five Houston hurlers shutout the Mavericks offense from the fifth inning on . . . Malachi Lott pitched two scoreless innings and four of his six recorded outs were via strikeout on his way to improving his record to 2-0 this season . . . Harrison Boushele, Kendall Hoffman, Chris Scinta, and Michael Benzor each threw a scoreless frame to close out the victory.

The Cougars outscored the Mavericks 33-14 in the final two games of the weekend after dropping the Friday opener.

Houston returns home Sunday night for a busy week in which the Cougars play five games over the next seven days . . . Houston will host UT Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday night at Schroeder Park, first pitch is set for 6:30pm.

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Houston Evens Series at UTA in a 12-6 Rout

Houston preps for UT Arlington before Saturday’s middle game.

Houston used two big innings to cruise to a 12-6 victory over UT Arlington at Clay Gould Ballpark on Saturday afternoon to even their weekend road series.

Tre Broussard led off the game with a triple to left-center field . . . The Cougars took a quick 1-0 lead when Cade Climie grounded out on the infield to score Broussard.

Still 1-0 in the top of the third inning, Catcher Riley Jackson led off with a home run to left-center field, his first collegiate home run and the first run of a five-run Houston inning . . . Tyler Cox singled and stole second base before Broussard doubled him home, the third consecutive hit to open the inning.

Connor McGinnis doubled with one out to score Broussard and advanced to third base on a wild pitch where he was when Carsten Sabathia launched his second home run of the season, this one deep to left field for a 6-0 Houston lead as the Mavericks went to the bullpen.

The Mavericks picked up two runs in the bottom half of the third inning, one of them unearned because of a fielding error behind starter Paul Schmitz, but Houston still led 6-2.

There the score remained until the bottom of the seventh inning when UT Arlington plated three runs against the Cougars bullpen, Houston clung to a 6-5 lead.

Xavier Perez, who was a mid-game replacement for Cade Climie, led off the top of the eighth inning with a home run to center field to offer the Cougars a little more breathing room and a 7-5 lead, but the Houston offense still had plenty of fire left.

McGinnis followed with a single and later scored on a wild pitch . . . With the bases loaded, Riley Jackson was hit by a pitch to score a run before an error on the infield on a ball hit by Tyler Cox forced another Houston run across . . . Houston led 10-5 after their half of the eighth inning.

In the top of the ninth inning, Sabathia hit a one out double and he was brought across the plate on a Lugo double . . . Brandon Bishop put a ball in play with two outs and a defensive error allowed Lugo to score and the Cougars lead was 12-5.

A solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning was the final run of the game as Roman put the finishing touches on a three inning save . . . Roman allowed just two hits and struck out five in earning his sixth save . . . Roman has saved all six of the Cougars victories this season . . . Schmitz (2-1) earned the win with his five innings pitched in which he allowed no walks and only one earned run.

Four Houston batters had multiple hits in the Saturday afternoon contest as the Cougars pounded out twelve hits.

The Cougars and the Mavericks will decide their weekend series on Sunday in Arlington . . . Graysen Drezek will take the mound for Houston . . . The game is set to get underway at 1pm.

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