Author: Editor

UCF Evens Series Against Houston with 7-1 Win

Houston faced UCF in the middle game of the series Saturday in Orlando.

The Houston Cougars fell 7-1 in the middle game of their weekend series at UCF Saturday night in Orlando.

After a scoreless first inning for both teams, Carsten Sabathia got the second inning started with a leadoff single into center field and he was quickly moved to second base on a Malachi Lott sacrifice bunt . . . Cade Climie was walked to put two runners on base with one out

Aaron Lugo followed by powering a double to the warning track in left-center field, Sabathia scored easily but Climie was out at home plate on a nice defensive relay throw, which also allowed Lugo to stop at third base, but the Cougars had to settle for a 1-0 lead going to the bottom of the inning.

The Knights took the lead in the bottom half of the second inning when they plated two runs against Houston starter Richie Roman . . . The two runs were the only ones allowed by Roman over six innings of work for the right-hander as he left the game trailing 2-1.

Roman’s six innings pitched was his longest outing as a collegian and he finished at 90 pitches.

Right-hander David Stich followed Roman on the mound and pitched a scoreless seventh inning as he continues to impress with his efforts since making his debut on March 5 against Rice . . . Stich has made five appearances and has allowed just one earned run over 8 1/3 innings pitched.

UCF put the game away in the bottom of the eighth inning when they added five runs to their tally against the Houston bullpen . . . The UCF leadoff hitter reached base on an error, a walk and two batters hit by a pitch added fuel to the fire . . . UCF bats drove in their five runs with two outs.

The Cougars loaded the bases in their final chance at-bat as UCF pitching walked the bases full, but a call the Knights bullpen did the trick, and Houston was dealt the loss to even the weekend series.

Houston and UCF will settle the series Sunday afternoon . . . Look for Graysen Drezek to make the start, though no official announcement has been made as of yet . . . First pitch on Sunday in Orlando is set for 12 noon Houston time.

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Houston Rides Big Inning, Dominant Jean Effort to Big 12 Road Win

The Cougars prep in Orlando before Friday’s game against UCF.

Houston rode a big fifth inning and dominant relief pitching to defeat UCF 7-5 Friday night in Orlando to earn their first Big 12 victory of 2025.

Trailing 5-0 in the top of the fourth inning, designated hitter Malachi Lott (2-for-4) shot a two-out single into right field and Cade Climie (2-for-4) followed by lining a double to the wall in left field allowing Lott to score all the way from first base.

Catcher Riley Jackson led off the top of the fifth inning by hitting the second pitch of the frame over the left field wall and into the Houston bullpen to get the inning started.

Tyler Cox followed by hitting the next pitch into left field for a single . . . After being moved to second base on a groundout, Xavier Perez singled into center field to score Cox and get Houston to within two at 5-3 and the Knights went to their bullpen for the first time in the game.

Connor McGinnis took the first pitch from the new pitcher off his body to reach base . . . After a double steal by Cox and McGinnis, Carsten Sabathia was walked on four straight pitches out of the strike zone to load the bases with one out . . . Lott then lined a 3-1 pitch into the right field corner for a bases clearing triple and a 6-5 Cougars lead.

Climie drove a double into left field to score Lott and Houston took a 7-5 into the bottom of the fifth inning as the Cougars batted around and scored six runs in their half of the inning.

Chris Scinta was the first pitcher out of the bullpen in relief of starter Paul Schmitz in the bottom of the third inning . . . Scinta retired four of the five batters he faced on ground balls and did not allow a hit.

Left-hander Antoine Jean took the mound to start the bottom of the fifth inning and he retired the first eight batters he faced before an error at shortstop allowed a baserunner . . . Jean struck out the next batter, bringing his total through three innings to five.

Jean continued to protect the 7-5 lead and continued to strike out Knights batters . . . One strikeout still yielded a baserunner for UCF as the ball bounced away from catcher Jackson and got trapped between his chest protector and his jersey, such a play is ruled an error and the batter is awarded first base . . . Jean was unphased, he got a fly out to center field and strikeout swinging to send the game to the ninth inning.

In the bottom half of the ninth inning, two UCF singles sandwiched another Jean strikeout, and a third single loaded the bases with one out for the Knights . . . Jean struck out his 10th and 11th batters to end the game and give Houston its first Big 12 victory this season.

Scinta earned the win, his first of the season, to move to 1-0, while Jean earned the unorthodox five inning save, his first of the season . . . Jean’s 11 strikeouts were a season high for him and he did not allow a walk in his five innings of work . . . Houston pitching only allowed three walks in the game, one of which led off an inning and eventually scored.

“Antoine’s performance tonight was as good as I have ever seen out of the bullpen,” head coach Todd Whitting said after the game. “After we scored to go ahead, he literally put the team on his back and carried us to the win.”

The Cougars and the Knights will resume the conference series on Saturday when things get underway at 5pm in Orlando . . . Houston has not yet named a starting pitcher for the game . . . Graysen Drezek, who has been making the Saturday start for the last few weeks, pitched Tuesday against Sam Houston, but that outing was low on pitches for Drezek and it could simply count as a bullpen session.

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Houston Falls to Texas Tech; Two Games Ahead with Sam Houston Tuesday

Connor McGinnis bats Sunday against Texas Tech.

Houston was unable to avoid a weekend sweep at the hands of Texas Tech on Sunday as they fell 11-1 at Schroeder Park.

The Houston offense scored its lone run of the game in the bottom of the third inning when Tre Broussard (2-for-4) doubled with two outs followed by a Connor McGinnis (2-for-3) double, his second double of the day, to score Broussard . . . Broussard and McGinnis were the only Cougars with multiple hits, together they accounted for four of the seven Houston hits.

The Cougars used seven pitchers in the defeat.

Houston (11-7, 0-3) is off on Monday and will resume play on Tuesday at Constellation Field in Sugar Land against Sam Houston . . . The Cougars and the Bearkats will resume this past Wednesday’s suspended game, which Houston is leading 9-6 in the bottom of the fifth inning . . . That game resumes at 4pm on Tuesday . . . The regularly scheduled third and final game of the Don Sanders Cup will begin 45 minutes after the completion of the resumed first game.

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Houston Offense Delivers but Cougars Drop Series to Red Raiders

Graysen Drezek made the start for Houston Saturday night.

Eight runs were not enough for Houston as they fell to Texas Tech 13-8 on Saturday night at Schroeder Park.

The Red Raiders got out to a fast start on Saturday, and they led 2-0 before the Cougar offense had been to the plate . . . A one out walk to Kenneth Jimenez got a rally started in the bottom of the first inning . . . Connor McGinnis then knocked a single into the right field corner to put runners on the corners.

Carsten Sabathia then hammered a ball to center field, the ball hit the wall in flight just to the right of the batter’s eye, Jimenez scored easily on the double . . . Xavier Perez grounded the next pitch toward the Red Raiders shortstop who was unable to field it cleanly, McGinnis scored on the error to tie the game at two apiece.

Perez led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a double to the center field wall followed by a Cade Climie walk with one out . . . The Cougars went to the bench early in this one looking for some production, and Jake Tatom delivered a pinch-hit RBI single into right field . . . Coby DeJesus followed with a pinch-hit double down the left field line to drive in a run and keep the inning going.

Tre Broussard singled up the middle to drive in two more runs and the Red Raiders went to the bullpen for the first time in the game . . . Malachi Lott in a pinch hit appearance, hammered a 3-0 pitch over the wall in right field and the two-run shot got Houston-to within three as a result of the six-run frame, 11-8, and the Red Raiders went to the bullpen once again.

The Houston offense could do no more damage in the final five frames as the Red Raiders got to the Houston bullpen for a couple of runs to create some distance.

Right-hander David Stich tossed two nice innings out of the Cougars bullpen . . . Stich struck out the first four batters he saw and only faced the minimum over the first two innings . . . A leadoff home run in the ninth inning, followed by a walk was the end of the night for Stich who has only pitched in the last couple of weeks with Saturday night being just his third appearance.

Lott entered the game in the top of the ninth inning with a runner on base and no outs, and he retired the only three batters he faced, two of them on swinging strikeouts.

McGinnis and Broussard each had two hits, the only Houston hitters with multiple hits in the game . . . Eight different Cougars collected base hits on Saturday night, one day after two Red Raiders pitchers one-hit the club. 

Houston and Texas Tech will conclude their weekend series on Sunday at Schroeder Park . . . The Cougars have not named a starting pitcher at this time . . . The game will get underway at 1pm.

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Houston Falls in Big 12 Opener to Texas Tech

Paul Schmitz throws the first pitch of the Big 12 season Friday night.

The Houston Cougars had few answers against Texas Tech as they dropped the first game of Big 12 Conference play 4-1 Friday night at Schroeder Park.

Second baseman Connor McGinnis provided the lone Houston hit of the night, a two-out solo home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the fourth inning . . . For McGinnis the home run was his fourth of the season.

The Cougars struggled all evening against the two right-handers that Texas Tech threw against them.

Right-hander Paul Schmitz made the start for Houston and his outing was solid as he allowed three runs over five innings . . . Antoine Jean pitched the final four innings in relief of Schmitz and allowed one run over four innings and struck out six Red Raiders batters.

Houston center fielder Tre Broussard, who has been great defensively all season, made another terrific catch in center field to record the first out of the fifth inning . . . Xavier Perez also made a nice play in right field in which he made a diving catch on his back, moving toward the infield for the first out of the third inning . . . Both catches were made in innings when Texas Tech scored a run, the damage could have been worse if not for the outfield showing the leather.

The Cougars and the Red Raiders will resume the weekend series Saturday night at Schroeder Park . . . First pitch is set for 6:30pm and right-hander Graysen Drezek will be on the mound for Houston, looking to even the series.

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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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