Category: Post Game

Houston Walks-Off Kansas State to Nab First Big 12 Win of the Season

Ryne Rodriguez silenced the Kansas State offense for six innings on Sunday.

By Steve Parkhurst

After being walked-off via run-rule two nights in a row to open Big 12 play this season, Houston returned the favor as it walked off Kansas State 16-6 in eight innings Sunday afternoon at Schroeder Park.

The afternoon got off to a rough start and things looked bleak in the top of the first inning as the Wildcats took a 4-0 lead on a grand slam.

Left-hander Ryne Rodriguez took the mound in relief to start the second inning with the Cougars still trailing by four . . . Rodriguez promptly pitched the next six innings allowing just one unearned run and only three hits on a career-high 88 pitches.

It was an effort the Cougars pitching staff desperately needed after two rough games to open the series.

The Cougars clawed back as Rodriguez was quieting the potent Wildcats offense.

In the bottom of the second inning, Jackson LaLima hit a three-run home run to left-center field, his fourth long ball of the season, and Houston only trailed by a run, 4-3.

Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, shortstop Tyler Cox tied the game at five with a one out solo home run to left field . . . The dinger was the first for Cox in a Houston uniform, his last home run was hit for Dartmouth three years ago to the day.

After Houston went to the bullpen for the eighth inning, Kansas State took a 6-5 lead when a leadoff walk came home to score.

Ball four appeared to be a strike on the outside corner, low and away on that leadoff walk and the umpires heard about the missed call for a while from the Houston dugout . . . When the runner crossed the plate as the go-ahead run a few minutes later, the chatter increased and Houston head coach Todd Whitting was ejected from the game.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, McClane Helton led off with a pinch-hit single on the infield, little did anyone know that he would bat again, and single again, in the frame.

With Helton on second base, Cox (2-for-3) singled to tie the game at six, his second time in as many at-bats to tie the game . . . Tre Broussard was then intentionally walked after the count on him reached 2-0, he would also bat again in the inning.

Riley Jackson then took the next pitch off his batting helmet to load the bases with one out . . . Dylan Maxcey (3-for-4) doubled to the wall in left-center field to drive in two runs and Houston took its first lead of the game, 8-6.

After the Wildcats went to the bullpen, Antonelli Savattere singled into right-center field to plate two more Cougars just before Blake Fields (2-for-2) was hit by a pitch on his lower left leg and he took his place at first base . . . Both Savattere and Fields moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.

LaLima followed by flying out to the warning track in center field, the sacrifice fly RBI made it 11-6 with two outs.

Helton (2-for-2) singled in his second at-bat of the inning, this one to left-center field drove in a run and kept the merry go round moving.

Cox was hit by a pitch as he was attempting to bunt, he was the third batter hit by a pitch in the inning . . . Perez then powered an 0-1 pitch off the center field wall for a double and the Cougars held a 14-6 advantage.

Broussard ended things when he drove a towering shot to center field on a 1-0 pitch, and when the ball bounced off the batter’s eye and back onto the field of play, the Cougars were walk-off winners as chaos ensued around home plate . . . The Cougars scored 11 runs in the frame, more than the nine total runs they had scored in the previous two games.

In postgame comments, Broussard called the previous two days “embarrassing.” But, Broussard was quick to point out that the response to the previous two games was about sticking to the process and executing the game plan.

When asked about the electricity in the dugout as his team battled back, Broussard kept it simple.

“A good dugout, means a good team.”

The Cougars are now off until Wednesday when they will host the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns in a midweek matchup before heading off to Kansas for a Big 12 weekend series in Lawrence . . . First pitch on Wednesday is scheduled for 6:30pm at Schroeder Park.

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Cougars Claim First Game of Silver Glove Series in 13-1 Walk-Off Win Over Owls

Caden Cooper was great over 5 1/3 innings against Rice on Tuesday

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston claimed the first game of the 2026 Silver Glove Series at Schroeder Park on Tuesday night with a 13-1 walk-off run-rule victory over Rice.

McClane Helton wasted no time getting Houston started from the leadoff spot as he singled through the right side in the bottom of the first inning . . . Xavier Perez then punished a baseball, sending it high over the left field wall for an early 2-0 lead.

Dylan Maxcey walked to lead off the bottom of the third inning and Carsten Sabathia III then reached on a throwing error on a line drive off of the pitcher . . . After Antonelli Savattere sacrificed to move both runners up a base on a bunt, Blake Fields hit a sacrifice fly ball to center field to score Maxcey and Jackson LaLima (3-for-5) doubled for the second time in the game to score Sabathia and Houston led 4-0 going to the fourth inning.

Tyler Cox (2-for-3) led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single and Helton (2-for-3) followed with his second single of the game, then Perez was hit by a pitch to load the bases . . . Maxcey flied out to center field and scored Cox on the sacrifice while the Cougars lost a runner on the bases for a second out on the play.

Sabathia was at it again, sending a high, arching home run over the left field wall, the two-run blast was his fifth of the season, and all five of Sabathia’s home runs have come in the last seven games.

  Asked after the game about his fourth inning home run, Sabathia, having fouled off several pitches, admitted to seeing the ball well in the at-bat.

“I think just trying to see it deep,”Sabathia said. “I missed a couple heaters early that I should have attacked. But, once I get the two strikes, I’m just trying to fight, pass the bat back, get on base any way I can.”

“I kind of saw the hanger start at my shoulder a little bit and just tried to stay inside it, and got rewarded.”

Houston added a in the bottom half of the fifth inning to take an 8-0 lead.

Freshman Cade Cooper made the start for Houston and he delivered 5 1/3 scoreless innings allowing just two hits on 62 pitches . . . Cooper allowed a single to the leadoff batter to open the game, but he was erased attempting to steal second base . . . Cooper faced the minimum in the inning and retired the side in order in three other frames . . . He earned the win and is now 1-0 this season.

Alex Solis relieved Cooper in the top of the sixth inning with two runners on base and induced a terrific 3-6-1 double play to end the inning . . . Solis added a scoreless seventh inning before the Cougars went to the bullpen for the final six outs . . . The final out by Solis was a swinging strikeout on 95mph heat.

Rice scored its only run in the top of the eighth inning, a lone manufactured run on a ground out to first base, but the Cougars got the run back in their half of the eighth inning when a bases loaded walk pushed the Houston advantage back to eight runs.

A five-run eighth inning was capped off by a Justin Cherrington grand slam to end the game via the run-rule . . . The slam happened on just the second at-bat of the game for Cherrington, who entered the game in the seventh inning in a pinch-hitting role . . . The home run was the first of the season for the transfer from Yavapai College in Arizona.

Asked about the walk-off grand slam by Cherrington, and the subsequent team celebration, Sabathia was all smiles after the game.

“That’s my guy,” Sabathia said. “Seeing him have that moment is real special. It was a lot of fun. We had a lot of fun for sure.”

From day one of spring workouts, head coach Todd Whitting has talked about the depth of the team this year, and he pointed to that again on Tuesday night following the victory.

“It’s just you can only DH one guy at a time,” Whitting said. “But that’s what I like about this team is all year we’ve consistently had guys come off the bench and give me at least a quality at-bat.”

“So it keeps the pressure on the guys in the lineup.”

Freshman Peyton Dickens picked up his first collegiate base hit with a second inning single.

The next game in the Silver Glove Series will take place on April 21 when the Cougars will travel to Reckling Park with a third game scheduled for May 12 back at Schroeder Park.

Houston returns to action on Friday night when Big 12 play gets underway . . . The Cougars will welcome Kansas State to town with a first pitch on Friday slated for 6:30pm at Schroeder Park.

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Houston Completes Sweep of Arkansas Pine Bluff with Doubleheader Wins

Houston preps for Arkansas Pine Bluff on Friday

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston completed a three-game sweep of Arkansas Pine Bluff by taking both games of a doubleheader on Saturday (and Sunday) at Schroeder Park by scores of 6-5 and 10-0.

Carsten Sabathia and Riley Jackson were both hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the second inning . . . A sacrifice fly ball to center field off the bat of Antonelli Savattere plated Sabathia for an early 1-0 lead.

Tied at one in the bottom of the third inning, Xavier Perez went deep with one out, sending the ball over the wall in left-center field for a 2-1 lead . . . After Dylan Maxcey singled up the middle to reach base, Jackson drove a double to the wall in left-center field with two outs and Maxcey out-raced a throw to home plate to give Houston a 3-1 lead.

After the Golden Lions got a run back, McClane Helton, after seeing nine pitches to open the bottom of the first inning with a walk, drew a one-out walk after seeing 11 pitches in the bottom of the fourth inning, before he moved to second base on a steal . . . Perez then singled into left-center field with two outs to bring Helton across the plate and Houston took a two-run lead once again, 4-2.

After the seventh inning stretch, Perez tripled to right-center field to get the inning started . . . One out later, Sabathia singled into center field past a drawn-in infield, Perez scored and the Cougars led 5-2.

Houston starter Kendall Hoffman was done after seven innings having allowed just two runs while striking out four batters, he also retired the last seven batters he faced, it was the second consecutive start for Hoffman in which he threw seven innings or more . . . Hoffman threw 86 total pitches on Saturday.

The Golden Lions scored three on the Cougars bullpen in the top of the eighth inning to tie the game and set up the late inning theatrics.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Sabathia got the late rally started by doubling off the wall in center field, he then gave way to pinch-runner Peyton Dickens at second base . . . Jackson was intentionally walked to set up a force out anywhere on the infield, but also because he has been swinging an incredibly hot bat of late.

Savattere then singled into center field and a throw home was off the mark allowing Dickens to cross the plate for the walk-off win, 6-5.

Having won the series, the only question left unanswered was whether Houston could complete the sweep, and if so, could they do it before the rain started falling.

Perez led off game two with a double to the wall in right-center field before Savattere was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base with no outs . . . Sabathia followed with a one-out single into center field to score Perez . . . After Justin Cherrington was hit by a pitch to load the bases, the Golden Lions went to the bullpen . . . A first-pitch wild pitch plated Savaterre and a single to left field by Blake Fields scored Sabathia for an early 3-0 lead.

Tyler Cox earned a leadoff walk to open the bottom of the second inning . . . A one-out walk to Savattere followed and a walk to Jackson loaded the bases and sent the Golden Lions to the bullpen for the second time in the game . . . Sabathia then cleared the bases with a grand slam over the left field wall with his parents watching from their seats behind the third base dugout, and Houston led 7-0.

Houston starter Connor Udland was the only pitcher used in the Saturday portion of game two . . . Udland opened with two perfect frames, retiring the first seven batters he faced before an error yielded his first base runner . . . Udland struck out five batters and allowed just one base hit over five innings on 70 total pitches.

When play resumed on Sunday afternoon, freshman right-hander Caleb Kimble made his collegiate debut and he retired the side in order.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Cherrington was hit by a pitch for the second time in the time and Fields was walked soon after . . . LaLima then hammered a pitch over the left field wall for a three-run home run and a 10-0 Houston lead.

After working a perfect frame in the sixth inning, Kimble made things interesting in the seventh inning with three straight walks and three wild pitches mixed in . . . After a swinging strikeout, Kimble induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the ballgame.

The game was the first shutout by Houston pitching this season, and a one-hitter, with a lone single in the fourth inning on Saturday being the only recorded hit, the major caveat of course is that it was only a seven inning game.

Over the two days that it took to play the doubleheader there was everything: a game that started several minutes before the scheduled first pitch, a grand slam, a lightning delay, a rain delay, a game technically “official” postponed until the next day, clocks moved forward an hour overnight, an official delay that lasted approximately 17 1/2 hours, and finally, a run-rule shutout victory to close out the non-conference portion of the 2026 schedule.

Houston is off until Tuesday when they will welcome Rice to Schroeder Park for the first game of the 2026 Silver Glove Series . . . The game will get underway at 6:30pm.

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Cougars Mount Late Rally to Take 13-9 Opener Against Arkansas Pine Bluff

Houston preps for Arkansas Pine Bluff on Friday

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston fell behind by seven runs in the second inning on Friday night at Schroeder Park before mounting a comeback that resulted in a 13-9 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff.

The Cougars went to the bullpen in the second inning trailing 7-0 after a five-run first inning, capped by a grand slam, was fueled further with two more runs in the second inning.

Carsten Sabathia III hit his second home run in as many games, his third of the season, to get the bottom of the second inning started . . . The next batter, Riley Jackson, sent a ball traveling over the left field wall on a similar path as the Sabathia home run and the Houston deficit was five runs.

A three run bottom of the fourth inning got Houston to within four runs, 9-5.

A seven run sixth inning sparked by three Houston singles, two hit batters, a Jackson LaLima double, and two singles by Tyler Cox (3-for-3) bookended the frame as Houston took a 12-9 lead.

Ryne Rodriguez was outstanding out of the Houston bullpen after taking the mound to start the seventh inning . . . After working a scoreless seventh inning but allowing two singles, Rodriguez struck out the side in the eighth inning, all three were swinging strikeouts.

Sabathia, leading off the bottom of the eighth inning, hit a line drive that caromed off of the pitcher toward the second baseman for a groundout and the Golden Lions had to go to the bullpen for a new pitcher due to injury . . . Jackson (4-for-5) then hammered a ball over the wall in left-center field for his second home run of the game and his fourth base hit of the game and the Cougars extended the lead to 13-9.

Rodriguez retired the final seven batters he faced to close out the victory and earn the save . . . Jackson Baker earned the win with two scoreless innings pitched, the fifth and sixth innings . . . Baker struck out four of the six outs he recorded.

Eight Houston batters had hits on Friday night, with three players having two or more base hits as the team racked up 14 total hits.

The Cougars and the Golden Lions will conclude their weekend series at Schroeder Park on Saturday with a doubleheader . . . The first game of the day will begin at 12 Noon with the second game starting 45 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.

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Houston Defeats Alabama 8-2 Behind Strong Hoffman Outing

By Steve Parkhurst

The Houston Cougars will leave Frisco and head home having salvaged the final game of the weekend, an 8-2 victory over Alabama to conclude the Frisco Classic on Sunday.

Right-hander Kendall Hoffman made the finest start of his collegiate career, pitching into the eighth inning and departing with a four-run lead.

After one time through the batting order, leadoff hitter McClane Helton led off the top of the third inning by earning a walk, he saw eight pitches in the at-bat . . . Blake Fields (4-for-5) then singled through the left side on a 1-2 pitch . . . Xavier Perez sacrificed to move both Helton and Fields into scoring position, where they were when Dylan Maxcey (2-for-4) singled through the left side to give Houston a 2-0 lead, it was the first time Alabama trailed in the entire three day event in Frisco.

The Cougars greeted Crimson Tide pitching with three straight singles to open the fifth inning, the first by Fields, his third hit of the game, the second by Perez, and then one by Maxcey to drive in Fields for a 3-0 lead . . . With one out, Carsten Sabathia III hit a ball to second base and an error on the play allowed a run to score and put two Cougars in scoring position . . . Antonelli Savattere followed with a sacrifice fly ball to left field, Maxcey tagged and scored, Houston took a 5-0 lead, and the Crimson Tide went to the bullpen to get out of the inning.

Sabathia was once again in the mix when he was hit by a pitch to lead off the eighth inning . . . Peyton Dickens pinch-ran for Sabathia and he moved to second base on a groundout and to third base on a wild pitch before Irvin Weems (2-for-4) singled up the middle to extend the Houston advantage to 6-1.

Hoffman took his exit after 7 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and one walk, which came in the first inning, and he allowed just the two earned runs . . . Hoffman threw 109 total pitches before handing the ball to Tyler Bryan.

The Cougars wanted more in the top of the ninth inning, and they got it . . . Fields singled to left field with one out to get things started, his fourth hit of the ballgame . . .

Perez (2-for-4) then doubled to left-center field and Alabama went to the bullpen for their fifth arm of the game . . . After an intentional walk to Maxcey loaded the bases, Cade Climie singled to right field to score Fields . . . Dickens then grounded out to the pitcher but Perez crossed the plate and Houston took an 8-2 lead on the first career RBI by Dickens.

Bryan recorded the final four outs of the game for the Cougars, allowing just one hit and striking out one batter . . . Hoffman recorded his first win of the season and is now 1-0.

“Kendall was outstanding tonight,” head coach Todd Whitting said emphatically after the game. “His presence and composure was at a very high level against a very talented SEC team. He has been a relentless worker all spring so I’m happy it paid off today.”

The Cougars return to Schroeder Park and will host Sam Houston on Tuesday for game two of the 2026 Don Sanders Cup . . . First pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm.

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Cougars Edged Out by Iowa on Saturday in Frisco Classic

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston lost its second game of the Frisco Classic on Saturday afternoon, this time losing to Iowa 6-4.

With the Cougars trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning, Dylan Maxcey (3-for-4) singled through the right side to reach base with one out . . . Two pitches later, Carsten Sabathia III turned on a pitch and sent it over the left field wall 375 feet and Houston took a one run lead to the third inning.

After the seventh inning stretch, Sabathia (3-for-4) led off the frame with a double that went to the wall in left-center field, his third hits in as many at-bats . . . Pinch-hitter Cade Climie doubled off the base of the wall in left-center field allowing Sabathia to score easily and Houston trailed by three, 6-3.

Blake Fields (2-for-4) led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a double down the left field line, his second base hit of the game batting second in the order . . . Xavier Perez chose a good time for his first hit of the game, he singled up the middle into center field to score Fields and the Cougars only trailed by two.

Houston loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning on two singles and a walk but was unable to capitalize as Iowa claimed the 6-4 victory.

Ryne Rodriguez gave Houston 3 1/3 innings of important relief work after getting the call from the bullpen in the top of the fourth inning . . . Rodriguez allowed just one earned run on two hits to go with four strikeouts on 55 total pitches . . . The right-hander worked two perfect frames and recorded fives outs on ground balls with just one fly ball, which was caught in center field.

Caden Cooper followed Rodriguez out of the bullpen . . . After a short start against Sam Houston on Tuesday in Huntsville, Cooper pitched a perfect eighth inning and retired the first four batters he faced, two on strikeouts, before giving the ball to Max Craray who recorded the final two outs.

Houston batters, after striking out 14 times on Friday against Oregon State, struck out 12 times against four Iowa pitchers.

Houston will conclude play in the Frisco College Classic on Sunday when it faces the Alabama Crimson Tide . . . The game at Riders Field is set to get underway at 3pm, but a slight delay is possible as the prior game, scheduled to begin at 11am, could run long.

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Cougars Drop Frisco Classic Opener to Oregon State 2-1

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston opened the Frisco College Classic on the wrong end of a pitcher’s duel as Oregon State prevailed 2-1 Friday afternoon.

Houston got out to a quick start against Oregon State ace Dax Whitney, McClane Helton led off the game with a double down the left field line . . . After two straight swinging strikeouts it looked Houston would be held in check, but Riley Jackson doubled to the wall in right-center field scoring Helton easily for the 1-0 lead.

Left-hander Chris Scinta started for the Cougars having been incredible out of the bullpen this season . . . Scinta escaped trouble in the first inning when Oregon State loaded the bases with one out and he was able to induce a 6-4-3 double play to end the frame with the one run lead intact.

The lead held until the bottom of the fourth inning when a hit-by-pitch and three consecutive singles put the Beavers in front 2-1.

Scinta left the game after five innings having allowed just the two unearned runs on six hits on 71 total pitches . . . Scinta struck out five batters and walked just one.

Jackson Baker relieved Scinta and set the side down in order in the sixth inning and departed after recording an out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Oregon State held onto the one run lead until the very end . . . The Cougars mounted a comeback in the top of the ninth inning when they loaded the bases with one out, but after the Beavers went to the bullpen the side was retired and Houston fell to 6-3 on the year.

Houston batters struck out 11 times against Whitney and 14 times in the game, but they still had a chance at the end of the game.

Of concern, Richie Roman entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and picked up the final two outs, and recorded two outs in the eighth inning before departing with an apparent body injury (not an arm injury) after his third consecutive swinging strikeout.

Harrison Boushele relieved Roman in a difficult situation, both a close game and an injury to a pitcher, but he struck out the only batter he faced . . . Houston pitching compiled 10 strikeouts against Oregon State batters.

The Cougars will return to action in Frisco on Saturday at 12 noon when they will face the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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Alex Solis Dominant, Cougars Edge Bearkats

Houston preps for Sam Houston in Huntsville.

By Steve Parkhurst

The Cougars found their way back into the win column after dropping two in a row with a 5-4 victory over Sam Houston in Huntsville Tuesday night to take game one of the 2026 Don Sanders Cup.

Sam Houston took a 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning when three straight walks loaded the bases, but after a pitching change by Houston, the damage was limited to just the two runs on sacrifice fly balls to the outfield.

First baseman Riley Jackson led off the top of the fourth inning by slapping a double down the left field line . . . After Jackson moved to third base on a wild pitch, Antonelli Savattere grounded out to shortstop to get a run back and cut the deficit in half.

Jackson LaLima walked to lead off the top of the fifth inning and the Bearkats went to the bullpen for the first time in the game . . . Tyler Cox moved LaLima to second base on a sacrifice bunt . . . With two out, Xavier Perez drove a ball into right field to score LaLima as the game-tying run . . . Perez stole second base before Cade Climie bounced a double over the right field wall and Houston took its first lead of the night, 3-2.

Blake Fields earned a one out walk to reach base in the top of the sixth inning . . . Catcher Dylan Maxcey then homered to left field, his first home run in a Houston uniform, and the Cougars extended their advantage to 5-2.

After three straight walks to start the bottom of the second inning, the Cougars went to the bullpen in favor of Alex Solis who inherited the bases loaded with no outs . . . The right-hander went to work and retired all 15 batters he faced as he dominated the Bearkats lineup . . . At one stretch, Solis struck out six of eleven batters he faced and he pitched through the sixth inning having thrown an incredibly efficient 57 pitches.

Following the seventh inning stretch, freshman Connor Udland took over for Solis on the hill . . . A tough-luck infield single preceded the Bearkats loading the bases with one out . . . Udland struck out the final two batters to end the inning on his way to striking out the side.

A two-run blast for the Bearkats in the bottom of the eighth inning cut the Houston lead to 5-4.

Tyler Bryan took the mound with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and he proceeded to strike out the final four batters of the game in impressive fashion, throwing only 15 pitches . . . Bryan was credited with the save, his third of the season.

Solis earned the win and is now 2-0 . . . Four Houston pitchers combined to strike out 15 Sam Houston batters.

Houston (6-2) now heads north  to Frisco where they will play three different teams in the Frisco College Classic . . . The Cougars will face Oregon State on Friday afternoon with a first pitch scheduled for 2pm.

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Houston Outscored in the 9th, Falls to UTRGV

Houston preps for UTRGV at Schroeder Park.

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston fell to UTRGV 8-4 on Sunday afternoon at Schroeder Park.

Starter Richie Roman allowed two runs in the opening frame, only one of them was earned because of a throwing error from the outfield.

Antonelli Savattere led off the top of the fourth inning by dropping a single into left-center field and he moved to second base on a ground ball out . . . Blake Fields then singled into left-center field to drive in Savattere and cut the deficit in half.

After the first inning, Roman settled in to pitch three scoreless innings and departed after the fourth inning . . . Roman allowed just three hits and struck out four batters.

Fields was back for more in the bottom of the sixth inning, he led off the frame with a double down the right field line . . . One out later, pinch-hitter Tre Broussard doubled to right-center field to score Fields and tie the game.

The game was still tied as it moved to the ninth inning . . . The Vaqueros struck for six runs against multiple Houston pitchers in the top half of the inning.

Jackson LaLima led off the bottom of the ninth with a home run, his second of the season . . . Irvin Weems followed with a double down the left field line and after moving to third base on a dropped third strike, he crossed the plate on a wild pitch to cut the UTRGV lead to 8-4. . . The potential comeback ended there as the Cougars dropped to 5-2 on the season.

Fields (3-for-4) and Xavier Perez (3-for-5) accounted for six of the 10 Houston base hits . . . Broussard is hitting .500 this season and has driven in nine runs.

Houston hits the road for the next four games starting with a midweek game in Huntsville against Sam Houston, the first game for the 2026 Don Sanders Cup . . . First pitch of the Tuesday is set for 6pm.

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Early Lead Not Enough as Cougars Drop First of the Season

Kendall Hoffman started on the mound Saturday at Schroeder Park.

By Steve Parkhurst

Houston was dealt their first setback of the season Saturday night at Schroeder Park when UTRGV prevailed 10-6 to even the weekend series.

Shortstop Tyler Cox had a nice at-bat to open the game for the Houston offense, fouling off several pitches before eventually working a walk . . . Tre Broussard then launched a high fly ball off the scoreboard in right field, his first home run of the season, and the Cougars led 2-0.

A bizarre sequence of events took place with two outs when Carter Sintek took first base on a two-out walk before Riley Jackson (3-for-4) singled the opposite way to put runners on the corners . . . Cade Climie was at the plate when drama unfolded . . . The Cougars were attempting a double-steal of second base and home plate when a balk by the pitcher and a catcher’s interference on the same play awarded both runners their base, and Climie took over at first base.

When the dust settled the Cougars held a three-run lead going to the second inning.

Still leading 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Xavier Perez tripled off the wall in deep left-center field to lead off the frame and scored moments later on a wild pitch.

An inning later, Jackson LaLima (2-for-4) snuck a ball over the right field wall with two outs for a solo home run and a 5-0 Cougars lead.

The Vaqueros manufactured a run in the top of the fifth inning . . . Hoffman took his exit with two outs in the frame leading 5-1 having allowed just two hits while striking out four . . . At one point Hoffman retired seven batters in a row and he recorded no decision in the game.

Two home runs against the Houston bullpen in the top of the sixth inning cut the lead to a run before the Vaqueros took a 8-5 lead in the seventh inning.

After the seventh inning stretch, Perez greeted the first pitch by sending it over the center field wall to get the Cougars within two runs.

Left-hander Max McCraray had a nice outing in late relief for Houston striking out the only two batters he faced.

The Cougars (5-1) and the Vaqueros (2-4) conclude their series on Sunday at Schroeder Park with a first pitch set for 1pm . . . Sunday’s game will conclude the homestand as the Cougars play their next four games on the road . . . Richie Roman will make the Sunday start for Houston.

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