Houston Offense Delivers, But Cougars Drop Series to Mountaineers

Antoine Jean was dominant in his two innings pitched Saturday.

The Cougars fell to the Mountaineers 9-8 Saturday night at Schroeder Park as West Virginia claimed the weekend series.

For the second night in a row, the West Virginia offense got to Houston pitching for nine runs . . . But the Cougar bats came alive to give Houston a chance to even the series . . . The eight runs Houston scored Saturday ties their season best in a Big 12 game this season when they scored eight runs in a loss to Texas Tech.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the first inning, Xavier Perez took a one-out walk and moved up on a passed ball and a groundout, and later scored on a wild pitch to get Houston on the board first . . . Designated hitter Kenneth Jimenez worked a two-out walk to bring up Coby DeJesus who sent a ball over the left field wall for a two-run home run and a 3-0 lead.

West Virginia tied the game up in the top half of the second inning before taking the lead in the top half of the third inning.

Trailing 9-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Houston made it a closer game . . . Tre Broussard was hit by a pitch with one out, and he subsequently stole second base, his 27th stolen base of the season . . . Coby DeJesus walked with two outs to keep the line moving for Houston . . . Malachi Lott then snuck a ball over the right field wall for a three-run home run to cut the Cougars deficit down to two runs, 9-7.

After the seventh inning stretch, Jimenez, DeJesus, and Lott took three consecutive walks to open what looked to be a promising inning . . .  A fourth straight walk to Cade Climie forced in a run to get the Cougars to within a run at 9-8.

Antoine Jean pitched the eighth and ninth in an attempt to keep the game close in the late going in the hopes that the Cougars offense might gain an edge . . . Jean was as filthy and dominant as he has been all season, recording six outs in the game, all of them by strikeout, three swinging, three looking.

But the Houston offense was unable to get a base runner against the Mountaineers bullpen in the bottom of the ninth inning and West Virginia walked away with the series-clinching victory.

Chris Scinta was the victim of a defensive error behind him which led to three runs crossing the plate in the fourth inning . . . Graysen Drezek pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief without allowing a run and he struck out three batters.

DeJesus was 2-for-3 and Perez was 2-for-5, the only two Houston hitters with multiple hits Saturday night.

Houston and West Virginia conclude their weekend series on Sunday morning with a first pitch slated for 11:35am . . . At this time Houston has not announced a starting pitcher.

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Houston Falls to West Virginia in First-Ever Meeting to Open Weekend Set

Eric Van Valkenburg was great out of the Houston bullpen Friday night.

Houston dropped the weekend opener against West Virginia 9-2 Friday night at Schroeder Park. 

After being retired in order through the first three innings, the Houston offense showed signs of life to start the bottom of the fourth inning . . . Aaron Lugo led off the inning with a liner just inside the third base bag for a double . . . Two outs later, designated hitter Kenneth Jimenez lined a double between the shortstop and the second base bag into center field to score Lugo from second base to cut the Houston deficit to 5-1.

After the Mountaineers added a run in the top half of the fifth inning, the Cougars got a run back in the bottom half when Cade Climie went the opposite way and hit a home run over the right field wall with one out, but Houston still trailed 6-2.

West Virginia added a run in the sixth inning and two more runs in the eighth inning on their way to a 9-2 victory.

Three defensive errors by the Cougars made five of the West Virginia runs unearned . . . The three errors hurt three of the four Houston pitchers in Friday’s game.

Malachi Lott took the mound with two runners on base and no outs in the top of the sixth inning, he retired the only three batters he faced in the frame, striking out two of them . . . Lott retired the first six batters he faced before two singles and an error cost him a run in the eighth inning . . . Right-hander Eric Van Valkenburg was solid over 1 2/3 innings to close out the game without allowing a base hit or any runs, he faced five batters and recorded five outs.

The Houston offense recorded five base hits in the game, each of them by a different player.

The Cougars and the Mountaineers resume the weekend series on Saturday night at Schroeder Park . . . Richie Roman will start the game for Houston and he will deliver the first pitch at 6:35pm.

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Cougars Fall to McNeese 4-3 in 10 Innings

Alex Solis made another great midweek start Tuesday against McNeese.

Houston forced extra innings against McNeese Wednesday night at Schroeder Park but fell 4-3 in 10 innings in their second midweek game this week.

Wednesday’s game marked the fifth game in the last six day for Houston.

Scoreless going into the bottom of the fifth inning, Houston finally got on the board when Aaron Lugo was walked on four pitches with two outs and Tre Broussard drove him home from first base on a double to the wall in right field . . . Broussard was 3-for-5 Wednesday night and continues to swing a hot bat since being dropped from the leadoff spot to third or fourth in the order.

McNeese loaded the bases in the top of the sixth inning against the Houston bullpen before a double cleared them and the Cowboys took a 3-1 lead.

After the seventh inning stretch, Tyler Cox was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame . . . Cox moved around to third base on a ground ball out deep to shortstop by pinch-hitter Kenneth Jimenez . . . Coby DeJesus grounded out to send base to score Cox and get Houston to within a run at 3-2 going to the eighth inning.

As with Diego Luzardo in his Tuesday night start, Alex Solis was incredibly efficient with his pitches as he induced seven ground ball outs and one fly ball out . . . Solis finished having thrown 71 pitches over five-plus innings and allowed just two hits and one earned run while striking out five batters.

Brady Fuller took the mound with two outs in the sixth inning and pitched the Cougars into the ninth inning without allowing a run . . . Fuller struck out all three batters he faced in the top of the ninth inning and struck out six batters in 3 1/3 innings pitched and allowed just two hits.

Trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth inning, Jake Tatom got a rally started with a leadoff single . . . Cox attempted a sacrifice bunt, but an error by the McNeese pitcher gave Cox first base and put two runners on base with no outs . . . A groundout by Anthony Avalos moved Tatom and Cox into scoring position . . . DeJesus lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the game and eventually send it to extra innings, it was the second RBI of the game for DeJesus

A walk and a couple of wild pitches in the top of the tenth inning gave McNeese a run and ultimately the ballgame as they held on to win despite Cade Climie reaching on an error at third base with two outs.

Broussard accounted for three of the seven Houston hits in the game, and he was the only Cougar with multiple hits.

Houston is off on Thursday before they host West Virginia for a Big 12 Conference series this weekend . . . The weekend gets going at 6:35pm on Friday night at Schroeder Park.

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Luzardo, Broussard Lead Cougars Past Owls to Retain Silver Glove

Diego Luzardo was terrific in his start against Rice on Tuesday.

Houston defeated Rice 10-7 on Tuesday night at Schroeder Park to claim the 2025 Silver Glove Series.

Houston held a one run lead in the bottom of the second inning when Cade Climie, batting with one out, clobbered an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left-center field and Houston took a 2-0 lead.

Tre Broussard, moving from third in the order to the cleanup spot on Tuesday night, was 4-for-5 with two stolen bases and two runs scored . . . Broussard singled in his first four at-bats in the game and added a defensive star to his resume when he made a diving catch on a fly ball into right-center field to end the top of the eighth inning . . . Broussard was responsible for four of Houston’s ten hits in the game.

A three-run bottom of the fifth inning aided the Houston cause on Tuesday night, it started when Broussard and Aaron Lugo led off the inning with singles . . . One-out walks to Evan Haeger and Tyler Cox were followed by Kenneth Jimenez being hit by the first pitch of a pinch-hitting appearance . . . Jake Tatom, also in a pinch-hitting appearance, walked to force in another run as Houston took an 8-1 lead into the sixth inning.

Right-hander Diego Luzardo, made his first career start, took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning before it was finally broken up by the Rice leadoff batter . . . Luzardo would record one more out before being relieved by Graysen Drezek who inherited a runner on first base . . . Drezek walked the first batter he faced before inducing a double play on a ground ball to third base.

Luzardo allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings and struck out four batters while throwing 65 pitches . . . Luzardo faced the minimum number of batters in four of his five complete innings as he worked to contact, getting seven ground ball outs on the infield and four fly ball outs.

The Owls got to the Houston bullpen for five runs in the final two innings to close the final margin, but the Cougars prevailed 10-7 to retain the Silver Glove.

The Cougars scored at least one run in each of the first six innings and scored in seven of their eight frames Tuesday night.

With the completion on Tuesday’s game, the Cougars are at the midpoint of a stretch of eight games in ten days, and five games over six days.

Houston is right back to work Wednesday night when they host McNeese at Schroeder Park . . . The Cougars and the Cowboys will get under way at 6:35pm.

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Early Lead Holds as Pitching Leads Houston to Series Win at Baylor

Houston completed its weekend series at Baylor on Sunday.

Houston topped Baylor 4-2 on Sunday at Baylor Ballpark in Waco to win the Big 12 road series as they continue a stretch of eight games in ten days.

The Cougars went with a new lineup of sorts for the Sunday afternoon game and the changes paid immediate dividends when Coby DeJesus, batting in the leadoff spot, singled up the middle to get the first inning started . . . An error down the third base line on a liner by Xavier Perez allowed the ball to roll into foul territory up the line as DeJesus moved all the way to third base and Perez stopped at second base . . . Tre Broussard (2-for-4) singled home DeJesus before Aaron Lugo grounded out to bring Perez across the plate for a 2-0 early Houston lead.

Broussard stole second base before the first inning came to a close, he improved his perfect stolen base streak to 21-for-21.

After Tyler Cox led off the top of the second inning with a single, Baylor went to the bullpen, after which Riley Jackson sacrificed Cox to second base . . . DeJesus (2-for-5) followed with his second single in as many innings, this one after a solid at-bat in which he saw seven pitches from the new Baylor pitcher . . . With Cox at third base and DeJesus at second base having taken an extra base on his single, Perez drilled a single into right-center field to drive in two runs for a 4-1 Cougars lead.

The Cougars had to rely on their pitching staff after the second inning as the offense was stymied the rest of the way.

Chris Scinta took the mound in the bottom of the third inning in relief of Houston starter Kendall Hoffman protecting a 4-2 lead . . . Scinta immediately induced a double play ball to erase an inherited runner before ending the inning without allowing a run.

Scinta took the game through the sixth inning without allowing Baylor to get closer than the two-run margin . . . Over four scoreless innings, Scinta allowed just two base hits, recorded six outs on fly balls, and faced the minimum in the fifth inning setting the side down in order.

Antoine Jean, who has shined in previous weeks in a Friday night long relief role, took the mound after the seventh inning stretch . . . Despite a walk and single in the seventh inning, Jean worked around both and struck out three Baylor batters . . . Jean struck out two more batters in the eighth inning, working around a two-out single to get an inning-ending groundout.

Jean struck out the only three batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth inning to close out the 4-2 victory and secure the series win . . . Jean struck out eight of the nine outs he recorded in his Sunday appearance, bringing his weekend total to 13 strikeouts over five innings pitched.

Scinta earned the win with his four scoreless innings and improved to 4-1 this season . . . Jean earned his second save of the weekend and brought his total for the season to three.

The Cougars have won both of their Big 12 road series this season, first at UCF and now at Baylor . . . Neither team hit a home run in the three games this weekend, strong winds and damp weather were keeping the baseball in the ballpark, though the sun did begin to peek out during the sixth inning Sunday through the rest of the game, the temperature remained below 50 degrees for the entire game.

The Cougars return home for their next five games, including a busy midweek with games on Tuesday and Wednesday . . . Houston will first host Rice at Schroeder Park on Tuesday night holding a 1-0 advantage in the Silver Glove Series with two games left this season . . . First pitch Tuesday night is set for 6:35pm.

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Another Game Decided in the Eighth, Houston Falls 4-3 at Baylor

Houston continued its weekend series at Baylor on Saturday.

Houston had the bats go cold like the weather in Waco Saturday afternoon as they fell to Baylor 4-3 at Baylor Ballpark to even the Big 12 weekend series.

For the second day in a row, neither team hit a home run as the cold and wet conditions were keeping baseballs in the ballpark, and for the second straight day the game was decided in the eighth inning.

Baylor scored a run in their half of the opening inning when a leadoff double eventually came around to score . . . The Bears added another run in the bottom of the third inning when a batter who was hit by a pitch with one out later scored on a double for a 2-0 lead.

A wild and somewhat fortuitous top of the fourth inning started with Tre Broussard and Aaron Lugo both reaching base on one-out singles followed by a walk to Kenneth Jimenez to load the bases.

Evan Haeger came to the plate with two outs and took a full swing at a 2-2 pitch . . . The ball was chopped to the first base side of the pitcher’s mound, the Baylor starter dropped to the ground to get a hold of the ball, and once he had the ball in his hand, he was laying on the right side of his body . . . The left-hander attempted to toss the ball toward first base, but the ball was well out of reach of the diving first baseman and as the ball rolled all the way to the wall up the line in foul territory the Cougars cleared the bases and Haeger stopped at third base on the throwing error as Houston took a 3-2 lead.

Those would be the only runs Houston could score on Saturday afternoon.

Houston starter Richie Roman left the game after five innings of work in the line for the win . . . After Houston went to the bullpen, two consecutive one out walks on eight pitches were followed by a double to tie the game at three when the Cougars went to the bullpen with two on and one out.

Graysen Drezek took the mound for the second straight day and he got a line-out and a ground ball to retire the side and keep the game tied going to the seventh inning.

Baylor scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a two out single and held on to win the game 4-3.

The Cougars only had three hits in the contest with Lugo accounting for two of them

Houston and Baylor will decide the series tomorrow afternoon in Waco with a first pitch scheduled for 1pm . . . No official starter has been named at this time, but expect to see Kendall Hoffman make the start as he has in past weeks . . . It is also likely that Antoine Jean could be available if needed after only throwing 29 pitches in his outing on Friday night.

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Five Run Eighth, Perfect Jean Relief Propel Cougars to Road Win

Houston prepped for Baylor in Waco ahead of Friday’s opener.

Houston won its third straight Big 12 series opener on Friday night in Waco, defeating Baylor 7-4 thanks to a late rally and another dominant relief effort out of the bullpen.

The Cougars fell behind early as Baylor took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, all three runs were unearned against Houston starter Paul Schmitz as the result of a throwing error at third base.

Evan Haeger singled to lead off the top of the fifth inning and then stole second base to reach scoring position . . . Haeger reached third base on an infield groundout before Riley Jackson bunted for an infield single to get the Cougars on the board, but they still trailed 3-1.

Schmitz departed the game with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and seemed destined to be the hard-luck loser on the road . . . Schmitz allowed just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings and struck out six Bears batters . . . Schmitz faced the minimum in the sixth inning as he got two swinging strikeouts and looked to be getting stronger as he approached the 90 pitch mark, he finished with 98 pitches an inning later.

Xavier Perez (2-for-4) singled to lead off the top of the eighth inning with Baylor leading 4-1 . . . One out later, an error at third base allowed Aaron Lugo to reach base before Kenneth Jimenez walked to load the bases . . . Cade Climie earned a walk to bring in the first Houston run of the game, and of the inning, for Houston . . . With two outs, Tyler Cox was hit by a pitch and the free base forced in another run and the Cougars only trailed by a run.

Coby DeJesus entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the nine-spot for catcher Jackson when a wild pitch tied the game at four . . . DeJesus then cleared the bases by dropping a two RBI single into left field and Houston had its first lead of the night, 6-4.

Just as he had done in the top of the eighth inning, Perez singled to lead off the top of the ninth inning and a wild pitch moved him to second base . . . Tre Broussard drove a fly ball deep into left-center field where the catch was made by the Baylor left fielder, with his momentum taking him away from the infield . . . Perez tagged-up on the play and made it all the way home on the rare two-base sacrifice fly ball and the insurance run game Houston a 7-4 lead.

Left-hander Antoine Jean took the mound to start the eighth inning looking to record the final six outs . . . Over the next two innings, Jean threw 29 pitches and got five strikeouts, four of them swinging, and one groundout to close out the game in dominant fashion . . . Jean earned his second save of the season and Graysen Drezek, who recorded the final two outs of the seventh inning, both of them strikeouts, earned the win and improved to 3-2 this season.

The road victory was Houston’s second straight Big 12 road win dating back to the final game in Orlando two weekends ago against UCF.

The Cougars and the Bears get back to work Saturday afternoon at Baylor Ballpark . . . First pitch is scheduled for 2pm and Houston will send Richie Roman to the mound seeking the series win.

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Perez Powers Houston to 9-1 Midweek Win

Alex Solis made the Wednesday start for Houston against the Islanders.

Houston got a complete team effort in a 9-1 victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi Wednesday night at Schroeder Park.

The Islanders took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame of the game, but the Cougars tied the game in their half of the inning . . . Xavier Perez hit a one out double and advanced to third base on a groundout before scoring on a wild pitch.

Right-hander Alex Solis allowed one run over three innings and worked around a bit of traffic in all three of his innings worked . . . Head Coach Todd Whitting said just prior to the game that Solis would be limited on Wednesday night with an eye toward the weekend ahead.

“He’s going to have to be in the mix for us on the weekends too, so he’ll be on limited pitches tonight, and you’ll see him sometime on Saturday or Sunday,” Whitting said.

Evan Haeger doubled to reach base with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning . . . Haeger was in the process of tagging-up from second base after a flyout by Tyler Cox, the throw from the right fielder sailed past third base into foul territory and Haeger was awarded home plate and Houston had its first lead of the night, 2-1.

After a pitching change by the Islanders, Riley Jackson crushed a no-doubter over the left field wall, the left fielder did not make a move as the ball was clearly not one he was going to catch . . . Malachi Lott, batting in the leadoff spot Wednesday night, followed with a solo home run of his own, but this one was to right field and a 4-1 Cougars lead.

Lott led off the bottom of the eighth inning by walking to reach base . . . Perez then launched a pitch up and in on him over the wall in left-center field for a two-run home run and an 8-1 Houston advantage . . . Perez went 4-for-4 on the night with a home run, two doubles, and a single, and he reached base in his other plate appearance when he was hit by a pitch in the third inning.

A bevy of pitchers followed Solis and all compiled scoreless innings to keep Houston in the lead throughout . . . Chris Scinta (3-1) worked a 1-2-3 fourth inning and was the winning pitcher of record; Chris Perez worked two scoreless innings; Graysen Drezek struck out the side in the seventh inning, all three batters swinging, and worked around a defensive error behind him; Eric Van Valkenburg faced the minimum with the help of an infield double play; Connor Osier pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close out the 9-1 victory.

Tre Broussard, batting in the three-hole on Wednesday night, walked in three different plate appearances and he stole a base each time he was on base . . . Broussard has stolen 20 consecutive bases without being thrown out.

All nine spots in the Houston order reached base at least once on Wednesday night, and six of the nine spots reached base twice or more.

Houston (16-12, 3-6) hits the road again for Big 12 play as they travel to Waco to face Baylor for three games this weekend . . . First pitch at Baylor Ballpark is set for 6:30pm on Friday.

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Early Houston Lead Erased as TCU Takes Series

Andres Perez pitched against TCU Sunday at Schroeder Park

Houston let an early lead get away on Sunday afternoon as TCU took the deciding game of their weekend series 16-5 at Schroeder Park.

Tre Broussard for the second game in a row started things off with a single, this one into left-center field . . . A failed pick-off attempt at first base allowed Broussard to motor all the way to third base on the throwing error . . . Moments later, Kenneth Jimenez grounded out to first base, but it worked as well as a sacrifice bunt as Broussard scampered home as Houston took the early lead.

Xavier Perez then walked and a wild pitch moved him to second base, where he was when Aaron Lugo (3-for-5) singled into center field giving Houston a 2-0 lead . . . Cade Climie was hit by a pitch and TCU went to the bullpen with two runners on base and one out trailing by two . . . With two outs, Jackson LaLima worked another walk, the third free pass of the inning, this one loaded the bases.

Shortstop Tyler Cox delivered a single into field field to score Lugo and Climie for a 4-0 lead going to the second inning.

Trailing 6-4 to start the bottom of the fifth inning, Jimenez reached base when he was hit by a pitch . . . One out later, Lugo delivered again, this time with a triple into the right field corner scoring Jimenez from first base, but it was to be the only run of the inning, but Houston trailed by only a run, 6-5.

The game got away from the Cougars after that as the TCU offense had four-run sixth and ninth innings, and a two-run seventh inning on their way to a 16-5 victory.

Lugo accounted for three of the seven Houston base hits on Sunday, with four other hitters each getting a hit.

Houston is off until Wednesday when they play their final game of the current homestand before heading to Waco for a Big 12 road series next weekend . . . The Cougars will welcome Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Wednesday night at Schroeder Park with first pitch scheduled for 6:35pm.

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Houston Blanked by TCU to Even Series

Houston and TCU played the middle game of their series Saturday night.

Houston could not counter the onslaught TCU brought to Schroeder Park Saturday night as the Cougars fell 12-0 to even the weekend series.

Tre Broussard led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, it was the first of only three hits in the ballgame and the only one until Cade Climie hit a two out in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Carsten Sabathia picked up the third and final Houston base hit leading off the bottom of the ninth inning, the start of what looked to be something positive until three consecutive strikeouts ended the game and completed the shutout.

Houston used eight pitchers in the Saturday loss, which has its good and bad . . . Several arms got some rare throwing opportunities so as to show what they could do against a solid offense that can attack . . . Diego Luzardo was hit hard and left with a possible injury, which may have been part of his mound difficulties, further details on the injury when they become available.

The Cougars walked 10 batters in the defeat, three of them eventually crossed the plate, including a fourth one which was hit by a pitch.

Malachi Lott was also part of a great defensive gem in the top of the fifth inning when he threw in from left field and found Tyler Cox in stride who was able to get the ball to Cole Carbone at the plate to prevent a run from scoring.

Not to be left out, Broussard, in addition to being one of three Cougars batters to get a hit, also made a couple of great running catches in center field, and he made a terrific play in the top of the eighth inning when he picked up a batted ball and hosed a runner at third base who was trying to advance all the way from first base . . . Broussard’s throw to Aaron Lugo at their base was a strike and it ended the inning.

The Cougars and the Horned Frogs will play the deciding game Sunday afternoon at Schroeder Park . . . First pitch is set for 1:05pm and Houston has not announced a starting pitcher at this time.

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