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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Houston Tops TCU 3-2 to Open Home Series

Paul Schmitz delivers the first pitch against TCU Friday night.

Houston defeated TCU 3-2 at Schroeder Park on Friday night to open the Big 12 weekend series with a victory.

A triple and a single helped the Horned Frogs to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning Friday night, a lead they held until the bottom of the third inning.

Tre Broussard drew a two-out walk before stealing second base to get the third inning rally started . . . The stolen base made Broussard a perfect 17-for-17 in stolen base attempts this season, which is the fourth-most stolen bases without being caught in school history . . . Kenneth Jimenez walked right behind Broussard to put two runners on base with two outs . . . Xavier Perez lined a double into the right field corner scoring both Broussard and Jimenez and giving the Cougars a 2-1 lead.

With the game still tied at two after the seventh inning stretch, Houston shortstop Tyler Cox was at first base with two outs after grounding into a fielder’s choice . . . Coby DeJesus, in a pinch-hitting appearance, lined a double down the right field line allowing Cox to cross home plate all the way from first base as the relay throw home was to the wrong side of the catcher and Houston took the lead, 3-2.

Right-hander Paul Schmitz made the Friday night start for Houston and took the game into the fifth inning, he departed with two outs having thrown 102 pitches . . . Schmitz left with a runner on base who would eventually come around to score the tying run two batters after he left the game.

Left-hander Antoine Jean reliever Schmitz and after walking the first batter and allowing a one RBI single to the next batter, he settled in to retire the next 11 batters in succession, including three perfect innings, before allowing a two-out single in the top of the ninth inning . . . A walk put two runners on base for TCU and both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch before Jean struck out his fourth batter of the night to end the game.

The Cougars collected six base hits in the game, Perez accounted for two of them with five other hitters each picking up a base hit . . . The Horned Frogs were only able to counter with five hits.

Jean improved to 3-0 with the victory as a result of his 4 1/3 scoreless innings in which he struck out four on 76 pitches . . . Jean has not allowed a run to score over his last 11 2/3 innings of Big 12 action.

Houston (15-10, 3-4) and TCU (19-8, 3-4) will continue the series on Saturday night at Schroeder Park . . . Richie Roman will take the mound for the Cougars . . . The game will get underway at 6:35pm.

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Cougars Take Down Lumberjacks 9-2 in Midweek Win

Alex Solis made the midweek start against Stepen F. Austin Tuesday.

The Houston Cougars returned home and resumed midweek action with a 9-2 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday night at Schroeder Park.

Houston led throughout after scoring early and never relented.

Tre Broussard led the game off with a double into left-center field before stealing third base, his 16th consecutive stolen base without being caught . . . Kenneth Jimenez singled up the middle to score Broussard and give Houston the early lead . . . After a single and a walk loaded the bases, Carsten Sabathia walked to force in a run giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead.

Anthony Avalos, making his first start of the season, doubled with one out in the bottom of the third inning . . . Tyler Cox singled up the middle to plate Avalos and Houston once again led by two runs, 3-1.

Houston had their first four batters of the fourth inning reach base, starting with Jimenez who reached on an error at shortstop . . . A walk to Xavier Perez preceded a single by Lugo to right-center field . . . Cade Climie doubled home two runs and the Cougars led 5-1.

The Cougars answered a Lumberjacks run in the top of the sixth inning with two runs in the bottom half of the frame . . . Evan Haeger, a mid-game replacement for Climie, walked to reach base in front of a Sabathia single and a walk to Avalos to load the bases . . . Tyler Cox picked up his second base hit of the game driving in two runs and giving Houston a 7-2 lead.

Right-hander Alex Solis made the midweek start for Houston and he looked great as he cruised through six innings striking out eight Lumberjacks batters and allowing just two runs, only one of them earned . . . Solis struck out four in a row at one point in his outing, and he faced the minimum in two separate innings . . . Solis made 78 pitches and earned the Win to improve to 1-0 on the season.

Harrison Boushele followed Solis on the mound and tossed a scoreless seventh inning . . . After a one out walk, Boushele induced a ground ball double play to face the minimum in the inning.

Left-hander Chris Perez worked a scoreless eighth inning, working around a leadoff error behind him to striking out two batters and getting a ground ball out.

Andres Perez pitched the ninth inning and closed out the 9-2 victory with a scoreless inning of work.

After an eighth inning run-scoring single, Cox finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI . . . Xavier Perez finished 2-for-3 and Avalos was 2-for-4 in a thirteen hit offensive night for the Cougars.

The Cougars will be back in action on Friday when they welcome TCU to town for a Big 12 series . . . First pitch Friday night at Schroeder Park is set for 6:30pm.

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Houston Wins 7-4 Over UCF, Claims Big 12 Road Series

Houston preps before Sunday’s final game in Orlando.

Houston claimed its first conference series of 2025, and its first conference road series since joining the Big 12 a season ago, by defeating UCF 7-4 in Orlando on Sunday afternoon.

Tre Broussard got the game started with a drive into right-center field, and rather than stopping at first base for a single, Broussard hustled into second base for a leadoff double . . . Kenneth Jimenez sacrificed Broussard to third base on the very next pitch with a bunt . . . Connor McGinnis grounded out to first base but picked up the RBI as Broussard crossed the plate for a 1-0 lead.

Aaron Lugo added to the Houston lead in the top of the second inning when he drove the second offering of the frame just over the left field wall and into the Cougars bullpen and a 2-0 lead.

The Knights tied the game in the bottom of the third inning.

The fourth inning began and ended with Xavier Perez highlight reel material . . . Perez (2-for-4) hammered the third pitch of the top half of the inning over the wall in left-center field to give Houston the lead right back, 3-2 . . . In the bottom half of the inning, with Houston protecting the one-run lead, a two-out liner to right field had the potential of tying the game when Perez laid out and made a diving catch for the third out.

Tyler Cox also made a superb play earlier in the frame, diving behind second base to stop a ground ball from rolling into center field, and after fielding the ball he fired across to first base to get the runner in time.

McGinnis got a sixth inning rally started when he grounded a single through the infield and into right field on the 10th pitch of his at-bat . . . Perez singled into right-center field to move McGinnis to third base, before stealing second base to put two runners in scoring position . . . Lugo (3-for-5) then dropped a single into shallow center field to score McGinnis for a 4-2 Houston lead.

With the game tied at four in the top of the seventh inning, Tyler Cox worked a walk to flip the order . . . Broussard was then hit by a pitch before Kenneth Jimenez was walked to load the bases with no outs . . . Pinch-hitter Evan Haeger grounded out but brought Cox across the plate as the go-ahead run . . . Perez then drove a sacrifice fly ball to right field for the second out, but the Cougars took a two-run lead on the RBI . . . Lugo then lined a ball to the wall in right-center field to score Jimenez and Houston had its biggest lead of the day at 7-4 as the game went to the seventh inning stretch.

Left-hander Chris Scinta, who took the mound in the sixth inning with one out, carried the game the rest of the way, finishing with 3 2/3 scoreless innings and retired the only three UCF batters to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning on five pitches . . . Scinta improved to 2-0 this season with the win . . . Malachi Lott also added two innings of scoreless relief in the fourth and fifth innings, he did not allow a hit over those two innings.

The Cougar offense had seven players pick up 10 hits with only five strikeouts . . . In his at-bat in the first inning which earned him the RBI on a groundout, McGinnis saw eight pitches, in the first of two very professional looking at-bats on Sunday . . . Perez, batting right behind McGinnis, was a likely beneficiary of the two long at-bats as he had two hits and two RBI.

Houston returns home after the win Sunday and will face Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday night at Schroeder Park . . . The midweek game is scheduled to get underway at 6:30pm.

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