Cougars Drop Series Finale to UConn

The Houston Cougars and UConn conclude their series Sunday. Photo by @5_Coogs via Twitter.
The Houston Cougars and UConn conclude their series Sunday.
Photo by @5_Coogs via Twitter.

Sunday did not go according to plan at Schroeder Park as the Houston Cougars and the Connecticut Huskies played the rubber game of their weekend series.

Starting pitcher Devon Roedahl had a rough go of things in the third, not helped by two errors on the left side of his infield, in addition to two hits and a walk in the inning . . . He would exit the game with the Cougars down 6-1.

Derrick Cherry was one of the bright spots in the Sunday loss . . . Hitting in the clean-up spot Cherry connected on a no-doubt homerun to left field to lead off the second inning, the first of his collegiate career . . . He also hit a single in the eighth . . . This follows his Saturday night performance where he doubled to clear the bases, all good signs.

UConn starting pitcher Jimmy Wang did enough to use the big lead his offense staked him to throw strikes and let his defense work behind him . . . Wang did allow three runs, but that was as close as the Cougars would get as the Huskies bullpen went the final 4 2/3 innings throwing scoreless baseball.

Brad Burckel, batting in the eight spot, led off both the third and fifth innings with a double in a 2-for-3 day at the plate . . . Burckel would score both times he was on base, accounting for two of the Cougars three runs on the afternoon.

Brayson Hurdsman was terrific out of the bullpen, relieving Roedahl in the third and going four strong innings, only allowing a run on three hits while striking-out four.

Cougars catcher Kyle Lovelace had a great day behind the plate, highlighted by two plays at third base, one a caught stealing from second to third, and another a pick-off of a runner taking a generous extra few steps with the pitch, Lovelace snapped a throw to Jared Triolo at third who was able to get a tag down on the would-be runner.

Left-hander Jared Pettitte saw action for the second time this season, and he struck out both batters he faced, entering the game with a runner on first.

The early deficit was too much to make up though and the Cougars fell 9-3 as UConn took the first series in conference play this season.

Houston will now have a day off before hosting Sam Houston State at Schroeder Park on Tuesday evening at 6:30pm. –

 

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Cougars End Skid, Top UConn 5-4

Ryan Randel warms up to face UConn Saturday at Schroeder Park. Photo courtesy of @5_Coogs via Twitter.
Ryan Randel warms up to face UConn Saturday at Schroeder Park.
Photo courtesy of @5_Coogs via Twitter.

The Houston Cougars righted the ship on Saturday night at Schroeder Park behind good pitching and one offensive inning against the Connecticut Huskies . . . Having dropped game one on Friday night, the Cougars not only needed some offense, but they needed a win.

Right-hander Ryan Randel was on the mound Saturday night . . . Randel had a difficult first inning in which the Huskies plated three runs, but he rebounded nicely and faced only three batters per inning over the next three innings.

Houston missed a grand opportunity in the second when they loaded the bases with three straight singles, but it was to no avail as UConn starter Jeff Kersten would strike out two and get a ground ball out to escape the inning.

But Kersten’s night would come to an end in the fourth inning when the Cougars offense exploded . . . The big blow was off the bat of Derrick Cherry when he hit a laser to left field to clear the bases, there was a play at home on Grayson Padgett, but the ball slipped past the catcher and Cherry was standing on second with a double, his first collegiate hit and RBI . . . The Coogs would send eleven batters to the plate in the inning as they took a 5-3 lead.

The Huskies would get a run back in the fifth and in the process would chase Randel from the game . . . Nolan Bond would relieve Randel with runners on the corners. Bond walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but the Cougars would get out of the inning with a ground ball to shortstop . . . After a difficult first inning, Randel settled in and left the game with his team leading 5-4.

Bond got a 1-2-3 sixth with the help of a couple of consecutive defensive gems by third sacker Jared Triolo, then he faced just three batters in the seventh with another defensive gem behind him when Brad Burckel made a leaping snag of a line drive and was able to recover quickly enough to double-up the runner who was on first.

Fred Villarreal entered the game in the eighth and retired all six batters he faced to help the Cougars secure the 5-4 victory . . . Villarreal was incredibly efficient throwing eighteen pitches to get his six outs and earn his third save of the season while lowering his ERA to .98 . . . Nolan Bond earned the win for his solid effort, his first win on the year . . . Together, Bond and Villarreal pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball.

The Cougars and the Huskies conclude their series with a rubber game on Sunday at Schroeder Park . . . Please note an earlier than usual start time for a Sunday (or any day) of 11:30am.

 

Newspaper column version of this recap

Cougars Come Up Short Against UConn

Lael Lockhart Jr. faces UConn Friday night at Schroeder Park. Photo by Cougars Beat.
Lael Lockhart Jr. faces UConn Friday night at Schroeder Park.
Photo by Cougars Beat.

The Houston Cougars opened conference play on Friday night when they played host to the Connecticut Huskies . . . Offense was difficult to come by for both teams in the conference opener thanks to both starting pitchers and all of three relievers between the two teams.

Lael Lockhart Jr. got the Friday night start again, a role he has settled into nicely it would appear . . . The fourth inning proved the decisive one after Lockhart got the batters down in order in the very quick second and third innings . . . Two errors would lead to two unearned runs, the only two runs UConn scored on the night.

UConn starter Mason Feole was difficult to figure out on Friday night . . . At one point he threw a fastball at 91, the next pitch changed speed and was clocked at 73 . . . Feole’s mix of speed and control had him sailing in his seven innings of work.

The Cougars offense put their lone run on the board in the seventh when Kobe Hyland led off the inning with a double and would score on some small-ball and some miscues by the UConn defense.

When Lockhart left in the eighth, reliever Fred Villarreal came in to record the final 1 2/3 innings, he retired all five batters he faced in another stellar relief appearance this season.

UConn went to their bullpen twice, but it was their third pitcher, Jacob Wallace, who really closed the door . . . Wallace clocked in at 97 in striking out Joe Davis to end the eighth and would get the Coogs out in order in the ninth . . . The Cougars matched UConn with four hits in the game, but UConn scored that one extra run and held on for a 2-1 win.

The Cougars and the Huskies return to action at 6:30 on Saturday night at Schroeder Park.

 

Newspaper column version of this recap

Cougars Shutout in 1-0 Road Finale

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The Houston Cougars and McNeese State Cowboys locked up in a a classic ballgame Tuesday in Lake Charles, Louisiana . . . If you stopped watching the game after the first inning, you would not believe the final score.

Clay Aguilar got the Tuesday start and he was shaky out of the box . . . The first batter walked, the next one singled, the next was hit by a pitch to load the bases before an out was recorded . . . The damage would be limited though, to just one run . . . It would be the only run of the entire game for either team.

Aguilar was very good after that shaky first and did not deserve the loss for that performance, turning in four solid innings of work . . . Right-hander Sean Bretz came into the game in the fifth and pitched four scoreless innings, a great performance in his own right . . . Bretz did not give up a hit and walked two batters, but his outing was a welcome sight.

The Cowboys offense is no slouch either. Just last month when McNeese visited Schroeder Park they put up 13 runs, granted it took fourteen innings, but offense is offense, and they were limited to a single run on Tuesday night.

A somewhat scary and bizarre incident took place in the fourth inning when Cowboys first baseman Jacob Stracner singled to right field . . . Cowboys right fielder Jake Dickerson tried to score from second on the hit, but Lael Lockhart Jr. got a throw to Coogs catcher Kyle Lovelace in plenty of time . . . Dickerson rolled into Lovelace violently and awkwardly enough that home plate umpire Ron Teague wasted no time tossing Dickerson from the game . . . Lovelace remained down for a moment, but he was able to get off the field and he caught the rest of the game.

The Cougars offense could not muster much of anything in the game, Grayson Padgett accounted for the teams two hits on the night, a double in the first to leadoff the game and a single in the fifth . . . The Coogs would threaten, loading the bases themselves in the first, but they came away with nothing . . . The Cougars would also leave six runners on base for the game, a glaring stat when a team loses 1-0.

So, the Cougars head back home now and await the Connecticut Huskies who will be in town for the first conference series of the season . . . First pitch is at 6:30pm Friday night at Schroeder Park.

 

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DBU Takes Series Finale as Coogs Fall 8-4

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The Houston Cougars went for the sweep Sunday afternoon in the final game of their three game series with the Patriots of Dallas Baptist University . . . They were well position going in, facing a pitcher in Zach Heaton getting his first career college start.

Meanwhile, Ryan Randel missed his Saturday start yesterday due to an apparent illness, so he got pushed back a day to Sunday, and he was outstanding.

The only scoring for the Cougars on Sunday came in the sixth inning . . . Lael Lockhart Jr. got on base first when he was hit by a pitch . . . Jared Triolo then doubled to put runners at second and third . . . Joe Davis then lined the first pitch he saw from DBU reliever Jarod Bayless over the fence in left-center for a three run homerun . . . Two batters later Kobe Hyland would hit a solo homerun to right and the Coogs had a 4-2 lead.

Randel went six innings allowing just two runs, one run was scored on a triple that easily could have been an out, but Blake Way lost the ball on the warning track looking up into the sun . . . Randel did walk four batters and just over half of his 91 pitches were for strikes, the illness or the extra day off may have contributed to the loss of command, but he left the game with his team leading 4-2 and you cannot expect more than that.

Houston’s bullpen was not able to hold off DBU in the two innings after Randel exited, as they gave up six runs . . . In fact six of the thirteen batters the bullpen faced would score in the final two frames to give DBU a 8-4 lead.

The Cougars offense struggled in the final three innings, with the only base hit coming when Lael Lockhart Jr. hit a double to lead off the eighth, but he would be stranded at third when the inning ended.

The Cougars continue their road trip and will play McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Tuesday afternoon at 6pm before returning home for a conference series with Connecticut next weekend.

 

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Cougars Shutout Dallas Baptist 2-0, Win Series

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Two days, two different paths, but the same outcome could define the first two games of the weekend series in Dallas as the Houston Cougars continue their visit with the Patriots of Dallas Baptist University . . . Friday night the two teams combined for fourteen runs over four and a half hours, a game the Cougars ultimately won by doing all their scoring in the final three innings . . . Saturday afternoon the two teams combined for two runs in a game that did not last three hours, and both runs were scored in the final two innings.

Nolan Bond got his first start of the season Saturday afternoon . . . Bond shut down a strong Patriots team over 5 2/3 innings allowing just two hits and no runs . . . Bond did walk four, which helped contribute to a high pitch count, but he was not hurt by the walks and turned in an overall tremendous outing, one worthy of a win.

The game was mostly quiet thru seven innings, delayed twice by official reviews.

Scoreless going into the eighth . . . The Cougars would break through in their half of the inning when Craig Yoho scored from third on a perfect bunt single toward third base by Grayson Padgett . . . Padgett’s speed caused the Partiots third baseman to rush his throw to first, the errant throw allowed Padgett to move to second, where he would still be when the inning ended with the Cougars up 1-0.

Jared Triolo would add his second homerun of the season in the top of the ninth to lead off the inning on the first pitch he saw from new DBU reliever Kragen Kechely.

Fred Villarreal did not relieve Bond, but he did record the final 3 1/3 innings and he was awarded the win for his effort . . . Villarreal had appeared in the Friday night game and did not look comfortable, he looked much more in command on Saturday and recorded quick outs to nail down the 2-0 shutout for the Cougars.

The win was the Cougars sixth in a row and secured yet another series win in the process.

The final game of this weekend series in Dallas with the Patriots concludes Sunday afternoon at 1pm as the Cougars go for the sweep.

 

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Cougars Take Marathon Game 1 in Dallas

The Houston Cougars in their pre-game routine at Dallas Baptist on Friday. Photo by @numberonecoog via Twitter.
The Cougars in their pre-game routine at Dallas Baptist on Friday.
Photo by @numberonecoog via Twitter.

The Houston Cougars played their first ever game at Dallas Baptist University on Friday night. No one will forget the game anytime soon. The Patriots of Dallas Baptist entered Friday with an eight game win streak, while the Cougars arrived in town with a four game win streak of their own.

The Cougars shifted their batting order a bit for the Friday tilt . . . Jared Triolo was moved from his usual three spot and batted second while Joe Davis was moved from his usual cleanup spot and batted third . . . As hot as Davis has been, this was likely a move to get Davis a few more possible at-bats, or at least, at-bats in crucial situations.

The first nine batters for the Cougars garnered four base hits, all singles. This could have indicated the Cougar hitters were seeing the ball well and were not fooled by Patriots starting pitcher Jordan Martinson . . . As it turned out, the Cougars would not score a run until the seventh when Dallas Baptist finally went to the bullpen.

Whatever the strategy on the changed batting order, it worked perfectly on Friday night as Davis in the three spot would bat in two different innings with the bases loaded, and he delivered runs both times . . . His first RBI was a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, part of a three-run seventh in which the Cougars took a 3-2 lead.

Lael Lockhart Jr. made his second consecutive Friday night start on the mound for the Cougars and he had a very good outing . . . He would go six solid innings, and after a rather long top of the seventh for the Cougars offense, Lockhart went back out to the mound for the bottom of the inning . . . He may have been on the bench too long in that top part of the inning, he seemed to be tiring anyway which would make sense with an elevated pitch count . . . After a leadoff single, Lockhart made an errant pick-off throw to first that went down the first base line and put the runner on third.

At that point, pitching change after pitching change took place and the Patriots scored three runs to re-take the lead 5-3 in an inning which lasted about 40 minutes.

The Coogs bounced right back with a four-run eighth, featuring two of Davis’ three RBI in the game and a Kobe Hyland RBI single which ended when Blake Way was caught up in an inning-ending rundown between second and third.

The Cougars scored eight runs in the final three innings of the game . . . They would score the eight runs on only three hits, with the help of seven walks, one error, and a hit batter . . . The Cougars also left eleven runners on base on the evening.

Over four and a half hours after the first pitch, Devon Roedahl shut the door on the Patriots to earn a save and secure the 8-6 win, the Cougars fifth consecutive victory.

The Cougars and the Patriots return to action on Saturday afternoon in Dallas, with an earlier than usual 2pm start. –

 

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Cougars Down UTSA 4-2 Behind Davis, Bullpen

The Cougars hosted UTSA Tuesday at Schroeder Park. Photo courtesy of @5_Coogs via Twitter
The Cougars hosted UTSA Tuesday at Schroeder Park.
Photo courtesy of @5_Coogs via Twitter

The Houston Cougars went to the bullpen in the second inning on Tuesday night as they hosted the UTSA Roadrunners at Schroeder Park . . . There would be a total of fifteen pitchers used between the two teams in the midweek match-up . . . Knowing that fact might make it hard to believe that the final score was 4-2.

The last time Joe Davis had to swing the bat, he put the Cougars in the win column as his opposite field homerun against Army ended that series on Sunday . . . The first time Davis would swing the bat on Tuesday evening he would give the Coogs a lead they would not relinquish . . . Davis would see four pitches before he sent the fifth pitch over the left field wall for a two-out first inning homerun off of UTSA starter Cameron Carver.

The Cougars would use eight of the fifteen pitchers called on in the game, and the team allowed only two runs on two hits . . . The Roadrunners would score one run in the second without actually getting a hit. UTSA got a walked batter before the Cougars committed two errors allowing the run to score . . . UTSA’s next and final run of the night came in the fifth when they got their first hit of the game, a homerun by catcher Nick Thornquist.

Jared Pettitte saw his first action on the mound as a Cougar and his inning of work was extremely efficient as he only faced ten batters and threw ten pitches.

Shortstop Kobe Hyland had a nice game for the Cougars hitting in the seventh spot. He had two singles, including one with two outs in the sixth that would bring home Joe Davis from second for the Cougars fourth and final run of the game. 

Clay Aguilar was superb out of the bullpen, going three strong, scoreless innings, and facing the minimum number of batters . . . Aguilar threw 26 pitches overall and got five ground ball outs and four strikeouts . . . It was a welcome sight after his short Sunday outing.

Fred Villarreal would come in finish off the Roadrunners in the ninth, earning his second save on the season and getting his ERA down to 0.98.

The Cougars hit the road now, for their first real road trip of the season. They will be back in action on Friday in Dallas against Dallas Baptist University, first pitch is at 6:30pm. –

 

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Cougars Sweep Army on Davis Walkoff

The Cougars face Army at Schroeder Park on Sunday. Photo by @5_Coogs via Twitter.
The Cougars face Army at Schroeder Park on Sunday.
Photo by @5_Coogs via Twitter

The Houston Cougars took an unconventional path to victory on Sunday at Schroeder Park in the finale of their three game series with the Army Black Knights.

Tyler Bielamowicz’s illness on Friday, and his inability to make his planned Friday night start, meant the Cougars had to go with plan B on Sunday because their typical Sunday starter took the mound on Friday night . . . Clay Aguilar started for the Cougars and could not get out of the first inning as his control was off and his pitch count was already at 27, and he had only pitched 1/3 of an inning.

Nolan Bond made the best of a bad situation when he was called in from the bullpen. A sacrifice bunt would score an inherited runner before Bond would end the first inning with the Cougars already down 4-0 before they had even been to the plate.

The Cougars would start to inch back into the game with a run in the first on a Joe Davis two-out RBI single to score Brad Burckel.

Bond, back on the mound in the second inning would get the Black Knights down in order on seven pitches . . . By the time Nolan’s day was done, he had gone 2 2/3 very important innings, allowed one run, two hits, and had thrown a total of 26 pitches, 21 of them for strikes.

The Cougars would tack on two more runs in the third . . . They would explode for a four-run inning of their own in the seventh to tie the game at 7, highlighted by Joe Davis who came to the plate with the bases loaded . . . Davis would single and plate two runs, and a heads up play by Jared Triolo running at third base, allowed him to score on an error and indecision by the Black Knights second baseman.

Relievers Ron Brown, Fred Villarreal, and Devon Roedahl would each go one inning without giving up a run, a solid day for the bullpen which saw five pitchers come into the game starting in that first inning.

The possibility of ninth inning theatrics looked promising for the Black Knights as they loaded the bases with one out, but Roedahl gave them nothing and that set the stage for the bottom of the ninth.

Jared Triolo got a one-out single and would advance to second on an errant pick-off throw at first . . . Joe Davis would end his 4-for-5, 5 RBI day with a homerun over the right field fence to send the fans home happy and to secure the first series sweep on the season for the Cougars.

The Cougars are off on Monday and welcome Texas-San Antonio to Schroeder Park for a mid-week matchup on Tuesday at 6:30pm before hitting the road for their first real road trip of the season. –

 

Newspaper column version of this recap

Randel, Way Lead Cougars to Victory

Houston Cougars bat against Army Saturday night. Photo courtesy of @EdwinM201 via Twitter.
Houston Cougars bat against Army Saturday night.
Photo courtesy of @EdwinM201 via Twitter.

Houston Cougars fans were treated to a very quick two-and-a-half hour ballgame on Saturday night at Schroeder Park . . . A second straight Cougars win and a short game time were a welcome result on a warm, muggy evening that got more humid as the temperature dropped.

The Army Black Knights faced Houston right-hander Ryan Randel who was dominant and efficient early . . . Army could not muster anything against Randel until the fourth when they scored the only run they would get off of him in an inning where the Black Knights got a leadoff walk and two base hits.

Blake Way has been a nice addition to the Cougars lineup in the last week plus . . . Saturday night Way would hit a triple in his first at-bat and he would score on a wild pitch to get the Cougars on the board first . . . Way would bring home the Cougars second run of the game in the fourth with a sacrifice fly scoring Jared Triolo.

Meanwhile, Randel went seven very good innings, allowing just the one run on 99 pitches . . . Randel going as deep as he did into the game spared the bullpen from being taxed too much in the middle game of the weekend series after a very rough last nine day stretch.

Fred Villarreal would relieve Randel in the eighth and would eventually get his first save on the season after an adventurous ninth where the tying run would reach third with one out, before Villarreal would get a big strikeout and a groundout to second to end the game and secure the series win for Houston, their third series win on this early season . . . Villarreal would lower his ERA to 1.10 on the year . . . Randel improved his record to 2-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.11.

The series with Army concludes Sunday at 1pm at Schroeder Park as the Cougars go for the sweep. –

 

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