Houston returns home with a Big 12 series win, but the Cougars were denied a sweep on Sunday in Tucson as Arizona used an eighth inning rally to win 6-5.
Houston was trailing 4-0 when Arizona went to the bullpen to open the sixth inning . . . The Cougars put the first five hitters of the frame on base, starting with Tyler Cox who was walked before Tre Broussard (2-for-4) singled to reach base . . . Cade Climie was walked to load the bases for Antonelli Savattere who then singled into shallow right-center field to get Houston its first run of the game.
Xavier Perez was walked to force in Broussard and the deficit was cut in half . . . Carsten Sabathia III flew out to center field to score Climie on the sacrifice fly ball and the Cougars trailed by just a run.
Blake Fields delivered a two out single to clear the bases and Houston took a 5-4 lead as the Cougars batted around in the frame.
The Wildcats scored a run in the seventh inning to tie the game and a run in the eighth inning to take the lead.
Houston returns home and will welcome Rice to Schroeder Park on Tuesday evening . . . The sole midweek game will be game three of the 2026 Silver Glove Series, which the Cougars have already claimed by virtue of winning the first two games this season . . . First pitch on Tuesday is set for 6:30pm.
It took 13 innings, but Houston was able to claim its second Big 12 series win of the season with a 7-5 victory over Arizona in Tucson on Friday night.
Riley Jackson broke the scoreless tie when he led off the top of the second inning with a one-handed moonshot over the left field wall, his ninth home run of the season, giving Houston a 1-0 lead.
The score remained there until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Wildcats plated four runs, most by virtue of some small ball, but capped by a two-run home run.
Tyler Cox (4-for-6) reached first base on a bunt single to lead off the top of the seventh inning . . . Tre Broussard (4-for-7) followed with a single into shallow left field . . . Cade Climie then tied the game at four with a three-run drive to left-center field that travelled 413 feet, it was his 10th home run of the season.
Richie Roman was superb with 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four Arizona batters before giving way to left-handed Ryne Rodriguez who pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and allowed just one run.
The game remained tied until the 12th inning when the Cougars finally broke through once again . . . Broussard singled to left field with one out to reach base before he stole second base . . . Climie then pounded a ball to the wall in left-center field, easily scoring Broussard for the 5-4 lead on Climie’s fourth RBI of the game on his third base hit of the night.
But Arizona tied the game once again in the bottom of the 12th inning.
In the top of the 13th inning, Jackson LaLima blooped a single into center field to put Houston in front once again . . . Leading by one run, Broussard hit a sacrifice fly and the RBI extended the Cougar advantage to 7-5.
Houston and Arizona will conclude the weekend series on Sunday in Tucson with a first pitch scheduled for 1pm CT.
Behind the second consecutive strong start by Kendall Hoffman, Houston took game one of the weekend opener 7-4 against Arizona Friday night in Tucson.
With one out in the top of the first inning after Tre Broussard singled and stole second base, Xavier Perez dropped a single into right field with two outs to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead . . . The single for Broussard extended his current hitting streak to eight games.
Arizona tied the game in the bottom of the first inning, but Houston responded in the top of the second inning . . . With two outs, and Riley Jackson at second base after a leadoff double, a potential inning-ending pop up off the bat of Jackson LaLima was dropped by the Wildcats shortstop and Jackson scored from second on the error for a 2-1 Houston lead.
Leading 4-2 in the top of the sixth inning, the Cougars offense went about padding the lead behind Hoffman . . . Jackson LaLima singled home two runs chasing Arizona starter Owen Kramkowski . . . Tyler Cox (3-for-5) greeted the new pitcher with a two RBI double for a 7-2 advantage.
The three spot in the sixth inning proved to be the deciding margin of victory over Arizona in the opener.
After the third inning, Hoffman did not allow a hit until the eighth inning, with no Wildcat batters reaching base in three of those four innings.
The final line for Hoffman does not do justice to the quality of his outing on Friday night . . . Hoffman allowed just two runs through seven innings and took the mound for the eighth inning when three straight hits led to two more Arizona runs before Alex Solis was summoned from the bullpen to record the first out and then Ryne Rodriguez followed to get the final two outs.
A week ago, Hoffman pitched 8 1/3 innings against Cincinnati and was given no run support in the tough luck loss.
Houston and Arizona will resume the weekend series on Saturday evening with a first pitch scheduled for 8pm . . . Paul Schmitz will be on the mound for the Cougars look to win the road series.
Houston was overpowered by TCU 8-3 at Lupton Stadium on Friday night to open the Big 12 weekend series.
The Cougar offense had few answers for the pitching staff of the Horned Frogs, with Cade Climie being the exception.
Climie hit two home runs, one to left-center field, one to right-center field, both came on 1-0 pitches, and neither came with runners on base, to help keep up with the output of the TCU offense.
Caleb Kimble provided an inning of scoreless work in relief of starter Kendall Hoffman who pitched six complete innings . . . Diego Luzardo, making just his third appearance of the season, entered the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and retired the only batter he faced.
With the Cougars trailing 8-2 in the top of the ninth inning, Antonelli Savattere singled home a run but that was all Houston could score in the game.
The Cougars and the Horned Frogs will play the middle game of the series Saturday afternoon at Lupton Stadium . . . Houston will send Paul Schmitz to the mound with a first pitch is set for 2pm.
Houston was edged out by BYU 3-2 Thursday night at Schroeder Park to open the Big 12 weekend series between the two sets of Cougars.
Houston managed only three hits in the ballgame, two of them went for home runs, while the pitching was pretty solid once again.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Xavier Perez tied the game with a two-out solo home run over the left field wall.
BYU responded immediately, scoring twice in the top of the fourth inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Once again, Connor Udland made the Friday night start for Houston . . . Udland departed after two innings having allowed one run, he had seen the BYU order one time through.
Caden Cooper followed Udland on the mound and he allowed two runs in what was an otherwise fine outing.
Harrison Boushele dazzled for another 2 2/3 scoreless innings when he needed to keep the score where it was.
Cade Climie hit a high, arching shot over the left field wall, for a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
On most nights in Big 12 play, allowing only three runs to the opposition is enough to get the job done, but that was not the case on Thursday night.
Houston and BYU will continue their weekend series on Friday, with game two at Schroeder Park set to get underway at 6:35pm . . . Kendall Hoffman will be on the mound for Houston as they look to even the series.
Houston’s troubles in Big 12 play continued on Friday night when Baylor came to Schroeder Park and claimed a 6-2 victory.
As the Cougars continue to look for a workable solution to the starting rotation, they chose right-handed freshman Connor Udland.
Udland pitched well, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing just two runs on five hits, and he added three strikeouts.
The Houston offense struggled against Baylor starter Lucas Davenport who pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed just one run.
A Blake Fields RBI single in the sixth inning was followed by Jackson LaLima’s sixth home run of the season in the seventh inning, a solo shot to deep left-center field, and that was the extent of the Cougars’ run production.
Right-hander Harrison Boushele pitched for the second game in a row, and just as he was dominant against Texas on Tuesday night, he was equally brilliant in shutting down the Baylor offense . . . Boushele allowed the Bears nothing over the final 2 1/3 innings, with a lone base runner reaching on a fielding error at third base which was of no consequence.
Boushele also struck out four batters for the second straight game.
Houston only had five hits in the game, and only one of them was for extra bases.
The Cougars and the Bears return to action Saturday at 1pm at Schroeder Park.
Houston played its first Big 12 road game at Kansas on Friday
By Steve Parkhurst
A four-run first inning was not enough for Houston on Friday night in Lawrence as the Cougars fell to Kansas 12-10 in the series opener.
The Cougars got off to a fast start when leadoff hitter McClane Helton walked on four pitches before Tre Broussard drove him home on a double to the wall in left-center field . . . Two pitches later Xavier Perez was hit by a pitch . . . With one out, Easton Winfield drove in his first run as a Houston Cougar when he singled to left field to drive in Broussard.
Kansas went to the bullpen just five batters into the game, but it was more of the same for Houston as Blake Fields walked on five pitches . . . One out later, Antonellie Savattere hammered a single to right field to drive in two runs and the Cougars had a 4-0 lead and batted around in the inning sending 10 hitters to the plate.
Houston scored a pair of runs in the third inning on a Savattere RBI single and a Tyler Cox sacrifice bunt and the Cougars led 6-1.
It was not long before the Jayhawks reversed things, scoring six runs in the bottom of the third inning and chasing the second Houston pitcher of the game, in the bottom of the fourth inning
The Cougars were in danger of hemorrhaging pitchers in game one of the series, but freshman Connor Udland took the mound with two outs in the fourth inning trailing 9-6 and pitched some terrific baseball over the next 4 1/3 innings.
After allowing one fourth inning run, Udland settled in and did not allow another run until the bottom of the eighth inning, striking out six batters along the way.
While Udland was keeping the Jayhawks off the scoreboard, the Cougars crept back into the game, thanks in part to a three-run sixth inning . . . Perez hit a two-run home run to right field and Fields doubled in a run and Houston was within a run at 10-9.
Cox tied the game at 10 in the top of the eighth inning with a double down the third base line to bring home Fields.
Kansas got to Udland for a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning and that was the difference in the ballgame . . . It was a great outing by the freshman and one that should pay dividends for Houston as the season plays out.
Kansas pitching walked 10 Houston batters, but also struck out 15, and the Cougars left 14 runners on base . . . Houston did force Kansas to use five pitchers in the game, with the Cougars only using three, this is worth watching over the final two games of the weekend.
The Cougars and the Jayhawks will play again on Saturday in Lawrence, with a first pitch scheduled for 2pm.
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.
Andres Perez held Kansas State scoreless for four innings Wednesday night.
Houston impressed in all facets of the game Wednesday night in Arlington and walked away 9-2 victors over Kansas State to advance in the 2025 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
The Cougars, serving as the visiting team, went to bat first in the top of the first inning and we sat down quietly . . . The Wildcats then scratched across two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead.
They were the only runs of the game for Kansas State.
Meanwhile, the Houston offense went to work in the top of the second inning against Kansas State ace Jacob Frost . . . A strikeout to lead off the frame seemed to be setting the Cougars up for another inning like the first one, but Tyler Cox quickly changed things as he doubled to get on base.
Brandon Bishop quickly followed with a double of his own to score Cox and cut the Kansas State lead in half . . . Malachi Lott singled home Bishop to tie the game at two and then he stole second base . . . Tre Broussard drew a two out walk in front of Kenneth Jimenez who hammered a run-scoring single to give Houston a 3-2 lead.
Second baseman Connor McGinnis doubled in two more runs to make it 5-2 Houston and Kansas State went to the bullpen.
The five-run second inning was the third such inning for Houston in their last four games, the Cougars did it in back-to-back frames in the first game against Arizona last weekend at Schroeder Park.
After the first two Kansas State batters of the bottom of the second inning reached base via free passes, Houston also went to the bullpen in favor of right-hander Andres Perez.
What Perez did over the next four innings was nothing short of spectacular . . . Perez worked around the two inherited runners and escaped the frame without allowing Kansas State to claw back at the Houston lead.
Perez then faced the minimum in the third inning getting two swinging strikeouts and a fly ball out . . . Perez worked a scoreless fourth inning and started to show signs of tiring a bit in the bottom of the fifth inning as he approached and surpassed the 60-pitch mark, although he did strike out two batters in the frame, including the last batter he faced in the contest.
McGinnis (3-for-5) led off the top of the fifth inning with a single and X. Perez tripled to drive him home and expand the Houston lead to 6-2.
David Stich was next out of the Houston bullpen and he pitched a scoreless sixth inning, facing just four batters.
The Houston offense went to work again in the top of the seventh inning, starting with McGinnis leading off the inning with a double, his third hit of the game . . . X. Perez (2-for-5) singled home McGinnis and subsequently stole second and third base . . . Coby DeJesus was the third straight batter of the inning to reach base as he took a free pass and stole second base . . . Evan Haeger, a mid-game replacement for Bishop, singled home both runners on base and pushed the Houston lead to 9-2.
After the seventh inning stretch, right-hander Brady Fuller took the mound for the Cougars protecting a seven-run lead . . . The ballgame was Fuller’s at that point as he tossed three scoreless frames and retired nine of the ten batters he faced . . . Fuller earned the save for his effort, his first of the season.
Prrez pitched a career-high four innings and allowed just two hits, and the win improved his record to 3-1.
His postgame comments were as efficient as his outing against the Wildcats, “I was expecting to go in and do my job,” Perez said.
Perez did his job, first he stopped the bleeding and then he worked through a potent Kansas State offense without allowing anything that looked like momentum.
Head coach Todd Whitting agreed. “Andres getting out of that big jam the inning he came in, I thought was huge,” Whitting said. “Then, we just kept pouring on the runs. Stich comes in and gets his inning and Fuller comes in and does his job.”
“Overall, top to bottom, just a great team effort,” Whitting said.
Houston pitching allowed just five base hits in eliminating the Wildcats from the Championship field . . . The Cougars combined for 11 hits offensively and McGinnis, X. Perez, and Haeger each had two RBI.
The nine runs scored by Houston was the most runs scored by any team on day one of the 2025 Big 12 Championship, the next closest team was Cincinnati, which scored six runs in eliminating Texas Tech.
Houston will next face TCU on Thursday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington . . . The Cougars played the last game of the day on Wednesday, and the original start time was mercifully pushed back only 15 minutes . . . Thursday’s matchup with the Horned Frogs is a 7:30pm scheduled start, but with three games being played before it, look for a possible later start.
Houston left-hander Antoine Jean was just named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year by the Conference this afternoon.
In perhaps his most dominant outing of the season for the Cougars, Jean pitched five scoreless innings at UCF in March . . . Jean recorded 15 outs in the road victory, 11 of them by strikeout.
Jean also turned in a terrific performance in his outing against Kansas State on April 27 . . . Jean took the mound with just one out in the first inning as things had started to unravel for the Cougars . . . Jean pitched thru the seventh inning and set up Houston for the eventual 6-5 victory to salvage a game in the road series . . . Over 6 2/3 innings, Jean struck out eight batters in the potent Kansas State offense.
In Big 12 play this season, Jean went 3-0 with 72 strikeouts. Jean struck out five or more batters in nine of the 12 Big 12 games in which he pitched.
Jean was also named to the All-Big 12 First Team, the only Houston player named to any of the All-Big 12 lists.
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