Justin Murray bats in the 3rd inning Sunday with runners on the corners
Houston fell 9-6 in Lawrence on Sunday afternoon as Kansas rallied after the game one loss on Friday to win the Big 12 series on their home turf.
Anthony Avaolos (2-for-4) singled to center field with two outs in the top of the third inning to get the Houston offense started . . . A single to left field by Kenneth Jimenez moved Avalos to third base . . . Justin Murray then bounced a ball through the infield and into center field to score Avalos and tie the game at one . . . Murray’s single was the third-straight base hit with two outs.
Cary Arbolida (2-for-3) walked on six pitches to lead off the top of the fourth inning and one out later Jonathan French followed with a single to center field . . . Jacob Schoenvogel then walked on 10 pitches as he fouled off four of them in a great at-bat with Avalos on deck and Kansas’ starter tiring around the 80 pitch mark.
Avalos then drove an 0-2 pitch into the left field corner to tie the game as Arbolida and French both crossed the plate . . . Jimenez singled into center field and Schoenvogel scored to give Houston the 4-3 lead.
The lead evaporated quickly as the Jayhawks plated five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take an 8-4 lead.
Arbolida led off the top of the eighth inning by hitting his team-leading 16th home run of the season to center field
Anthony Tulimero doubled home a run in the top of the ninth inning to get the Cougars to within three runs, but Houston fell 9-6 when the smoke settled.
Avalos, Tulimero, Jimenez, and Arbolida each had two base hits in the game, accounting for eight of the ten Houston hits.
The Cougars got some solid relief work out of the bullpen with Michael Benzor throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings without allowing a hit, though he walked three batters . . . Chris Stuart closed out the game with two scoreless innings allowing just one base hit.
The Cougars will return home on Sunday and will have Monday off . . . Houston will return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Sugar Land to decide the 2024 Don Sanders Cup series with Sam Houston at Constellation Field . . . First pitch is set for 6:30pm.
Cade Citelli pitches with a Kansas runner on first base Friday in Lawrence
Houston opened their next-to-last Big 12 series of the season in Kansas on Friday night with a 13-5 victory in a game that was not as close as the final score indicates.
Justin Murray (4-for-6) led off the bottom of the third inning with a home run to right-center field, his fifth home run of the season, for the first score of the game.
The Cougars offense added five more runs in the top of the fourth inning . . . Coby DeJesus walked to lead off the frame . . . With one out, Jacob Schoenvogel lined a ball all the way to the wall in left-center field to score DeJesus from first base.
Murray launched his second home run in as many innings with a towering blast to right-center field, his sixth homer of the season was good for two more Houston runs . . . Anthony Tulimero then reached base on an error at third base . . . Harold Coll made the Jayhawks pay for the defensive mistake by hitting a towering home run that just cleared the left field wall and Houston led 6-0.
Kansas went to the bullpen to start the fifth inning and Tre Jones (2-for-4) met the new pitcher with a seven-pitch at-bat which ended in a leadoff single . . . Walks to DeJesus and Jonathan French loaded the bases with no outs . . . Schoenvogel walked, and after another Jayhawks pitching change, Kenneth Jimenez was hit by a pitch, each drove in a run and the bases continued to be loaded with no outs.
Murray grounded into a fielder’s choice which drove in the third run of the inning and his fourth of the game and the Cougars led 9-0.
A second consecutive three-run inning, aided by Murray’s fifth RBI of the game, gave Houston a 12-0 lead halfway through the sixth inning.
Houston starter Cade Citelli pitched six innings before his day was complete, he allowed three runs in his final frame but struck out seven in his outing . . . The Cougars bullpen gave up two more runs in the seventh inning before Graysen Drezek took the mound and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
DeJesus added a run to the Houston ledger with a groundout RBI in the top of the ninth inning to give Houston a 13-5 lead, which stood as the final score.
Citelli improved to 4-2 this season with the win . . . Nine Houston batters had a hit in the Friday contest with Murray and Jones the only two Cougars with multiple hits . . . Jones also walked twice in the game and reached base four times . . . Cary Arbolida tripled off the batter’s eyes in center field and was hit by a pitch twice to reach base three times.
The Cougars and the Jayhawks return to action Saturday afternoon at 2pm . . . Antoine Jean will make the start on Saturday with a chance for Houston to claim the series.
Houston’s offense was completely stymied by great UCF pitching in a 4-1 loss Friday night at Schroeder Park to open the Big 12 weekend series.
After being retired in order over the first three innings, the Cougars got their first base hit and base runners in the bottom of the fourth inning but could not turn them into runs.
Meanwhile, a run in the first inning off of Houston starter Cade Citelli was followed by a two-run third inning in which an error at shortstop was brought home on a two-out home run to center field.
Still trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cary Arbolida hit the first pitch of the frame over the left field wall for his 13th home run of the season.
The Knights added a run in the top of the seventh inning while the Cougars could muster almost nothing after the Arbolida home run . . . Anthony Tulimero was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning but stranded at first base, and Kenneth Jimenez was walked in an eighth inning pinch-hit appearance, replaced with a pinch-runner, who was promptly doubled-off on a line-out to first base to end the inning.
Houston’s offense could only collect two base hits in the game.
The lack of offense resulted in a hard luck loss for Citelli whose quality start over six innings with six strikeouts was nearly unimaginable after a 32-pitch first inning . . . Citelli faced the minimum in two innings, the second and the fourth, and low pitch counts in both allowed him some longevity into the latter stages of the game . . . Two of the three runs against Citelli were unearned due to the error at shortstop.
The Cougars then turned to left-hander Kyle LaCalameto out of the bullpen, he was the second and final pitcher for Houston in the game . . . LaCalameto pitched the final three innings of the game and struck out three UCF batters . . . Citelli’s effort spared the Houston bullpen from being taxed early in the first game of the weekend conference series.
The Cougars and the Knights will continue the weekend series on Saturday night . . . Antoine Jean will be on the mound for Houston, starting a day earlier in the weekend after pitching on Sunday the last three weeks . . . The game will get underway at 6:30pm.
Jonathan French stands at first base after a two RBI single Sunday in Cincinnati
Houston worked through chilly weather and a sunless afternoon to salvage a road win in Cincinnati on Sunday with an 8-5 victory.
A three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning gave Cincinnati an early 3-0 lead, reversing course from the previous two games when the Bearcats fell behind 4-0 in each game.
Ace Reese drew a two-out walk in the top of the fourth inning to reach base . . . Cary Arbolida drove a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall, clearing a line of trees beyond the wall, the two-run blast cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Bearcats went to their bullpen after five innings and Anthony Tulimero greeted the new pitcher by lining a single past the Cincinnati third baseman and into center field to lead off the top of the sixth inning . . . Harold Coll walked and both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch . . . Tre Jones (2-for-3) was hit by a pitch with two outs to load the bases for the Cougars.
Jonathan French came off the bench to pinch-hit and he lined the very first pitch he saw up the middle into center field, scoring Tulimero and Coll and giving Houston a 4-3 lead.
Antoine Jean settled in after the first inning home run to toss 5 1/3 innings to the benefit of the pitching staff depleted by injuries and long outings . . . Jean struck out six Cincinnati batters . . . Jean departed with two runners on base, both scored after he left the game, so his final line looks worse than his outing would actually indicate.
The Bearcats got the lead right back in the bottom of the inning, plating two runs to take a 5-4 lead.
Back-to-back walks to Tulimero and Coll in the top of the seventh inning were followed by a Reese single that dropped into left field to load the bases with one out . . . Arbolida then blooped a ball into shallow center field, with the possibility of the ball being caught, the runners had to hold up, Tulimero scampered home as the tying run when the ball hit the ground, but Coll was out on the RBI fielder’s choice force play at third base.
After hitting the first pitch he saw for a pinch-hit two RBI single, French hit the second pitch he saw in the game over the left field wall, close to where Arbolida’s home run cleared, to lead off the top of the eighth inning for a 6-5 lead.
Coll hit a home run to lead off the top of the ninth inning and to give the Cougars a two-run advantage . . . Two outs later, Thomas Lyssy drew a two-out walk and proceeded to steal second base . . . French worked a seven pitch at-bat before knocking a single into left-center field to drive in Lyssy and Houston led 8-5 going to the bottom of the ninth . . . French was 3-for-3 on Sunday with four RBI.
Justin Murray took the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth inning and he promptly struck out the side . . . Murray picked up another strikeout in the bottom of the ninth inning and retired six of the seven batters he faced to close the road win and earn his fourth save of the season.
Graysen Drezek, Brendan O’Donnell, and Richie Roman all contributed parts of a scoreless inning to get the game from Jean to Murray . . . Roman earned the win and improved to 2-0 this season.
“French was great today,” head coach Todd Whitting said after the game. “We had planned to give him a day off and he came off the bench with three huge hits.”
“With the injury early [in the season] to Tulimero, he was a huge pickup for us to solidify the catching position,” Whitting added.
Houston returns home today and has Monday off before traveling to College Station to take on the No. 1 Texas A&M Aggies in a Tuesday midweek matchup . . . First pitch is set for 6pm.
Cary Arbolida bats in the 2nd inning Friday at Cincinnati
Houston took a lead and built on it in the middle of the game, but Cincinnati scored six runs over the sixth and seventh innings to take a 6-4 win on their home turf Friday.
With two outs, Cincinnati went to the bullpen in favor of the arm that would ordinarily be their Friday night starter . . . The Bearcats have been doing this for several weeks now with an opening pitcher that throws anywhere from one to three innings to their Friday guy who can go six innings in some cases . . . It has worked for Cincinnati in recent weeks, so they have stuck with it.
Houston starter Cade Citelli faced the minimum through the first three innings and the game was scoreless to that point.
Harold Coll singled to center field to get the top of the fourth inning started for Houston . . . After Coll stole second base, Ace Reese moved him to third base on a groundout to the right side . . . Cary Arbolida (2-for-4) then smashed a single into left field for his second hit of the ball game to drive in Coll and give Houston a 1-0 lead.
Tre Jones worked a walk on seven pitches to lead off the top of the sixth inning and he promptly stole second base . . . A Coby DeJesus groundout moved Jones to third base ahead of a Justin Murray (2-for-4) single up the middle to bring him across the plate . . . Anthony Tulimero doubled to left field to put Murray at third base . . . Murray then stole home to give Houston a 3-0 lead.
Cameron Nickens punched a one-out single into left field to get things started in the top of the sixth inning . . . Jones walked for the second time in as many at-bats . . . A failed hit-and-run play left Jones at second base with two outs where he was when DeJesus singled into center field to drive him home for a 4-0 Cougars advantage.
Citelli departed after five complete innings leading 4-0 having allowed just two base hits and striking out five Bearcats batters.
Cincinnati got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth inning and continued to hit the Houston bullpen in the seventh inning as they added four runs and took a 6-4 lead.
Paul Schmitz took the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning with a runner on first base with two outs and got an inning-ending groundout to bring the inning to an end.
Schmitz pitched a scoreless eighth inning to give the Cougars offense a chance in the top of the ninth inning, but to no avail as the Bearcats closed out the win on their home field.
The Houston offense earned nine hits in the game, and seven walked batters gave the Cougars plenty of traffic on the bases, but Houston left 10 runners on base in the two-run loss.
The Cougars and the Bearcats will continue the weekend series with an early afternoon affair on Saturday . . . Right-hander Duncan Howard (2-1) is set to make the start for Houston . . . First pitch is scheduled for 1pm in Cincinnati.
Texas rallied back late from three-runs down on Sunday afternoon at Schroeder Park to take the series against Houston with a 13-8 victory.
Jaxon Jelkin was scheduled to make the mound start until just minutes before first pitch when Antoine Jean was announced instead.
The Cougars put together a rally trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third inning when Justin Murray singled to right field with two outs . . . Anthony Tulimero was walked after Murray stole second base and reached third on a throwing error by the Texas catcher . . . Harold Coll (3-for-5) followed with a three-run home run over the left field wall and Houston led for the first time in the game, 3-2.
Cameron Nickens was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning . . . Coby DeJesus and Murray each singled to load the bases with no outs . . . Tulimero hit a sacrifice fly ball to left-center field to bring in a run . . . Coll drove in a run with a single to left-center field to extend the Houston lead to 5-2.
Jonathan French was walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning for Houston . . . One out later, Nickens hit a home run to left-center field to push the Cougars advantage to 7-2.
Texas added a run in the seventh inning and two in the eighth inning to close Houston’s lead to two runs.
With two down in the bottom of the eighth inning, Ace Reese got a 1-0 pitch he liked and he drove it over the fence in right field for a solo home run and a three-run Houston lead, 8-5 . . . The blast was the fifth of the season for the freshman.
But Texas responded with an eight-run ninth inning as eight consecutive batters reached base, three of them on home runs as Houston had to use four pitchers in the inning.
The Cougars went down in order in the bottom of the ninth and dropped the series with the 13-8 loss.
DeJesus and Murray were joined by Cary Arbolida as the only Houston hitters with multiple hits in the game with two each . . . Jean pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed just three hits and two runs on a third inning home run and he struck out six batters . . . Houston pitching struck out 14 batters in total and walked six.
Houston is off Monday before playing back-to-back midweek games at Schroeder Park . . . The Cougars will host Houston Christian on Tuesday night followed by Southern on Wednesday night . . . Both games are scheduled to get underway at 6:30.
Duncan Howard made the start against Texas Saturday
Texas edged out Houston 6-5 on Saturday night at Schroeder Park to even the weekend series and set up a deciding game on Sunday afternoon.
Texas got a run in the game’s opening frame when a fly ball to center field was allowed to drop in for a base hit, scoring one and giving the Longhorns the early . . . Texas added two more runs in the top of the third inning to take a 3-0 lead.
Cameron Nickens led off the bottom of the third inning with a single into right-center field and Coby DeJesus followed with a single into left field . . . One out later, Anthony Tulimero (3-for-4) got Houston on the board with a run-scoring single . . . Harold Coll was walked to load the bases . . . Ace Reese (2-for-4) drove a fly ball deep into the left field corner near the foul line and it dropped just fair as it was mis-played by the Texas left fielder allowing two-runs to score on the single.
The Cougars trailed 5-3 after the seventh inning stretch, DeJesus got the inning started with a line drive home run over the left field fence . . . With one out, Tulimero hit a drive in nearly the same place, though a little further and with less doubt, and the game was tied at five on his third home run of the season.
A leadoff home run for Texas in the top of the ninth inning proved to be the difference in the ballgame as the Longhorns escaped with a 6-5 victory to even the series.
Alex Solis took the mound in the top of the ninth inning with runners at first and second base and only one out . . . Solis got a swinging strikeout and another one looking to end the threat, striking out the only two batters he faced . . . Michael Benzor pitched a scoreless inning in the top of the eighth inning, working around a dropped fly ball in left field that resulted in a runner on third base with no outs.
Houston and Texas will conclude their series Sunday afternoon with a rubber match at Schroder Park . . . First pitch is set for 1pm.
Owen Woodward got the start Friday night and was perfect for 4 1/3 innings.
Pitching and power-hitting led the way as Houston ended an 11-game losing skid in Big 12 play with a 9-1 win over Texas at Schroeder Park on Friday night.
Harold Coll singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the second inning . . . Ace Reese was hit by a pitch and Cary Arbolida (2-for-3) followed with a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position while becoming the first out of the inning . . . A wild pitch with two outs scored Coll and gave Houston a 1-0 lead.
Anthony Tulimero (3-for-4) was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning with Houston still leading by a run . . . Coll singled into left field before being erased on a double play which moved Tulimero to third base . . . Arbolida got a chance to swing the bat with two outs and he delivered . . . Arbolida hit a drive 411 feet over the wall in center field to the right of the batter’s eye and the Cougars led 3-0.
Houston starter Owen Woodward, making his first start of the season, was perfect through 4 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts . . . A solo home run with one out in the top of the fifth inning broke things up and Woodward struck out the following batter with noticeable discomfort on the strikeout pitch . . . Woodward’s first pitch to the next batter was his last of the night as he was in visible pain after he released the pitch and he tossed his glove to the ground.
Woodward exited the game at 72 pitches and in an interesting twist, Saturday’s scheduled starter Cade Citelli took the mound to record the final out of the top of the fifth inning.
Jonathan French led off the bottom of the inning with a sole home run to left field . . . Justin Murray put down a surprise bunt and he beat the throw to first base for a one-out single . . . After an attempted double-steal resulted in an out at home plate, Murray was second base when Tulimero singled into shallow center field to give Houston a 5-1 advantage.
Reese led off the bottom of the sixth inning by slicing a single into left-center field . . . Arbolida demolished a 1-1 pitch that disappeared into the night as it traveled toward Elgin Street and Houston led 7-1.
With one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, Coby DeJesus singled to left field reaching base for the first time in the game . . . Tulimero homered to left field with two outs, a two-run blast to give Houston an eight-run advantage heading to the ninth inning.
Citelli dominated over the final 4 1/3 innings allowing Texas just one base runner on a seventh inning single . . . Citelli faced the minimum in three different innings and finished with six strikeouts and no walks and improved to 2-0 on the year with the win.
“I had everything working. In the pen I had to warm up fast, you know. It’s unfortunate what happened to Woody,” Citelli said after the game. “I had all my pitches working and I pounded the strike zone.”
Asked about the difference for a pitcher between being a regular starter last year and being used out of the bullpen this season, Citelli keeps it simple.
“Nothing changes. I mean, it’s all routine, staying with it every day,” Citelli said. “That’s all it takes. I know I have the stuff, just getting ahead early, that’s a big difference from last year.”
After the game, Arbolida laughed when asked about putting down a sacrifice bunt in the second inning before hitting two home runs later in the game.
“I mean, it helped. It got me to see the ball a little bit better,” Arbolida said. “I was just working on trying to hit the ball hard.”
“I just saw a fastball up a little bit and then took it that way, up and out, and took it over right-center,” Arbolida said of his first home run. In describing his second home run, Arbolida said, “I just missed his hanging slider, and then he threw another one, and I just took it over the left field fence.”
Arbolida described how not overthinking has been key to his recent success at the plate. Like Citelli, the simple approach is the one that is working right now.
“Just trying not to think too much, because when I think too much, that’s when it goes downhill,” Arbolida said. “So I just try not to overthink and just trust what Kiv’s teaching us and tee it up and just go with that.”
Woodward ended his outing with ten strikeouts and he allowed just the one hit in a nearly perfect outing . . . Neither Houston pitcher walked a batter and the two combined for 16 strikeouts.
The Cougars and the Longhorns get back to it on Saturday evening at Schroeder Park . . . Citelli was scheduled to make his first weekend start of the season in the middle game, but his surprise appearance after Woodward’s departure means a change in plans, it is unknown as of now who will make the start Saturday . . . A 6:30pm first pitch is scheduled.
Jonathan French connects on a fifth inning home run Sunday in Lubbock
The winds of west Texas once again blew the way of Texas Tech as they completed the three-game sweep of Houston 12-8 in Lubbock on Sunday.
In the opening frame, Houston batters were doing a nice job of working deep counts and they drew two walks early, though one of the walks was erased on a caught-stealing . . . The other walked batter, Anthony Tulimero, was at first base when Harold Coll hit the second pitch of his at-bat over the wall in left-center field for a 2-0 Houston lead.
After the Red Raiders got a run back in the bottom of the first inning, Jacob Schoenvogel, a left-handed batter, bit a high floater the opposite way that looked destined for foul territory, but the carry of the ball led it to hit the left field foul pole for a leadoff home run and a 3-1 Houston lead.
For the second day in a row, Texas Tech plated three runs in the bottom of the third inning, with a grand slam as part of the mix on both days, and the Red Raiders took an 8-3 lead.
Trailing 11-3, Cary Arbolida was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the fifth inning when led Texas Tech to go to their bullpen for the first time in the game . . . Ace Reese then doubled into right-center field to score Arbolida all the way from first base . . . Jonathan French (3-for-5) then drove a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run home run on his team-leading eighth home run of the season and his second of the series.
Kenneth Jimenez came off the bench to deliver a run-scoring single in the seventh inning.
Texas Tech led 12-7 going to the top of the ninth inning . . . Arbolida led off with his second home run of the series, and fourth of the season, to right-center field . . . It was the start of what looked like another ninth inning rally, but like Saturday, the Red Raiders were able to close out the game and complete the series sweep.
Right-hander Cade Citelli was tremendous out of the bullpen for Houston on Sunday . . . Citelli inherited the bases loaded and a 2-0 count on a batter when he entered the game in the bottom of the fifth inning . . . Despite being behind in the count, Citelli got the strikeout, the first of four-straight strikeouts and six total . . . Citelli pitched the final 3 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or a walk.
Houston had 10 hits on the day, with seven different hitters reaching base . . . Tulimero was 2-for-3 Sunday, the only other Cougars hitter besides French to have multiple hits in the game.
The Red Raiders offense scored double-digit runs in all three games in the series.
Houston returns home tonight and will be off Monday before traveling to Huntsville for a midweek against Sam Houston on Tuesday night . . . Houston leads this year’s Don Sanders Cup series 1-0 after winning game one at Schroeder Park back on March 5 . . . First pitch in Huntsville is scheduled for 6:30pm.
Coby DeJesus was 4-for-6 against Texas Tech Saturday
Baseball in Lubbock was wild again on Saturday afternoon as Texas Tech claimed the weekend series over Houston with a 15-10 victory.
Jonathan French (2-for-4) led off the top of the second inning with a ground-rule double to left-center field . . . After a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Schoenvogel moved French to third base, Jake Rainess singled to left field to score French for an early one-run lead.
Rainess then stole second base on a delayed steal and the throw from the Red Raiders catcher went into center field allowing Rainess to move to third base where he was when a Coby DeJesus (4-for-6) ground out resulted in a RBI and a 2-0 Houston lead.
Texas Tech tied the game at two in the bottom of the third inning on a two-run home run and then took a one-run lead on a RBI single . . . A grand slam gave Texas Tech a seven-run frame and a 7-2 lead.
Trailing 12-2 in the top of the fifth inning, Harold Coll doubled into the left field corner to reach base with two outs . . . Coll was at third base after a wild pitch and Cary Arbolida singled on the infield to plate the run . . . Ace Reese (2-for-4) hit a home run over the left field wall, going the opposite way, a two-run shot . . . French added an opposite field home run of his own, going back-to-back with Reese, and Houston trailed 12-6 after the four-run inning.
The Cougars sent nine batters to the plate in the top of the sixth inning on four base hits and two walks . . . Houston plated four runs for the second-straight inning and only trailed by two-runs, 12-10.
Right-hander Owen Woodward had a terrific outing out of the Cougars bullpen . . . Woodward handled the final three innings of work and allowed just one run . . .Houston pitching allowed thirteen walks in the game.
Houston put together a mini rally in the top of the ninth inning when Jacob Schoenvogel doubled to lead off the inning . . . Alex Lopez singled in only his second at-bat of the game after pinch hitting in the seventh inning . . . DeJesus picked up his fourth hit of the game with a run-scoring single on his sixth hit of the weekend . . . The would-be rally fizzled out after one more run scored on an Anthony Tulimero sacrifice fly ball for his second RBI of the game, while Houston fell by a 15-12 final score.
The Cougars offense was consistent, and on many days scoring 12 runs should be enough for a win, but this series is being played in Lubbock . . . All nine batters in the starting lineup had at least one hit in the ballgame, including four Cougars with multiple hits.
The Cougars and the Red Raiders will conclude their series on Sunday afternoon . . . Right-hander Duncan Howard makes his return after not seeing action for three weeks . . . A 1pm first pitch is scheduled.
Houston Cougars Baseball Beat 