Houston Baseball Drops Opening Series To UTRGV

Houston baseball lost its first series of the season this weekend against the UTRGV Vaqueros at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park.

After winning game one, the Cougars could not come away with a win on Saturday or Sunday, and their hot streak has come to an abrupt stop.

Next up, Houston will travel to Huntsville, Texas, to take on the Sam Houston Bearcats on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m.

Houston vs UTRGV Series Recap

The Cougars started the weekend off rolling by scoring a season-high 11 runs in game one to extend their winning streak to five.

Junior catcher Riley Jackson led the charge with three hits and three RBIs, along with scoring two runs of his own.

Junior outfielder Tre Broussard also contributed to Houston’s hot offensive night, tallying three hits and three RBIs.

Senior starting pitcher Paul Schmitz built upon an impressive start from the pitching staff, racking up seven strikeouts through five innings of work.

He also only allowed two walks, and because of his strong performance, he earned his second win of the season.

In game two, Houston jumped out to a five run lead, and it felt as if the series was already secured.

However, after sophomore pitcher Kendall Hoffman exited his start after just 4.2 innings, the Vaqueros took over.

UTRGV managed to score eight unanswered runs to take an 8-5 lead, and they added two more in the ninth to split the series with a 10-6 victory.

Despite the loss, the Cougars showcased their power with a trio of homers hit in the game.

Broussard started the scoring with a two-run blast in the first inning, giving Houston an early 2-0 lead.

Sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima also hit a solo shot in the fourth inning to extend Houston’s lead to 5-0.

Redshirt sophomore outfielder Xavier Perez tried to mount a comeback in the seventh inning with a solo home run of his own, but the deficit was too much.

Houston had high hopes to bounce back in Sunday’s game, but they ultimately came up short.

After a solid start by junior pitcher Richie Roman, who tossed four innings and allowed just one run, the bullpen gave up six earned runs to sink the Cougars’ hopes of a series win as they lost 8-4.

Freshman infielder Blake Fields and Perez were the standouts at the plate, combining for six hits to keep Houston in the game.

Overall, Houston’s offense and starting pitching continue to be impressive this early in the season.

If the Cougars can get their bullpen up to speed, they will be right back in the win column in no time.