Houston Baseball Holds On To Defeat Sam Houston State In First Game Of Don Sanders Cup
Houston baseball shut down a late inning rally to defeat the Sam Houston State Bearkats 5-4 on Tuesday night, in Huntsville, Texas.
The two teams will matchup two more times this season to determine who will win the annual three-game series know as the Don Sanders Cup.
Next up, the Cougars will take on the Frisco Classic this upcoming Friday-Sunday, where they will face strong non-conference competition.
Houston vs Sam Houston State Game Recap
Houston’s pitching has been the Cougars strong suit this season, and it was no different on Tuesday night.
Junior pitcher Alex Solis tossed a gem, by throwing five scoreless innings in relief, where he struck out six batters and allowed no hits.
His performance was much needed after Sam Houston State took a 2-0 lead after rallying for two runs in the second inning.
As soon as Solis entered the game, the Cougars took advantage. Houston added its first run of the ballgame on an RBI groundout by senior infielder Antonelli Savattere, which scored junior catcher Riley Jackson.
In the fifth inning, redshirt sophomore outfielder Xavier Perez tied the score at two with an RBI single to right field, which scored sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima.
Later in the inning, senior infielder Cade Climie smoked a ground-rule double to left field, scoring Perez and the Cougars took their first lead of the game at 3-2.
Houston closed out its offensive outburst with a two-run homer by senior catcher Dylan Maxcey, giving his team a comfortable three-run lead.
The Cougars were cruising, having not allowed a run since the second inning. That was until Sam Houston State’s junior infielder Hunter Alford hit a two-run shot of his own to bring the Bearkats within one run in the eighth inning.
Sam Houston State found itself in the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance to tie, or walkoff off the game.
However, senior pitcher Tyler Bryan slammed the door shut and earned the save after tossed 1.1 scoreless innings.
Solis was credited with the win for his solid five innings in relief, which helped the Cougars jump back in front.
Houston’s pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts in the game, which totally flipped the momentum and allowed the Cougars to get the win, despite only scoring five runs.
With the win, Houston improves to 6-2 on the season, and the Cougars picked up their 30th win over their rivals in Huntsville, Texas.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).