Pouncing in Ponce: Houston baseball sweeps Puerto Rico Challenge

Beginning its season nearly 2,000 miles away in Ponce, P.R., Houston baseball left Francisco Montaner Stadium with a four-game sweep of the Puerto Rico Challenge over the course of Feb. 13-16. 

In outscoring quality opponents 25-11 across the weekend and opening with a top-25 win, the Cougars clinched their second 4-0 start in three seasons, while also being one of six Big 12 programs to start their seasons undefeated. 

Cox, LaLima lead Cougars to opening top-25 rout

To pair with their series of defensive stops at both corners of the infield, senior infielder Tyler Cox and sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima went a combined 3-for-6 among eight hits that fueled the Cougars’ 8-2 upset win over No. 21 Wake Forest at Francisco Montaner Stadium Friday. 

As the first scheduled game of the 2026 Division I college baseball season, the win for Houston marked its first top-25 win as a Big 12 member and its first since its series win over No. 8 East Carolina on April 2, 2023. 

The key difference towards the feat came via a four-spot in the bottom of the third inning, when Cox attempted a sacrifice bunt to move LaLima and freshman outfielder Blake Fields into scoring position with nobody out.

But an errant throw from junior infielder Kade Lewis over the first base bag allowed both LaLima and Fields to score the Cougars’ first two runs of the season, while Cox advanced to third. 

A wild pitch from junior right-hander Blake Morningstar allowed Cox to score and junior outfielder Tre Broussard to get into scoring position.

Momentarily, Broussard came home on an RBI single by senior infielder Antonelli Savattere to cap the early no-out four-spot.

After LaLima led off the bottom of the fourth with an automatic double down the line in left, Cox scored him on an RBI single into shallow center to make it 5-0, marking the end of Morningstar’s outing en route to the loss for the Demon Deacons.

Adding to the spark that lit the four-run third-inning with Houston’s first hit of the game, Fields cashed in his first career RBI with a sacrifice fly to score senior catcher Dylan Maxcey, making it 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth. 

The Demon Deacons threatened in the top of the sixth when sophomore infielder Dalton Wentz laced an RBI double into right to make it 6-1. 

Facing a no-out bases-loaded jam in the frame, on came senior left-handed pitcher Chris Scinta, only surrendering an RBI fielder’s choice by freshman catcher Andrew Costello that made it 6-2 before retiring the side. 

Paired with insurance runs on productive outs from Broussard and Savattere in the home eighth, Scinta held on for four innings of two-hit ball en route to earning the opening-day save. 

Senior right-handed pitcher Paul Schmitz hurled four innings of two-hit shutout ball to earn the win in his opening-day start. 

Fields’ two-fers level Houston past Boston College

Adding to career firsts in his collegiate debut in Ponce, Fields’ fourth-inning go-ahead two-run double provided the difference in Houston’s 5-1 win over Boston College Saturday, marking back-to-back wins over an ACC opponent to open the Puerto Rico Challenge.

After a leadoff single which led to scoring off Broussard’s RBI single in the top of the third, Fields came to plate again in the following frame as the Cougars had two on and two out, needing an answer to sophomore infielder Ty Mainolfi’s game-tying RBI single for the Eagles.

On a full count pitch from freshman right-handed pitcher Luke D’Ancona, Fields laced a double into right to score Savattere and sophomore outfielder McClane Helton to make it 3-1, for his third hit and third RBI in four career at-bats. 

Helton scored his second run of the day by stealing home in a sixth-inning, two-out double-steal with Fields to make it 4-1, and Savattere put the final insurance touch with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly.

The Cougars’ efforts remained unanswered behind 5.2 innings of five-hit shutout ball combined in relief from junior right-hander Jackson Baker, earning the win, and senior right-hander Tyler Bryan, earning the save in his Houston debut. 

Climie’s eighth-inning triple takes bite out of Manhattan

On a 2-0 pitch from redshirt senior left-hander Jacob Smoot, senior infielder Cade Climie drove a pinch hit two-out RBI triple to right center, capping off a go-ahead two-spot in the eighth inning that helped lead Houston past Manhattan 4-2 on Sunday. 

Entering the eighth tied 2-2, the Cougars were 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position on the afternoon before LaLima came to the plate with one out and a runner on third. 

In a quick 0-2 hole, LaLima clubbed a go-ahead RBI single into center to score pinch running freshman outfielder Peyton Dickens to make it 3-2 before Climie provided the defining cushion two batters later. 

To hold Houston’s efforts firm, junior right-handed pitcher Alex Solis rebounded from surrendering a seventh-inning game-tying RBI single from redshirt senior catcher Hunter Sute with a scoreless final seven outs for the win.

Helton’s bases-loaded walk hurls Cougars past surprising Huskies to pack up in Ponce

Tied 7-7 with the bases loaded and two out in the road ninth, Helton worked a four-pitch walk to bring in the go-ahead run for the Cougars.

In the home frame, with a strikeout of senior designated hitter Ethan Swidler by Bryan, Dylan Maxcey caught freshman infielder Landon Young stealing second to seal Houston’s 8-7 win over Washington Monday, completing the sweep of the tournament.

The Huskies began their first 27.2 innings of the season without scoring a run, in which they were shut out 28-0 across their first three games.

That changed in the bottom of the third, when junior outfielder Mic Paul clubbed a 407-foot solo home run to left to cut Houston’s early lead in half at 2-1.

After Maxcey scored on Washington’s second error in three innings to make it 3-1 in the top of the fourth, Swidler responded with a one-out game-tying two-run homer to left in the bottom frame.

The fifth inning saw its biggest trade of blows from top to bottom.

After redshirt sophomore outfielder Xavier Perez took a two-run homer to deep center for the Cougars to make it 6-3 following a sacrifice fly from Broussard, a pair of RBI doubles from Swidler and redshirt junior catcher Colton Bower propelled a four-run home fifth to give the Huskies a 7-6 lead. 

Facing their second deficit in the back half of the Puerto Rico challenge, the Cougars wasted no time with a game-tying response in the following frame.

After Helton led off the sixth with a hit-by-pitch, LaLima scored him on an RBI double to left to knot the game up 7-7, despite Climie following by being thrown out at home. 

It took Houston going two for its next eight at the plate before walks drawn by Perez, Maxcey and senior infielder Carter Sintek set the template for Helton’s game-winning walk. 

Anchoring any further threats from Washington, Scinta recorded five outs without a hit en route to picking up the win to go with his Friday save, while Bryan grabbed the final three outs to pick up his second save in three days. 

Up next, the Cougars return to Schroeder Park for their home-opening three-game series against defending Southland regular season co-champion UTRGV beginning Friday, Feb. 20, with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch.