Houston baseball salvages Frisco Classic weekend despite RISP woes

Runners in scoring position: a split that seeks to be capitalized with every opportunity.

For Houston baseball, that opportunity cashed in just seven times towards its 1-2 weekend in the Frisco Classic at Riders Field in Frisco, Texas from Feb. 27-March 1.

Exiting Friday, the Cougars were on the receiving end of a quality outing from one of the nation’s best starting pitchers, and after two days, were just 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position. 

But by Sunday, Houston flipped the script and rolled out a distanced sophomore start of its own in capturing a win over a quality Southeastern conference opponent in avoiding a winless weekend slate, considering the Cougars had lost four of their last five coming into the matchup.

In helping secure the lone win, senior infielder Carsten Sabathia III, freshman outfielder Blake Fields and senior catcher Dylan Maxcey all earned Frisco Classic all-tournament team honors for Houston.

Whitney, Beavers bullpen gnaws Cougars in Frisco opener

With two outs in the opening frame, junior infielder Riley Jackson took advantage of sophomore outfielder McClane Helton’s second-pitch double, lacing an RBI double into right center off sophomore right-hander Dax Whitney to give the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. 

But that ended up being Houston’s lone hit with runners in scoring position for the afternoon in 10 opportunities towards an eventual 2-1 loss to No. 19 Oregon State on Friday to open the tournament.

Jackson’s double was all the damage towards six quality innings of three-hit ball for Whitney, who after earning Golden Spikes Award national player of the week honors, earned his first win of the season for the Beavers by striking out 11 Cougars in the process. 

With an anchoring bullpen that only allowed two more hits, all it took were back-to-back two-out RBI singles from senior infielder Jacob Krieg and sophomore outfielder Adam Haight in the fourth inning for the Beavers to put Whitney in line for the win.

With no further run support from the Cougars, the go-ahead two-out rally handed senior left-hander Chris Scinta his second loss despite five innings of one-walk ball in his first start of the season. 

Cougars can’t get RISP-y in comeback bid fallen short to Iowa

With one out in the bottom of the ninth, a pair of singles from senior infielder Antonelli Savattere and Helton and a hit-by-pitch taken from freshman outfielder Blake Fields loaded the bases with the go-ahead runs for the Cougars. 

But with graduate right-handed pitcher Joe Husak fanning the next two batters, they only became the final touches in a grand total of nine baserunners stranded for Houston in its 6-4 loss to Iowa on Saturday. 

In a comeback bid that fell short, the Cougars’ two hits with runners in scoring position came through RBI hits from senior infielder Cade Climie and redshirt sophomore outfielder Xavier Perez in the seventh and eighth, respectively. 

Those opportunities proved too little in response to a three-run third inning for the Hawkeyes off a trio of RBI hits from senior utility players Mitch Wood, Caleb Wulf and senior infielder Kooper Schulte, and a two-out infield RBI single from senior infielder Gable Mitchell an inning later to provide the difference. 

Mitchell’s single closed the book on senior right-hander Paul Schmitz’s afternoon, as five earned runs on seven hits handed him his first loss of the season for the Cougars. 

Out of four innings of one-run ball in relief, sophomore right-hander Jaron Bleeker earned his second winning decision for Iowa.

Hoffman rolls tide, salvages weekend with 7 ⅔ strong over Alabama

Among a series of young career-highs, 7 ⅔ innings of two-run ball from sophomore right-handed pitcher Kendall Hoffman helped Houston salvage an 8-2 win over Alabama on Sunday to conclude the Frisco Classic. 

In allowing just two earned runs on five hits, one walk and striking out five Crimson Tide batters in his third start of 2026, Hoffman’s distance earned him his second career win at Houston thanks to run support that had been lacking all weekend for the Cougars.

Maxcey began that support with RBI singles in the third and fifth inning towards his 2-for-4 afternoon, while Fields touched home three times as part of his first career four-hit game.

Maxcey, Climie, and redshirt senior outfielder Irv Weems provided Houston’s four hits with runners in scoring position in 14 opportunities to provide the template for separation.

Following a two-out solo home run from junior infielder Justin Lebron to make it 6-2 in the bottom of the eighth, senior right-hander Tyler Bryan came on in relief of Hoffman and logged the final four outs to put the nail in the coffin on the weekend in Frisco.

Up next, the Cougars, at 7-4 overall, will return home to Schroeder Park to rematch Sam Houston in the second game of the Sanders Cup series on Tuesday, March 3 at 6:30 p.m., for the start of a season-long nine-game homestand.