Houston baseball secured a sweep against Arkansas-Pine Bluff that featured a mounting comeback, a walk-off and a run-rule shutout at Schroeder Park over the course of March 6-8.
After allowing seven runs in the first two innings of the series, Houston’s pitching staff allowed just another seven across the rest of it.
The Cougars batted .341 as a team in the series. Senior infielder Carsten Sabathia III and redshirt sophomore outfielder Xavier Perez both batted .416 over the three games.
Jackson’s four-hit, two-homer game fuels comeback in opener
Friday’s opening game of the series was a four-hour slugfest, seeing the Cougars overcome two seven-run deficits towards a 13-9 win.
The bottom three hitters in Houston’s lineup accounted for nine of its 14 hits, with junior catcher Riley Jackson pelting two home runs on a career-high four hits with three RBIs.
UAPB opened the game with a first inning grand slam by freshman infielder Aaron Grant off of starting senior right-handed pitcher Paul Schmitz.
Schmitz finished with seven earned runs on four hits, hitting a batter and allowing a run off a wild pitch with the bases loaded in his shortest outing of the season.
UAPB added another two runs in the second to extend the lead to 7-0.
Back-to-back solo homers by Sabathia and Jackson cut the Golden Lions lead to 7-2 in the second.
UAPB added two more runs in the fourth thanks to a RBI single from Grant and sacrifice fly from junior infielder Zach Wieder to extend the lead to 9-2.
The series’ wildest play came in the fourth off a potential inning-ending double play turned botched for UAPB, when senior catcher Vinny Samuell threw the ball away trying to trap senior shortstop Tyler Cox between third and home. It allowed Cox and sophomore outfielder McClane Helton to score, cutting the deficit to 9-4.
Back-to-back wild pitches allowed freshman outfielder Blake Fields to steal third and then score, trimming UAPB’s lead to 9-5.
Junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Baker took over the mound for Houston in the top of the fifth and struck out his first two batters before ending the inning with a grounder to second.
Houston exploded in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs to take the lead off junior right-handed pitcher Reagan James.
After Cox singled, Fields and Helton took hits to load the bases. It fueled an advantage when James threw a wild pitch to score Cox with no outs on the board for UAPB, making it 9-6.
An RBI single by Perez, and Fields scoring off a senior catcher Dylan Maxcey, cut the Cougars’ deficit to 9-8 with just one out.
Jackson tied the game at nine apiece with a RBI single before sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima gave Houston its first lead of the game at 10-9 on an RBI double. Cox appeared at the plate again, capping off the inning with a two-run single.
Jackson knocked a solo homer, his second of the day, to round out Houston’s scoring at 13-9 in the eighth.
After the woeful start in pitching, the bullpen kept Houston’s ship afloat, allowing just two more runs in the last seven innings and no runs in the final five.
UAPB’s first three hitters accounted for half of its 12 hits in the game.
When asked about his 4-for-4 plate performance, Cox said he wanted to see the pitch up and put a good swing on it.
“It’s really easy to kind of fold and not really, you know, bring it for however many innings are left in the game when you’re down in a hole like that,” Cox said in response to facing two seven-run deficits. “It doesn’t matter what deficit we’re at or what lead we’re at, we’re going to play Cougar ball.”
Coach Todd Whitting expressed that the relief pitchers and bottom third of the hitting lineup were key to staying in the game for the win.
Savattere’s walk-off wins series for Cougars
Houston secured the series victory in the middle game on Saturday with a walk-off RBI single from senior infielder Antonelli Savattere to win it 6-5.
Sophomore pitcher Kendall Hoffman threw seven innings, allowing two solo home runs by junior infielders Konnor Giddley and Zach Wieder. They were the only two hits Hoffman allowed, while striking out four batters and walking two.
Scoring was kickstarted by Savattere off a sacrifice fly, allowing Sabathia to score, giving Houston its first run of the day in the second inning. Two Cougar batters were hit by pitches this inning, allowing Sabathia to reach scoring position.
Then in the third inning, Perez smacked his third homer of the season before Jackson provided a two-out, RBI double to put the Cougars ahead 3-1.
The Cougars added another run in the fourth when Perez brought home Helton on a two-out RBI single.
A two-strike triple by Perez allowed him to come home off a one-out RBI single by Sabathia in the seventh, extending Houston’s lead to 5-2.
Hoffman was lifted in favor of senior right-hander Tyler Bryan at the top of the eighth.
Bryan immediately loaded the bases with no outs off two singles and a walk before hitting the next batter, allowing the Golden Lions to cut the lead to 5-3. Sacrifice flies by Wieder and junior utility hitter Blake Coleman tied the game at 5-5.
Freshman right-hander Caden Cooper opened the ninth inning and survived a two-on, no-out situation by inducing a double play off a bunt before freshman left-hander Max McCraray finished the inning.
Sabathia smacked a two-out double before Savattere brought home pinch-running freshman outfielder Peyton Dickens, winning it for Houston.
Sabathia’s grand slam silences UAPB, fuels run-rule
In the third and final game, the Cougars shutout the Golden Lions in a 10-0 run-rule win.
Houston opened scoring in the first two innings thanks to a Sabathia RBI single, Savattere scoring on a wild pitch and a RBI single by Fields in the first inning. Location woes of UAPB pitching assisted Houston in the inning, as they hit three Cougar batters.
Sabathia then launched a grand slam in the second inning to put Houston up seven.
A weather delay in the fifth inning left the match paused until noon the next day.
When play resumed, LaLima pelted a three-run homer in the sixth to put Houston up 10-0 and in position for an early end to the series.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Connor Udland earned the win, tossing five innings and allowing a single hit with five strikeouts.
Next, the Cougars, at 10-5 overall, will take on Rice at Schroeder Park on March 10 at 6:30 p.m. to open the Silver Glove series.
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