Alex Lopez’s three-run shot off the left-field foul pole in the seventh inning of Sunday’s rubber match helped UH take the series against AAC foe and eight-ranked ECU. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
After struggling in its nonconference games, Houston baseball opened up American Athletic Conference play with a bang, taking two out of three against No. 8 East Carolina over the weekend at Schroeder Park.
Sophomore outfielder Cameron Nickens was the hero for the Cougars in the series opener Friday night. Hitless in his first four at-bats, Nickens lined a single into right field to drive in Alex Lopez, who led off the 10th inning with a double, to walk-off the Pirates 5-4.
Down 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, outfielders Brandon Uhse and Malachi Lott came up huge for UH, each driving in a run to force extra innings.
Junior right-hander Justin Murray, who recorded the final 11 outs of the game, earned the win, his first of the season.
After coming up on the other side of another 5-4 game on Saturday, UH quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead over ECU in Sunday’s rubber match with homers from second baseman Brandon Burckel and third baseman Zach Arnold.
The Pirates responded with two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to take a 4-3 lead. With two on and two outs in the bottom half of the seventh, Lopez turned on a 3-2 pitch and kept it just fair as the ball bounced off the left-field foul pole for a three-run homer to put the Cougars back in front.
Murray took the bump to start the eighth and once again delivered, getting the final six outs of the game to secure a 5-4 UH victory and earn the save.
By taking the series over ECU, UH (14-14) got back to .500.
