UH freshman outfielder/pitcher Chase Dempsay has mixed feelings about being the closer but is willing to do whatever head coach Rayner Noble asks of him.
Noble called on Dempsay to close out Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the University of California-Santa Barbara, and the right-hander delivered, inducing a game-ending double play in the Cougars’ 4-2 win at Cougar Field. The victory gave UH (8-5) a two-games-to-one series win.
Dempsay, who pitched two scoreless innings for his second save, ran into trouble in the top of the ninth inning after allowing three consecutive singles to load the bases with one out for Gauchos senior left fielder Mike Zuanich.
Zuanich took Dempsay’s third offering and hit a bouncing grounder to UH freshman shortstop Blake Kelso, who started the 6-4-3 double play.
"I’m not saying that I’m warming up to (the closer’s role), but I like the situation and I like coming in fired up and just helping the team win. I’ll do whatever the team needs (me to do)," Dempsay said. "Right now, I think we’re not as deep as we thought in pitching, so I guess (Noble) wanted to move me to the bullpen. We’re just as strong everywhere else, and they need me there, I guess."
Dempsay’s outing preserved freshman left-hander Ty Stuckey’s first career win. Stuckey (1-1) made his first career start Sunday and went 5 1/3 innings, allowing only one run on three hits and four walks with four strikeouts.
Stuckey was pulled after throwing 91 pitches, 52 of them for strikes.
"For his first career-start, I thought he did a very honorable job," Noble said. "They didn’t really get anything started off him until he kind of just ran out of gas there."
UH senior first baseman Bryan Pounds and senior left fielder Jake Stewart backed Stuckey by hitting two-run homers in the first and third innings, respectively, helping the Cougars jump out to a 4-1 lead off Gauchos senior starter Chuck Huggins (2-1)
The home run extended Pounds’ hitting streak to 13 games, dating back to last season, and he finished the weekend with a .425 batting average, which is second on the team. Stewart, a fifth-year senior, finished with a team-leading .438 average.
"I’m a four-year senior, and this could be it for me," said Pounds, who leads the team with four homers. "I’m just going out and having fun, and things are just falling my and Jake’s way right now. Hopefully they keep going that way, and as long as we keep getting W’s, then it’s all good."
The Cougars dropped a 9-7 decision to UC-Santa Barbara (8-5) on Saturday after senior right-hander Bryan Tully surrendered two runs in the top of the ninth. UH won Friday’s opener 4-1 with sophomore left-hander Wes Musick allowing only one run in eight innings and Dempsay slamming the door in the ninth for his first save.
