Now that his early offensive struggles are a thing of the past, UH junior third baseman Jimmy Cesario is swinging the bat like the polished hitter he was a season ago.
Cesario continued his stretch of torrid hitting against McNeese State on Tuesday night at Cougar Field, going 4-for-5 with a solo home run and two RBIs and scoring twice in the Cougars’ 7-4 win. The outing raised Cesario’s batting average to .304, the first time he’s hit over .300 this season.
After McNeese State (10-30) scored three runs in the fourth inning to pull within 5-4, Cesario jacked a solo shot off Cowboys sophomore starter Dallas Smith (2-3) in the fifth inning to push the lead back to two. He followed with an RBI-double in the seventh inning, giving the Cougars (26-14) their final run and some more breathing room.
Cesario, the Cougars’ top hitter last season, has been on fire since returning on April 11 from a right wrist injury that sidelined him for 10 consecutive games. He has recorded a hit in each of the last seven games, and is batting .394 (13-for-33) with three homers, seven RBIs, 11 runs and a .788 slugging percentage.
"I think at the beginning of the season, I was pressing, (and) I think I was trying to do a little bit too much each time I stepped to the plate," said Cesario, who batted .179 through the Cougars’ first 10 games. "Honestly, I think the injury was a blessing in disguise in a way, as far as my approach at the plate. It allowed me to have a little bit more fun and enjoy the time that I had to go up there to swing a bat."
Cesario’s efficient hitting and a sound defense that played error-free helped freshman right-hander Jared Ray win his second consecutive start. Ray (2-1) gave up four runs on six hits and four walks and recorded a career-high tying eight strikeouts.
He ran into some trouble after surrendering a three-run homer to McNeese State freshman third baseman Nick Eubanks in the fourth inning and allowing the next two batters to reach with no outs. Fortunately for the Cougars, Ray struck out three of the next four batters to escape further damage.
Freshmen relievers Barret Bruce and Ty Stuckey combined to shut out the Cowboys over the final four innings, with Stuckey striking out four batters in two innings to earn his second save.
"We were kind of in a battle with McNeese," Stuckey said. "They kind of put up a little fight today and to go out there and shut the door felt real good. It felt like it boosted the team and made the team a little better today."
The Cougars got off to a fast start, taking an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Freshman shortstop Blake Kelso led off the inning with a walk and scored on senior left fielder Jake Stewart’s homer to left field. Senior third baseman Bryan Pounds drew another walk, moved up to second on senior right-fielder Bryan Tully’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on senior second baseman Ryan Lormand’s single.
Pounds gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead with a sacrifice fly RBI in the second, and Cesario scored from third on an error by Cowboys sophomore first baseman Justin Beitzel in the third inning, upping the lead to 5-0.
McNeese State, however, started to apply the heat to Ray. Junior left fielder Sam Merrill gave the Cowboys their first run with an RBI-single in the third inning, and Eubanks supplied the big blow with his three-run shot an inning later.
The Cowboys wouldn’t get any closer and the Cougars, who stranded 11 base runners, wouldn’t generate much more offense, but with Stuckey and Bruce slamming the door shut, it wouldn’t matter.
"We did enough to get the job done," UH head coach Rayner Noble said. "It was a big win for us."
