So much for heading into the weekend with some momentum.
‘
The Cougars continued their slide with their second consecutive lopsided loss, dropping a 12-3 decision to Lamar on Wednesday at Cougar Field. UH, which fell for the third time in four games, never had a chance in this one.
UH left-hander Ty Stuckey struggled with his command from the start, lasting only 2 1/3 innings and giving up six runs on four hits and four walks. The offense collected 10 hits, but stranded 12 base runners for the second consecutive contest.
Wednesday’s outcome was similar to Tuesday’s 11-7 loss to Stephen F. Austin, a game in whichthe Cougars fell into an early 6-0 deficit and were hampered by a lack of clutch hitting.
‘It was a carbon copy of what happened last night with no starting pitching,’ UH head coach Rayner Noble said. ‘We’re just really struggling at the plate right now.’
The Cougars (17-23) came nowhere close to rattling Lamar right-hander Spencer Cuniff. Cuniff (1-0) allowed only one run on six hits and a walk, needing only 58 pitches to complete four innings. By the time he was replaced by right-hander James Brandhorst in the bottom of the fifth, the Cardinals (25-17) led 9-1.
Stuckey (0-2), who made his third start and seventh appearance of the season, could not match his counterpart.
He gave up a single to Lamar’s Tyler Link to open the game and allowed the next batter, Brian Taylor, to launch a 3-1 offering over the center-field wall for a two-run homer. Stuckey struck out three of the next four batters to limit further damage.
Stuckey, however, could barely find the strike zone in the third inning.
He began the frame by issuing two walks and a hit, each coming on 3-1 counts, to load the bases with no outs. Steven Tucker drove in Link with a single up the middle, and Taylor scored from third base on Ryan Saldivar’s sacrifice fly to left field to increase Lamar’s lead to 4-0.
Stuckey walked Cameron Campbell to reload the bases and was replaced by left-hander William Kankel. One out later, Andy Mena singled up the middle to score Chris Dunkin and Tucker, upping the Cardinals’ advantage to 6-0.
‘I just didn’t have it today,’ said Stuckey, whose ERA rose to 8.50. ‘I was all over the place and couldn’t find the zone. I started to pitch against myself, trying to hit spots.”
UH scored a run on Chris Wallace’s sacrifice-fly RBI in the fourth to reduce the deficit to 7-1, but a two-run double by Dunkin in the fifth increased the Cardinals’ lead to 9-1. Wallace hit a solo homer in the fifth to pull the Cougars within 9-2, but they wouldn’t come any closer.
‘I’m a little concerned with the mentality of our club,’ Noble said. ‘I hope we’re not down. I’ve got to meet with them and tell them that the weekend is what really matters for us right now.’
