During the Cougars three victories this weekend, they scored 24 runs and gave up eight. | Esteban Portillo/The Daily Cougar
Through three more games, junior catcher Caleb Barker and UH continued to roll offensively, taking two games from the University of New Orleans and another from Baylor. The trio of victories left UH standing at a 16-4 record and 10-2 record at home, its best since 2002.
The Cougars made the most of their at-bats, with 24 runs scored against the Privateers and Bears. In addition to their RBIs, Barker kept his hit streak going as he reached base for the 14th game in a row.
As a team, the Cougars put up 18 hits Friday against the Privateers. Freshman infielder Justin Montemayor also had a four-hit game against UNO.
The Cougars’ pitchers held the Bears and Privateers to eight runs during the weekend. Senior pitcher Austin Pruitt got his fourth win of the season after throwing for his second complete-game victory of the season. The right-hander had no reservations about finishing out the Saturday game against Baylor.
“I’m really glad I got to go back out there in the ninth,” Pruitt said. “Being able to go out there and go for the complete game was really awesome. What really worked for me was being able to keep my fastball low and get my curveball to work tonight.”
Head coach Todd Whitting said Pruitt did a good job keeping runners off base.
“He was outstanding,” Whitting said. “Nine innings, a complete ballgame, and he didn’t walk anybody. That’s a combination you’ll have a lot of success with right there.”
Junior relief pitcher Tyler Ford got his second win of the season Sunday as well as throwing a career-high five strikeouts in 2.2 innings of work. Moving his record to 2-2, Fellow junior and right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon got his second win of the season Friday against UNO.
The Cougars take on Texas on 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cougar Field.
