UH had a hard time swinging the bat against Lamar, scoring only 3 runs. Shaimaa Eissa/ The Daily Cougar
BEAUMONT — Head coach Todd Whitting once said that sooner or later UH would stub its toes. Lamar proved to be a problem for the Cougars, foiling them with a 6-3 victory.
The Cougars’ offense and pitching, which had been dominant in their previous games, was noticeably absent as they found themselves with their fifth loss of the year and on a long drive back home in the dark.
Nothing was working for the Cougars as they were slow out of the gate against the Cardinals.
Before the ninth inning, the Cougars advanced only one runner past first base.
The Cougars and the Cardinals had trouble making contact for most of the game as both teams combined for less than seven hits through the first six innings. The teams combined for three errors as well, two of which were made by redshirt sophomore shortstop Frankie Ratcliff.
The Cougars’ pitching staff allowed six runs and eight hits, four in the sixth inning. Sophomore starting pitcher Aaron Garza, a right-hander, had trouble finding the strikezone and was relieved in the sixth by senior left-hander Ryan Bonnot, who in turn was relieved by junior right-hander Daniel Smith. Smith didn’t allow any runs in his appearance. UH relievers, senior left-hander Matt Hernandez and sophomore right-hander Logan Piper, pitched an inning of scoreless relief.
In the batter’s box, seven Cardinal pitchers handcuffed the Cougars’ batting order, holding them to only four hits for the game. All of the Cougars’ runs came in a rush in the ninth inning through singles and sacrifice flies. The Cougar offense consisted of four hits and three walks.
Freshman infielder Josh Vidales, in one of the few offensive bright spots for the Cougars, reached base safely for the 20th consecutive time this season. Freshman infielder Justin Montemayor was able to get two hits and an RBI.
The Cougars will resume Conference USA play as they travel to Memphis to take on the Tigers in a three-game series. UH returns home April 2 to take on the Sam Houston at Cougar Field.
