With one game down at the Conference USA Championship, the Cougars are 1-0 after a 9-4 victory against ECU. The game, played at Rice’s Reckling Park, saw freshman infielder Justin Montemayor go 4-4 with two RBI.
The Cougars pointed out how important it is for a team to take their debut game, especially when a team is playing for their life with every game.
“You always want to get that first win under your belt,” said senior Austin Pruitt. “The defense played incredible even if I wasn’t hitting my spots too well.”
Falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Cougars rallied to score nine runs on 13 hits and were bolstered by Pruitt’s a complete game. The righthander’s complete game was of great importance, Whitting said. He stressed that having to go to the bullpen early in a seeded tournament can be deadly to a team’s chances.
“They don’t ever quit,” said head coach Todd Whitting after the game. “They’re very mentally tough and there was a lot of game left. I’m proud of my guys. We got a few clutch hits and played great defense.”
“That was the Austin Pruitt we know,” Whitting said.
After ECU’s first inning outburst, the Cougars rebounded for four runs in the top of the third inning and never relinquished the lead. Along with Montemayor, fellow freshman and infielder Josh Vidales knocked in two runs. Six different batters knocked in runs during the game, giving Pruitt a cushion to work with, who only allowed one run after the first inning.
Aggressive Cougar baserunning also helped to shift the tide in their favor as junior outfielder Landon Appling and freshman outfielder Kyle Survance both stole bases.
“Our goal every game is to get ten runs and ten hits, so we know we’re going to come out and get hits,” Montemayor said. “Pruitt pitched great today — phenomenal.”
Now 1-0, the Cougars will take on the Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi on Friday at 3 p.m. at Reckling Park.
“We just settled down and got in the groove. In this type of tournament, if you don’t win game one, it’s hard to advance,” Whitting said.
