A five-run eighth inning propelled UH baseball past Texas A&M 8-2 on Tuesday night at Blue Bell Park in College Station.
Down 2-1 entering the eighth, the Cougars rallied as the first two hitters of the inning reached base.
Sophomore right fielder Alex Lopez then stepped to the plate and singled on the second pitch he saw to drive in the tying run.
A few batters later, sophomore center fielder Samuel Benjamin entered the batter’s box with the bases loaded and two outs. On a 3-2 pitch, Benjamin hit a weak ground ball that dribbled halfway down the third-base line for an RBI infield single to give UH its first lead of the night.
Ian McMillian, the Cougars’ next hitter, broke the game open as the junior shortstop launched a bases-clearing triple off the right-field wall to make the UH lead 6-2.
The UH baseball team added two more runs in the ninth on RBI singles from senior first baseman Ryan Hernandez and sophomore catcher Anthony Tulimero.
Right-handed pitcher Ben Sears, who entered the game with two outs in the sixth, shut the door in the ninth to secure a UH victory. Sears threw 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 0.52, and earned his third win of the season.