Houston catcher Kenneth Jimenez (31) after sliding to third base during the fourth inning of an NCAA college baseball game on Sunday, April 13, 2025, in Houston. | Karolina Navarro/ The Cougar.
It was a mountain too high to climb for Houston baseball, as the Cougars were outscored 29-14 by West Virginia across a three-game series sweep at Schroeder Park.
The Cougars dropped to 19-17 overall and 5-10 in conference play after the sweep. They now hold a 1-8 conference mark at home and were outhit 37-15 across the series while stranding a total of 21 runners on base.
Cougars outhit by double digits in opener
Junior outfielder Skylar King and junior catcher Logan Sauve went a combined 6-for-8 at the plate among West Virginia’s 15 hits, handing Houston a 9-2 loss on Friday, April 11, to open the series at Schroeder Park.
In the top of the fourth inning, after junior Paul Schmitz retired the first two batters, the next seven in the frame reached base. He gave up an RBI triple by redshirt junior utility player Chase Swain and back-to-back walks to King and Sauve before being lifted for freshman Kendall Hoffman. Hoffman immediately issued a bases-loaded walk to senior infielder Kyle West, followed by an RBI single from senior outfielder Jace Reinhart to cap off West Virginia’s four-spot in the inning and put the Mountaineers out to a 5-0 lead.
Schmitz surrendered two of his five earned runs on seven hits in his 3.2 innings, handing him the loss and dropping him to 3-3 on the season.
After redshirt senior Griffin Kirn retired 11 of the first 12 batters of the game, Houston sought a response in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out RBI double by junior catcher Kenneth Jimenez to cut the deficit to 5-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, junior infielder Cade Climie launched a one-out solo home run for his team-leading eighth home run of the season, cutting the Cougars’ deficit back to four at 6-2. However, it would be the last answer of Houston’s scoring, as they finished the night 5-for-31 at the plate, stranding five on base.
Kirn posted six innings of two-run ball on five hits with five strikeouts for West Virginia, earning the winning decision to improve to 4-0 on the season, while senior Reese Bassinger recorded a three-inning no-hit save.
Cougars’ comeback bid falls short by one run in middle game
Despite Houston promptly chipping away at their largest deficit of the night, missed opportunities led to its efforts falling short in a 9-8 loss on Saturday, April 12, which dropped the series.
Houston opened up scoring in the bottom of the first when redshirt sophomore outfielder Xavier Perez scored on a wild pitch. What followed was a two-run home run to left field by junior infielder Coby DeJesus to put the Cougars out to an early 3-0 lead.
Houston’s first lead of the series ended up being its last, as West Virginia responded in the top of the second from an RBI groundout by senior infielder Grant Hussey, followed by a game-tying two-run double by freshman catcher Gavin Kelly.
In the top of the third, a two-out, two-run triple by Swain gave the Mountaineers a 5-3 lead.
Houston sought a response at the bottom of the frame by opening with back-to-back singles by senior infielder Aaron Lugo and Perez before sophomore outfielder Tre Broussard grounded into a run-scoring 6-4-3 double play to cut the deficit to one run.
However, the Mountaineers once again inflated their lead in the top of the fourth when a two-out, two-run double by West made it 7-4. It marked six earned runs on six hits surrendered by sophomore Richie Roman, which ultimately factored in dropping him to 0-5 on his season.
The top of the fifth marked the fourth consecutive inning in which West Virginia scored two or more runs, with a run-scoring error charged to senior pitcher Graysen Drezek and a two-out RBI single by King.
After an 0-for-6 streak at the plate and facing a 9-4 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning, Houston attempted to mount a comeback, beginning with senior two-way player Malachi Lott’s three-run home run to right to cut the deficit to 9-7.
Both teams then went a combined 2-for-13 at the plate before sophomore pitcher Chase Meyer issued four consecutive two-out walks in the bottom of the seventh, the last of which was issued to Climie to score Jimenez and cut Houston’s deficit back to one run at 9-8.
Junior outfielder Jake Tatom led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk to represent the tying run for the Cougars, where Lugo followed with a sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position.
With two outs, an infield single by Broussard led Tatom to round third without hesitation, but he was thrown out at home on a quick throw by Hussey to end the inning.
Despite Drezek and graduate pitcher Antoine Jean posting 4.2 combined scoreless innings in relief, the Cougars did not provide any further answer offensively as junior Carson Estridge posted 2.1 innings of one-hit shutout ball in relief for West Virginia to record his second save of the season.
Sauve, Kartsonas overpower Cougars in finale
For the third consecutive game of the series, West Virginia recorded nine or more runs on 10 or more hits, powered in part by Sauve’s performance of two two-run home runs, and handed Houston an 11-4 loss on Sunday, April 13, to complete the sweep.
Scoring opened for West Virginia on a two-run home run to left by West, giving the Mountaineers an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
After issuing back-to-back walks, sophomore pitcher Diego Luzardo was lifted after just two-thirds of an inning to begin the game in favor of senior Brady Fuller. Luzardo was handed the loss to drop to 1-1 on his season.
In the top of the fourth, Sauve’s first two-run home run of the day inflated the Mountaineers’ lead to 5-0.
His second one of the day capped off West Virginia’s two-out four-spot in the top of the eighth to make it 9-0.
Kelly’s two-run single in the top of the ninth gave the Mountaineers a 10-run lead at 11-1 for their largest lead of the series.
Graduate pitcher Jack Kartsonas held the Cougars to seven innings of two-hit shutout ball on five strikeouts, earning the winning decision for West Virginia and improving his season to 3-1.
Down to the final out of the series, a bases-loaded walk drawn by junior infielder Carsten Sabathia III followed by a two-run single by junior outfielder Brandon Bishop, cut Houston’s deficit to 11-4, but ultimately, the lead held firm for West Virginia to complete the sweep.
The Cougars will begin a four-game road trip on another crosstown trip to Reckling Park to face Rice on Tuesday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m., for a chance to sweep the Silver Glove series.
