Houston Cougars celebrate with junior catcher Riley Jackson, 4, after he scored a homerun, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Houston, Texas. | Wyatt Chastain/The Cougar
In a high-stakes face-off, the Houston Cougars came through and beat the #2 Texas Longhorns 9-7.
Texas started the first inning by loading the bases with walks until red-shirt senior infielder Temo Becerra was hit by a pitch. The wild pitch would end up pushing junior infielder Ethan Mendoza out to home, allowing Texas to score their first run of the game.
After two back-to-back three-point innings for Texas, the Cougars responded with their own scoring run in the bottom of the fifth. Senior infielder Tyler Cox hit a ground ball to third, giving junior outfielder Easton Winfield the opening to score the first run of the game.
The next big plays for Houston came from senior infielder Cade Climie and sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima when junior outfielder Tre Broussard’s swing went down the middle of the field, allowing Houston to notch two more runs to their score.
The score was now sitting 7-3 in the bottom of the seventh, and Houston’s confidence was at an all-time high. With three runs kick-started by a homerun from Winfield, LaLima and Cox went on to score two runs due to multiple errors from Texas.
In the bottom of the eighth, LaLima stepped up to bat and sent a homerun through center field erupting the Cougars’ fans in the stands and tying the game 7-7. Winfield and Climie would score two plays after the home run, giving Houston the lead heading into the ninth inning.
The ninth and final inning ended as quickly as it started with two strikeouts and a fly out for Texas, securing the win for Houston with a score of 9-7.
This upset against No.2 Texas meant more for Houston than any other game of the season, where the Cougars would end their four-game loss streak and prove how strong their roster can be.
The Cougars take on the Baylor Bears in their third conference series of the season at home beginning on March 27. After defeating the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals in a midweek game 16-7, Baylor looks poised and determined to knock off Houston and climb the conference rankings.
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