Houston center Riley Jackson (4) jogs to first base during an NCAA baseball game, Saturday, March 28, 2026 in Houston, Texas. | Gillian Wisniewski/Cougar
After a comeback win against the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, the Houston Cougars looked to keep the momentum going against fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson and the Baylor Bears on March 27.
In the first of a three-game Big 12 weekend series, it all went down at Don Sanders Field at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park, with both teams tied with overall records of 13-11. It was a close game, but in the end, the Bears pulled away with a win against the Cougars with the final score of 6-2.
Baylor Bears junior pitcher Lucas Davenport took home the win as he was able to bring the Houston Cougars offense to a grinding halt, with only two runs let up and 5 total hits made against his pitching. All eyes were also on preseason All-Big 12 team redshirt shortstop/infielder Travis Sanders, who is the fastest Baylor Bear to hit 20 hits in a single season and leads the team in almost all offensive categories while holding a 27-game on-base streak.
The first two runs on the board were scored by the Bears, after three innings of solid pitching and defense from both teams. Redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong homered a deep ball out of right field that went 397 feet, which also brought in freshman outfielder Brady Janusek from second base for a total of 2 RBIs.
In the top of the sixth inning, Baylor scored a trio of runs, which extended their lead midway through the game to a score of 5-0. It began with sophomore infielder Cade Dodson hitting a double, which allowed redshirt freshman Brytton Clements to score from second base while also advancing junior catcher JJ Kennett from first to third base.
Next, Dodson advanced to third base and allowed Kennett to score on a wild pitch thrown by Houston senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Bryan against Sanders. With a 3-2 count, Sanders was walked after another wild pitch by Bryan, allowing Dodson to score. Sanders then went for second but was called out at first base when he got tagged out, ending the inning.
Houston scored their first run of the night when freshman infielder Blake Fields singled to second base, which brought home junior outfielder Tre Broussard from second base.
Baylor scored its final run of the night in the top of the seventh inning with another dinger from Armstong, who launched one 438 feet deep out of left field for his second home run of the evening.
Houston responded in the bottom of the seventh inning with a homer of their own from sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima, who knocked one out of the park that went for a respectable 403 feet. This would be the final run of the game as both pitchers closed out the game with no more runs scored, ending the game with a final score of 6-2.
The Baylor Bears took the first win of the three-game series against the Cougars, and they will face off once again on March 28 at 1 p.m., where Houston hopes to even the series at home.
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