Houston Cougars infielder Tyler Cox (11) chases the ball during an NCAA college baseball game on Friday April. 10, 2026 in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
The Houston Cougars fell against the BYU Cougars on April 11, as they were swept at home 3-0 in their most recent Big 12 series. Houston entered the series at .500 for the season with a record consisting of 16 wins and 16 losses.
Game one
In the first game of the series, Houston lost a close game against BYU 2-3. BYU scored in the first inning when senior infielder Easton Jones singled to left field for an RBI. Sophomore infielder Ezra McNaughton crossed home plate to score the first run of the game.
Houston quickly caught up in the third inning, when redshirt sophomore outfielder/first baseman Xavier Perez hit a solo dinger deep into left field for 401 ft. This would be Perez’s ninth of the season, tying the game at 1-1.
BYU responded in the next inning when senior outfielder Luke Anderson grounded out to second base, bringing home sophomore infielder Matt Hansen while advancing sophomore catcher Ridge Erickson to third. Erickson would then score when McNaughton grounded out to first base.
Houston’s senior infielder Cade Climie would hit his third home run of the season in the bottom of the eighth as the Cougars tried to catch up. The game ended with this being the last run scored for the night.
Game two
Game two was a lopsided loss that saw Houston score the first two runs of the game when Climie doubled down the left field line, bringing Perez and senior infielder Tyler Cox home.
BYU shut down the Houston Cougars offense for the remainder of the game with an impressive pitching performance that saw junior right-handed pitcher Dan Brousseau get the win for the night.
McNaughton homered in the top of the sixth, tying the game 2-2. This started a BYU scoring run that added two more runs until the inning ended.
Brigham Young University scored an additional two runs in the ninth inning and the game ended with a final score of 6-2.
Game three
In the final game of the series, BYU completed the sweep against Houston and won the game with a final score of 1-6. Houston’s sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima homered into left field in the third inning, which tied the game momentarily. This, however, would go on to be the only Houston score for the remainder of the game.
BYU would break the tie in the sixth when Houston senior right-handed pitcher Paul Schmitz, who had pitched seven strikeouts in his first five innings of play, let up three runs before being relieved.
The BYU Cougars would score two more runs in the seventh and ninth innings to add to more runs to end the series with a final score of 6-1.
Final Notes
When asked after the game what type of adjustments could be made heading into the next matchup against Texas A&M, head coach Todd Whitting’s response touched on the fickle nature of the game itself.
“It’s hard to read the future. A week ago, we smashed balls all over the ballpark,” he said. “You just never know what you’re going to get.”
The Houston Cougars will now head down to Bryan-College Station for a matchup against the Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m.
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