Houston Cougars outfielder Irvin Weems III(5) watches the ball pass by during an NCAA college baseball game on Friday, April. 10, 2026, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
Fighting in Appalachia country, Houston faced off against West Virginia University April 17-19, losing with a series-end score of 2-1.
Game 1 started the series with a victorious 10-7. Houston scored the first points of the game, scoring four runs after two empty innings, with redshirt sophomore outfielder/first baseman Xavier Perez’s single out to left field. Senior infielder Tyler Cox scored soon after, and Perez scored himself the next play.
Senior infielder Cade Climie hit his fourth home run of the season and junior catcher Riley Jackson scored, ending the top of the third 4-0.
Sitting at 8-5 by the top of the ninth, Houston pushed on, ending the game 10-7 with freshman infielder Blake Fields’s first homerun of the season and a run from Climie.
Game 2, Houston faced a quick loss against WVU in their second game, finishing 7-1. Their one run of the game was scored by Climie from third. Although the Cougars lost, they still got five hits in the game, half as many as WVU.
Game 3, Although the Cougars faced another loss, 7-3, in their final game of the series, they made sure they didn’t go down without a fight. Fighting back against odds in the top of the eighth, sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima scored from third and Cox scored from second unearned. The final score of the game for Houston came from junior outfielder Tre Broussard on an unearned run after stealing third.
The Cougars head home for their hometown rivalry game against Rice in the Silver Glove Series on April 21 at Reckling Park. With the Cougars holding a seven-game winning streak against Rice, the odds appear to be in Houston’s favor.
sports@thedailycougar.com
