Houston infielder Carsten Sabathia III (44) celebrates his run to first base during an NCAA baseball game, Wednesday, April 29, 2026 in Houston, Texas. | Kaitlyn Villatoro/Cougar
In a dominated game, the Cougars beat the McNeese Cowboys 4-2 at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park on Apr 29. Houston entered the field with 40 wins all time against the Cowboys.
The first inning began with Houston senior left handed pitcher Chris Scinta, who struck out the Cowboys to unload the bases in quick speed.
At the bottom of the first, Houston to bat junior outfielder Tre Broussard took a swing to steal second base. Senior infielder Cade Climie got a clean hit off to left field for Broussard to gain the run for the Cougars.
Houston’s defense became a focal point in the third inning. Houston freshmen right handed pitcher Connor Udland was challenged when McNeese stole second base, but the Cougar was quick to gain the upper hand and struck out the Cowboys to end the threat.
At the bottom half, the Cougars capitalized on the pitching change. Cougar senior catcher Dylan Maxcey stole first, followed by sophomore infielder Jackson LaLima, who shot the shooting star down left field 414ft, his ninth RBI of the season.
The momentum stayed with Houston into the sixth inning. Cougar redshirt sophomore outfielder Xavier Perez singled through the right side, and allowed Climie to advance to second base.
Houston senior infielder Carsten Sabathia then grounded out to second base for Climie to score a run and extended the lead to 3-0.
Despite two Cowboys left on base at the end of the sixth, the Cougars controlled the game.
The Cowboys appeared at the top of the ninth with pure grit to advance. Cowboy Graduate outfielder Isaiah Keller sent a home run deep into right field to put McNeese on the board.
Followed quickly by McNeese senior infielder Danny Barbero, who rushed from first to narrow the gap. However, the late-inning rally was not enough to overcome Houston’s early dominance.
The Cougars secured the 4-2 win and finished the night with 11 hits and a disciplined pitch performance that totaled nine innings of work. Houston’s batting remained consistent throughout the night; Cox and Broussard posted a .315 average. Udland pitched the win to move to 3-3.
The Cougars look forward to meeting the Cincinnati Bears in their sixth conference series in Houston at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park starting on May 1.
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