Catcher John Cannon and the Cougars were able to escape Charleston, W. Va., with a 10-7 win Sunday to remain tied atop the Conference USA standings. The Cougars will host the East Carolina Pirates to continue C-USA play on Thursday at Cougar Field. | Aaron Cisneros/The Daily Cougar
The Cougars won two of three games with a 10-7 win against Marshall on Sunday at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W. Va.
After losing an early lead in the fourth inning, the Cougars’ bats gradually came alive to take the series-deciding win.
“They never panicked when we got down,” head coach Todd Whitting said. “I told the team after the game that I thought that this was the best weekend we have had this year as far as our level of intensity from start to finish.”
UH (19-19, 6-3 C-USA) tacked on a run in the fifth to make it a 4-3 game when Chase Jensen hit a single to shortstop, scoring Ryan Still. In the top of the sixth, Matt Creel doubled in catcher John Cannon to tie the game. Creel made it home when Joel Ansley hit a double to right field as the Cougars took the lead back 5-4.
In the seventh, with Caleb Ramsey on second and Jensen on first, M.P. Cokinos drilled a double to right center to bring in Ramsey.
Cannon hit a sacrifice bunt on the next at-bat to bring in Jensen and make it 7-4.
Marshall (14-20, 2-7 C-USA) kept persisting and closed the lead to 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh, after scoring on a throwing error and RBI single.
Flurry of pitchers bailed out
The Cougars’ offense came to the aid of an inconsistent pitching staff Sunday.
UH used a combination of seven pitchers over the course of the game.
“We just couldn’t throw strikes,” Whitting said. “I was rampant throughout our whole pitching staff.”
Offense prevails again in eighth
UH finally established a comfortable distance between Marshall in the eighth when Ansley made it to first on a fielding error. Landon Appling then singled, bringing Jensen to bat with two runners on first and second.
Jensen delivered with a triple to deep center field to score Ansley and Appling, giving the Cougars a 10-6 lead.
The Herd would score again in the ninth when Gray Stafford made it home from an unearned run to make the final score 10-7.
UH opens in dominant fashion
With the threat of inclement weather Saturday, the Cougars played a doubleheader Friday.
In the first game of the twin bill, the Cougars used an aggressive attack to cruise to a 12-1 victory.
Starting pitcher Matt Creel had a strong outing going 6 2/3 innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits and striking out two batters.
Cokinos and Landon Appling led the offensive charge for the Cougars who had 15 hits.
Cokinos recorded four hits in six at-bats, four RBIs and one run.
Appling had three hits in five at-bats, five RBI and scored two runs.
After jumping out to a 1-0 lead after the first inning, Cokinos hit a two-run homer to left field to push the UH cushion to 3-0.
The Cougars continued to dominate, scoring a run in the fourth and fifth innings and two in the seventh to take a 7-0 lead.
The Herd were able to get on the board in the bottom of the seventh inning by scoring an unearned run — but it would be their only run.
UH padded its lead even more by scoring four runs in the eighth and one run in the ninth to push the lead to the final score of 12-1.
Weekend not absent of letdowns
In the second matchup, the Cougars lost in a 4-3 heartbreaker.
In the top of the ninth, Creel gave UH a 3-2 lead when he drove in Cannon with a single.
But the Herd capitalized on the bullpen’s mistakes.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Marshall shortstop Kenny Socorro hit a line-drive single to center field, driving in two runs and winning it for the Thundering Herd.
“The back end of our bullpen was not as successful as we wanted them to be,” Whitting said.
“Marshall played hard and took advantage of the opportunities they had.”
Crowded at the top
UH remains in a four-way tie for first place in Conference USA with Memphis, Rice and Southern Miss.
The Cougars have an extended break this week, beginning a three-game series against C-USA foe East Carolina (24-12, 6-6) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Cougar Field.
