University of Houston Athletics
Baseball Wraps up Homestand vs. Sam Houston State
3/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 7, 2005
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team wraps up its season-long seven-game homestand at 7 p.m., Tuesday as it plays host to area rival Sam Houston State in the friendly confines of Cougar Field.
In fact, it marks the end of a 15-game stretch for the Cougars in which they never left the Houston city limits. Besides 10 home games, the Cougars have played three games at the Houston Astros' Minute Maid Park and one at crosstown rival Rice's Reckling Park. This weekend's showdown at Long Beach State will be the first time this season that the Cougars have left their home city.
But before they meet the Dirtbags, the Cougars will meet the Bearkats in the first of two regular-season meetings. The Cougars (5-9) come into the game after winning the last two games against Loyola Marymount last weekend in a non-conference series at Cougar Field.
It was the first series win for the Cougars since taking two of three from Conference USA rival Tulane at the end of the 2004 regular season.
Tuesday's game can be heard live on the Internet at www.UHCougars.com with former Cougar players Nick Torina and Pat Cauley calling all the action. The pregame show is slated to begin 15 minutes before first pitch.
Fans also can follow the action by clicking on the "Gametracker" link at www.UHCougars.com. Freshman righthander Ricky Hargrove is scheduled to get the start for the Cougars against SHSU on Tuesday night. This season, the Katy, Texas, native has compiled an 0-2 record with a 5.79 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14.0 innings of work.
Tuesday's game will be his first start since the second game of the Pepperdine series on Feb. 19 at Cougar Field. In that game, he picked up his second straight loss after allowing four runs (only three earned) off seven hits with five strikeouts in 2.2 innings against the Wave.
In his last outing, Hargrove gave up two runs off two hits with two strikeouts in one inning of relief against Loyola Marymount during the series opener March 4. However, he did not pick up a decision.
Sophomore outfielder Jake Stewart leads the Cougars with a .339 batting average, while sophomore shortstop Dustin Kingsbury is tops with 10 RBIs. Junior outfielder Travis Tully leads the way with a pair of home runs.
However, junior catcher Brett Logan is the team's hottest hitter after rapping out two hits with two RBIs in each of the last two games of the LMU series.
This marks the fourth consecutive season and the 20th time in the last 21 years that the Cougars and Sam Houston State will square off on the baseball diamond.
The Bearkats own a 71-65 lead in the all-time series which dates back to 1947 and has been continued uninterrupted ever year since 2002. The two teams did not compete against one another during the 2001 season.
However, the Cougars can boast of the most recent success with wins in each of the last five games. And those games haven't been close with UH winning by an average of more than four runs per game.
Sam Houston State (6-7-1) enters the game after losing two and tying Illinois last weekend at the Al Ogletree Classic in Edinburg, Texas.
Junior righthander Robert Manuel or senior southpaw Brian Martin is scheduled to make the start on the mound for the Bearkats.
Junior outfielder Dustin Martin leads SHSU with a .351 batting average, while junior infielder Isaias Garcia is tops with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
