University of Houston
<b>MEMPHIS</b>
Baseball Takes Sweep of Memphis on Sunday
5/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 4, 2008
Complete Houston-Memphis Game Book (May 4, 2008) in PDF Format 
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team took advantage of two wild pitches to score two runs in the eighth inning on the way to a 5-4 win over Memphis during the finale of a Conference USA series Sunday afternoon at Cougar Field.
With the Cougars trailing 4-3 entering the bottom of the eighth, senior outfielder Jake Stewart led off with a single to center field and moved into scoring position following Bryan Pounds' sacrifice bunt. After an intentional walk to Jimmy Cesario and a Memphis pitching change, senior second baseman Ryan Lormand reached on a fielder's choice that left runners on the corners with two outs.
Memphis closer Matt Yokley uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Stewart to race in with the tying run, and Lormand made it all the way to third when Memphis catcher Chris Kirkland had trouble handling the loose ball behind the plate. Lormand then scored easily on another Yokley wild pitch to give the Cougars the lead for good.
Freshman closer Chase Dempsay collected the win in relief and improved to 5-1 after holding the Tigers to only one hit with a pair of strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
The Cougar offense managed only four hits in the game with none going for extra bases, a first in 2008. In addition, UH took advantage of two errors and two wild pitches to score its runs with Zak Presley's straight season of home accounting for the only other run. Lormand led all players with two runs
Memphis reliever Marc Ashley picked up the loss and fell to 1-3 after allowing two runs (one earned) off two hits and a walk with a strikeout in 2.2 innings.
Outfielder Trey Wiedman went 4-for-4 with a double, run and two RBIs, while centerfielder Chris Newsom batted 3-for-4 with a run to pace the Tiger offense, which outhit the Cougars 10-4.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 30-18 overall and 11-7 in C-USA games UH also won its 18th consecutive home game against the Tigers dating back to 1998. Memphis fell to 16-31 overall and 4-13 in league games.
The Cougars return to action at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, when they play host to Lamar at Cougar Field. Fans should note that Tuesday's game is a make-up contest after the original game was rained out on March 18.
Fans can hear all Cougar Baseball games live at UHCougars.com by clicking the appropriate links. Jeremy Branham will call the play-by-play action while former letterwinner Pat Cauley provides color analysis.
Fans always can follow live stats by clicking on the Gametracker link.
For the first time in the series, the Tigers claimed a lead with two runs in the first inning on Wiedman's one-out, two-run double to left center.
In the fourth inning, UH put its first mark on the scoreboard with a two-out rally and without the benefit of a hit. Lormand walked, moved to second on a balk, stole third and scored when the throw from the catcher sailed into left field. Presley then handed the Cougars a 3-2 lead with an electrifying straight steal of home, the first since Lormand accomplished the feat at UCF in March 2007.
The Cougars scored two runs in the fifth inning, thanks to two hits and three Memphis errors. Chris Wallace led off with a single down the right-field line and moved to second after a Tiger error in the outfield. Presley reached on an infield single, and Wallace scored easily on an errant throw to retire him at third base.
Memphis regained in the lead in the next half inning with a pair of runs. Daniel Kaufman plated Wiedman with an RBI-single to right field, and Cole Shelton's sacrifice fly to center field scored Newsom for a 4-3 Tiger advantage.
