University of Houston
Lamar
Baseball Earns Comeback Win in Walkoff Fashion
3/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
With the win, Houston improved its record to 18-7 and are now 13-4 at Cougar Field. The victory extended the Cougars' win streak to 10 straight games, which began back on March 8 in a win against Hawaii at the Houston College Classic.
The 10 straight wins are the most consecutive wins since winning 10 back in March of 2013.
NUMBERS OF NOTE
5 - Houston trailed 5-0 heading into the eighth - the largest deficit erased this season.
10 - Tonight's victory marked the 10th come-from-behind win this season.
10 - Houston has now won 10 straight games, dating back to March 8 vs. Hawaii.
11 - With Montemayor's single in the first - he now has a hit in the last 11 games.
11 - Connor Wong has reached base in 11 straight games as a true freshman after earning an eighth-inning walk.
28 - Josh Vidales has reached base in 28 straight games, dating back to 2014.
The eighth inning proved to be the magic inning as the Cougars plated their first runs of the game to make it 5-3 after trailing 5-0 heading into the latter half of the frame.
Junior Chris Iriart opened the eighth by being hit-by-a-pitch and with one out, junior Justin Montemayor singled and freshman Connor Wong walked, allowing junior Jacob Campbell to plate a run on a single, followed by junior Ashford Fulmer - grounded out to plate a run.
Heading into the ninth, Houston had to score two to tie and that's what it did. A leadoff single by junior Kyle Survance and back-to-back free passes from junior Josh Vidales and Iriart loaded the bases for junior Ian Rice - who drove in the fourth run on a sacrifice fly. He was followed by a walk from Montemayor to again load the bases, allowing Wong to drive in the tying run on another sacrifice fly.
Tied at 5-5, junior reliever Austin Moore worked a scoreless 10th and sent his offense back to bat with a chance for the walkoff. With two outs in the 10th, Vidales worked another walk - his second straight before Iriart picked up an infield single. A wild pitch would advance the runners up a base with two outs for Rice - who drove a liner into centerfield for a walkoff double to cap the win.
Houston's offense had just eight hits, but six came in the final three innings. Leading the way was Rice - who drove in two RBI on a double and sacrifice fly, while Montemayor tallied a 2-for-3 effort with a run scored and two walks.
Campbell went 1-for-2 with an RBI and walk, while Wong drove in a run on a sacrifice fly, while also scoring a run. Adding to the hit column was Survance (1x6, R), Taylor (1x5), Vidales (1x3, 2 R, 3 BB), and Iriart (1x3, R).
Junior Austin Moore (1.2,0,0,0,0,1) picked up his first win as a Cougar, striking out one in his hitless 1.2 innings relief outing.
He replaced freshman Aaron Fletcher (0.2,1,0,0,0,0), who took over for junior Patrick Weigel (3.1,6,3,3,1,4), who relieved senior starter David Longville (4.1,5,2,2,2,4).
A scoreless game was broken up in the fourth when Lamar used a leadoff double and scored on a fielder's choice to go ahead 1-0. The Cardinals extended their lead with a solo run in the fifth following a leadoff walk and back-to-back hits and went up 5-0 with a three-run sixth after an RBI-double and two-run homerun occurred.
The Cougars were held to just three hits through the first seven innings and would strand eight in those frames, including a bases-loaded sixth inning and two runners in both in the fifth and seventh innings.
Lamar tallied 12 hits, led by a three-hit night from Stihn van der Meer.
Cardinals reliever Enrique Oquendo (1.0,1,1,1,1,1) suffered the loss in relief, allowing Vidales to score the winning run in the 10th.
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH Todd Whitting
On the game today
"I thought Lamar played outstanding. They're a very good offensive team. They showed it tonight, putting up 12 hits on the board. I thought we were pretty resilient. I didn't feel like, the whole game, that we quit. If you have that mentality; you come back and win some games. I'm just proud of our guys. Moore did a great job there at the end, shutting them down and giving us the chance to win the game, and of course Ian with the big hit at the end."
On Moore's first win
"We need everyone on the pitching staff to step up. We're a little bit depleted in our staff and we need our guys to get a bunch of innings. The good thing is they're getting to pitch a lot and they're going to keep getting better. That was a bright spot tonight. "
On if this win is a morale booster heading into conference play
"I hope so. We just have to come out Friday night and be ready to roll."
On if there was a point where they thought they could win
"I just thought we were battling. I don't remember a time where I felt like that. I thought we were going to win the whole time. We were playing hard, just not very good."
On who was making the pitching decisions
"I have great coaches and we talk about everything."
JUNIOR Ian Rice
On the game winning hit
"It feels good."
On how he felt going to the 10th
"I thought Chris was going to get it done there, but he had a good at bat and got himself on base. They threw me three curveballs in a row and it got to a 3-1 count. I knew he was going to throw me a fastball so I stepped on it."
On what he wanted to do with that at-bat
"I was just trying to hit the ball. That was my goal."
On how it feels to have a game go their way
"That was really good. In the beginning of the game, we came out with not a lot of energy, but we picked up towards the end. I think we scrapped together. We played hard, for three innings we put good at bats. That was fun to watch."
ON DECK
Houston will hit the road for its second straight away-from-Cougar Field series when it opens American Athletic Conference play at No. 6 UCF this weekend. The series begins Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT and will continue on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at Noon CT.
You can follow all the action by listening in live at UHCougars.com/baseradio with Jeremy Branham on the call or by following via GAMEDAY CENTRAL at UHCougars.com/gameday. Saturday's game will also air on ESPN Deportes 1180 AM.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
With 31 home games set for 2015 at Cougar Field and a Top 10 nationally-ranked program representing the University of Houston, the Cougars are proud to announce that single-game tickets are now on sale at UHCougars.com/Basetickets.
Along with the online option, fans can purchase tickets by visiting the Athletics Ticket Office at TDECU Stadium Monday through Friday, 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m. or can call 713-GO-COOGS.
Houston Baseball will offer variable pricing on its single-game tickets and group rates.
For the first time ever, the pricing breakdown will be determined whether or not you purchase your single-game tickets online vs. at the gate the day of the game as well as whether the Cougars play on a weekday (Monday-Thursday) or weekend (Friday-Sunday).
| 2015 Houston Baseball Single-Game Ticket Prices | ||||
| Weekday | Weekend | Weekday Walk-Up | Weekend Walk-Up | |
| Reserved 1 | $7 | $8 | $9 | $10 |
| Reserved 2 | $6 | $7 | $8 | $9 |
| GA | $5 | $6 | $7 | $8 |
| 2015 Houston Baseball Group Rates | ||||
| Weekday | Weekend | |||
| 10-24 | $4 | $5 | ||
| 25+ | $3 | $4 | ||
Weekday: Monday-Thursday; Weekend: Friday-Sunday.
As noted in the table, variable pricing occurs. For weekday (Tuesday nights) online purchases, fans can take in a game, ranging from $5-$7 depending on the choice of seating. If you choose to purchase the day of the game as a Weekday Walk-Up, you will pay roughly $2 more than the online price ($7-$9).
Weekend (Friday-Sunday) online pricing will range from $6-$8 per game, while Weekend Walk-Up pricing the day of the game will run a fan anywhere from $8-$10.
GROUP RATES
Group rates are also available (as noted in the table). Weekday (Tuesday) and Weekend (Friday-Sunday) pricing occurs. Groups of 10-24 are set at $4-$5 per person, while groups of 25+ are $3-$4 per person.
With single-game tickets available now, Houston Baseball still encourages supporters to become Season Ticket members and enjoy the attractive pricing and rewards that come with up-front purchasing for the entire 2015 season.
HOW TO PURCHASE
To purchase tickets in advance, fans must visit the Athletics Ticket Stadium Office located on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium, just outside of Gate 1 off Cullen Boulevard. Parking is available in the TDECU Stadium parking garage with the first 30 minutes free of charge. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m. or you can call 713-GO-COOGS.
JOIN THE DUGOUT CLUB
Nationally-ranked Houston Baseball would like to encourage those wishing to support the efforts and success of the baseball student-athletes to consider joining the Dugout Club for as low as $25 a month or $300 annually.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
LEVELS
PINCH HITTER
For a minimum monthly installment of $25 or a minimum one-time gift of $300, supporters can take advantage of the Pinch Hitter level, which will guarantee an invitation for two to exclusive Dugout Club events and Houston Baseball team apparel.
DIAMOND
For a minimum monthly installment of $100 or a minimum one-time gift of $1,000, supporters can take advantage of the Diamond level, which will guarantee batting practice passes for two to any home game, invitation for two to exclusive Dugout Club events and Houston Baseball apparel.
**Cougar Pride points will be applied accordingly.
For more information on joining the Dugout Club, please contact the Houston Baseball office at (713) 743-9396.
For more information regarding Cougar Pride, please call (713) 743-GOUH.
STAY CONNECTED
Stay up to date with all Houston Baseball news and highlights by following us on Twitter @UHCougarBB or on Facebook at /HoustonCougarBaseball. Fans can also follow head coach Todd Whitting @toddwhitting on Twitter.
