University of Houston
23-16, 7-7
Cincinnati
18-20, 8-6
Early Runs Fuel Houston to 3-1, Series-Evening Win
4/19/2019 10:58:00 PM | Baseball
Cougars score two runs in first inning in to setup Saturday rubber game
HOUSTON -- The University of Houston Baseball team defeated Cincinnati, 3-1, on Friday night at Don Sanders Field at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park.
With the win, the Cougars even the series improve to 23-16 on the season and 7-7 in American Athletic Conference play, while the Bearcats fall to 18-20 overall and 8-6 in league action.
KEY INNINGS
1st | Houston jumped out for two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior third baseman Jared Triolo walked to open the frame, and with two outs, senior left fielder Rey Fuentes III doubled him home with a shot into the right-center gap. In the next at-bat, freshman designated hitter Derrick Cherry singled through the left side of the infield to deliver Fuentes III.
5th | Cincinnati scored its lone run of the game in the top of the fifth behind a two-out, RBI single.
8th | The Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the eighth. Sophomore catcher Kyle Lovelace (single), freshman second baseman Brad Burckel (single) and Triolo (hit by pitch) loaded the bases with no outs, before senior left fielder Grayson Padgett delivered Lovelace with a groundout for the 3-1 final.
HOUSTON NOTES
Offense:
• Lovelace finished 2-for-3 with two singles and one run scored.
• Fuentes III had an RBI double and run scored in a 1-for-3 effort.
• Cherry went 1-for-4, highlighted by his RBI single in the first inning.
• Padgett, who started in center field and shifted to left field in the top of the seventh, also recorded an RBI for the Cougars.
• Senior first baseman Joe Davis drew third intentional walk of the series.
Pitching:
• Sophomore southpaw Clay Aguilar (4-3) picked up his fourth win of the season. He limited the Bearcats to just one run on six hits across six and one-third innings. The native of Deer Park, Texas, walked two and struck out five.
• Junior Sean Bretz came in with a 0-2 count in sixth and got the final two outs to close the frame.
• Junior Fred Villarreal closed out the game with two scoreless innings to record his conference-leading ninth save of the season.
The Cougars go for the series win in the 1 p.m. rubber game on Saturday. Houston will host an Easter Egg Hunt on the field following the series finale.
PARKING IN 2019
Gameday parking is offered in a different capacity than in prior years. Anyone entering Lot 16B (across the street from right field) will be subjected to paying a third party company employed by campus. This lot will no longer be an option for free parking on gamedays. All other lots surrounding the stadium will be free of charge two hours prior to first pitch.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Baseball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarBB, and “Like” UHCougarBB on Facebook.
JOIN DUGOUT CLUB
Fans can help support the Houston Baseball program by joining the Dugout Club. To find out more information about the Dugout Club, visit UHCougarPride.com or call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Aguilar, Clay (4-3)
L: SHAWVER, Evan (2-5)
S: Villarreal, Fred (9)
Batting:
2B: SANTIAGO, Eric 1 ; MURPHY, Cole 1
RBI: SANTIAGO, Eric 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BUMPASS, AJ 1
SB: BUMPASS, AJ 1
PO: SANTIAGO, Eric 1 ; MURPHY, Cole 1
Batting:
2B: Fuentes III, Rey 1
RBI: Padgett, Grayson 1 ; Fuentes III, Rey 1 ; Cherry, Derrick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Triolo, Jared 1 ; Fuentes III, Rey 1 ; Lovelace, Kyle 1
CS: Triolo, Jared 1
HBP: Triolo, Jared 1
