Baseball Holds Off Bulls, 6-5

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Houston erased a one-run deficit in the sixth inning, scoring four times between the sixth and seventh to defeat South Florida 6-5 in the series opener Friday afternoon from USF Baseball Stadium.

Houston junior closer Ben Sears stranded the tying run at third in the ninth to secure his ninth save. The right-hander, who stranded two more in the seventh, allowed two hits and one run with a walk and two strikeouts in 2.1 innings.

Houston (27-15, 8-5 American) needed just one hit and capitalized on South Florida miscues in the sixth, scoring twice to re-take a 4-3 lead as three consecutive batters reached. A wild pitch and sacrifice fly from senior Ryan Hernandez provided the damage. The Bulls (23-18, 4-9 American) had taken a one-run advantage in the fifth.

Cougar sophomore Samuel Tormos (2 for 3) led off the seventh with a single and Houston stretched its advantage to three as junior Brandon Uhse and redshirt sophomore Zach Arnold connected on an RBI-double and RBI-single, respectively.

Houston junior starter Jaycob Deese (4-2) earned the victory, allowing four runs on six hits in 6.2 innings. The right-hander, who has tossed 5.0-plus innings in eight of his nine starts, walked a pair and struck out six.

The teams exchanged a pair of runs in the second inning. Houston used an RBI-double from freshman Cameron Nickens and RBI-single from Hernandez to jump ahead 2-0. South Florida redshirt sophomore Daniel Cantu tied it up on a two-out, two-run home run.

South Florida redshirt junior starter Brad Lord (2-6) allowed four runs on four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings. The Bulls were led by redshirt junior Nick Gonzalez (3 for 4), who struck a solo home run in the seventh, trimming USF's deficit to two.

UP NEXT
The teams return for the middle game at 9 a.m. CT Saturday. Houston will send junior southpaw Kyle LaCalameto (2-1, 3.19 ERA) to the mound. South Florida has not announced a starter. The contest can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on The Varsity app.

JOIN THE DUGOUT CLUB 
Fans can help support the Houston Baseball program directly by joining the Dugout Club. To find out more information about the Dugout Club, text UHBASEBALL to 71777, call Cougar Pride at (713) 743-GoUH or visit UHCougarPride.com. 
 
STAY CONNECTED 
Follow Houston Baseball on Twitter and Instagram at @UHCougarBB, and "Like" Houston Cougar Baseball on Facebook. 

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Team Stats

Zach Arnold

Samuel Tormos

Brandon Uhse

Alex Lopez

Players Mentioned

Zach Arnold

Jaycob Deese

Ryan Hernandez

Kyle LaCalameto

Cameron Nickens

Ben Sears

Samuel Tormos

Brandon Uhse

Players Mentioned

Zach Arnold

Jaycob Deese

Ryan Hernandez

Kyle LaCalameto

Cameron Nickens

Ben Sears

Samuel Tormos

Brandon Uhse

Upcoming Events

Recent Results