Baseball Notches Third Straight Conference Series Win

HOUSTON – With a 16-10 win over South Florida, the Houston baseball team secured its third straight conference series win on Saturday afternoon at Schroeder Park.

The Cougars (20-15, 6-2) have won all three series against East Carolina, Wichita State and South Florida. Houston sophomore reliever Dan Wright (1-1) tallied his first win of the season throwing 2.0 shutout innings and retiring four batters. South Florida (15-21, 4-4) fought until the end but Bulls' starting pitcher Hunter Mink (6-3) recorded the loss after giving up 10 hits on 10 runs in 2.1 innings of work.

Game Highlights:

Four different Cougars tallied home runs in the game including starting pitcher Malachi Lot, Zach Arnold, Anthony Tulimero and Alex Lopez. It was the ninth game this season where the Cougars have tallied multiple home runs.
Zach Arnold and Justin Murray extended their reached-base streaks to 31 straight games. Arnold has reached base in every single game he has played in while Murray has found his way on base in every game since his second Cougar appearance.
Zach Arnold went a perfect 4 for 4 on the day with four runs and four RBI. The junior reached base on every one of his at bats which included two walks. His four runs set a career high while the four hits tied a career-high.
Both Malachi Lott and Zach Arnold were a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Malachi Lott made his second appearance where he was the starting pitcher as well as a batter in the lineup. The sophomore went 4 for 6 with three runs and three RBI while pitching 3.1 innings and allowing three runs with four strikeouts.
With 19 hits in the game, the Cougars have now registered four straight games with 10+ hits, recording 17 at Wichita State, 14 against Sam Houston and 10 against South Florida.

Player Highlights:

Zach Arnold: 4-4, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2B, 2 BB, HR
Malachi Lott: 4-6, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR

Key Innings:
1^st | The Cougars came out hot in the first inning as junior third baseman Zach Arnold laced a double into right center field before utility player Alex Lopez sent a home run over the right field wall for a 2-0 lead.

2^nd | However, Houston's lead was immediately met in the top of the second with two-straight home runs to even the game at 2-2. But, the Cougars quickly took control in the bottom of the frame. With the bases loaded, sophomore utility player Malachi Lott singled through the left side to bring home two runners for a 4-2 lead. It was immediately followed by a 428-foot home run from Arnold to push the game to a 7-2 lead.

3^rd | The Cougars continued to add insurance runs in the bottom of the third as an RBI-single from graduate transfer Drew Bianco brought utility player Justin Murray home. With Bianco on third base, Arnold tallied his third hit of the day singling to the shortstop sending Bianco home for a 10-3 lead.

5^th | After being relieved of his starting pitcher duties, utility player Malachi Lott hit a full-count home run to right center to push Houston ahead 11-3.

7^th | The Bulls mounted a comeback late in the game tallying a two-run seventh-inning appearance, but the Cougars quickly plated two more runs in the bottom of the inning holding its eight-run lead with a score of 13-5.

8^th | However, USF continued to score as the Bulls brought home three more runs in the top of the eighth to cut the Cougars' lead to 13-8. But, again, Houston rallied and answered with three more runs in the bottom of the half inning as Lopez doubled and Anthony Tulimero smacked a home run to make it a 16-8 ball game.

Despite the Bulls bringing two runs across in the top of the ninth inning, Houston shut South Florida down and took the win 16-10.

UP NEXT:
The Cougars will look for the series sweep against South Florida in the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with a radio broadcast on The Varsity Network. Come out for Kids Day and Family Day at the ballpark on Sundays. Kids (12 and under) get in free with their youth jersey and may run the bases postgame and use inflatables in-game on site. Fans can take advantage of a $5 hot dog and soda deal at concessions.

TICKETS ON SALE
Houston Baseball flex plan packs and single-game tickets are on sale for the 2023 season. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 713-G0-COOGS (462-6647) or by click here.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.

JOIN THE DUGOUT CLUB 
Fans are invited to join The Dugout Club to directly support Houston Baseball. Members provide financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond operating budget. For more information about the Dugout Club, text UHBASEBALL to 71777, call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4684) or click here.
 
STAY CONNECTED 
Fans can receive updates by following UHCougarBB on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Cougar Baseball. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at uhcougarbb.

Upcoming Events

Recent Results