Friday, March 8
Houston, Texas
6:30 p.m.
University of Houston
9-4, 0
4
vs
3
Baylor
4-9, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Baylor
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
3
5
4
Houston
0
0
0
3
1
0
0
0
X
4
8
1
Perfect in Big 12 Play, Houston Wins Opener
3/8/2024 10:53:00 PM | Baseball
Cougars win Big 12 opener in back-and-forth affair
HOUSTON – In its inaugural Big 12 Conference game, the Houston baseball team topped Baylor 4-3 on Friday night at Don Sanders Field at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park.
For the first time this season, Houston (9-4, 1-0 Big 12) gave up a run in the first inning. Baylor (4-9, 0-1 Big 12) singled, walked, was hit by a pitch and scored a run on a fielder's choice ground out.
The Cougars hung a crooked number in the fourth inning with a pair of outs. A two-out walk put a pair on for left fielder Ace Reese. The freshman shot a fast ball to the opposite field, scoring first baseman Justin Murray from second. Then the third walk in the inning loaded the bases for short stop Jake Rainess who singled to plate a pair.
The Bears retook the lead in the top of the fifth with a pair of doubles before the Cougars retook the lead for the final time in the bottom half of the inning with two outs. A two-out single by Murray and then a wild pitch and a failed pickoff for right fielder Tre Jones to single up the middle to plate Murray.
On the mound, redshirt senior Kyle LaCalameto (1-0) twirled 3.2 innings of scoreless work out of the bullpen with a season-high four strikeouts. The left-handed pitcher shortened the game from the middle of the fifth to lefty José Torrealba (1) for the ninth. Torrealba struck out the final batter of the game for his second save of the season.
Houston has won its conference opener in back-to-back seasons and won its first league game in its new league for the first time since 1997 in Conference USA.
UP NEXT
The Cougars continue their series against the Bears on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Friday-Sunday. Fans that attend the men's basketball game on Saturday can bring their ticket to the baseball stadium ticket office to get into the game for free on Saturday for its 6:30 p.m. start.
BUY TICKETS
Don't miss any of the action, purchase your single-game tickets to any of the 34 Houston Cougar baseball games inside Schroeder Park by clicking here.
BUY FLEX PLAN
Can't make all 34 games this season? No problem, buy a flex plan and pick which games you want to attend in 2024 (excluding the Texas series April 12-14 – flex plan game selection begins in January).
SUPPORT THE COUGARS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective, and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarBB on X, formerly known as 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.
For the first time this season, Houston (9-4, 1-0 Big 12) gave up a run in the first inning. Baylor (4-9, 0-1 Big 12) singled, walked, was hit by a pitch and scored a run on a fielder's choice ground out.
The Cougars hung a crooked number in the fourth inning with a pair of outs. A two-out walk put a pair on for left fielder Ace Reese. The freshman shot a fast ball to the opposite field, scoring first baseman Justin Murray from second. Then the third walk in the inning loaded the bases for short stop Jake Rainess who singled to plate a pair.
The Bears retook the lead in the top of the fifth with a pair of doubles before the Cougars retook the lead for the final time in the bottom half of the inning with two outs. A two-out single by Murray and then a wild pitch and a failed pickoff for right fielder Tre Jones to single up the middle to plate Murray.
On the mound, redshirt senior Kyle LaCalameto (1-0) twirled 3.2 innings of scoreless work out of the bullpen with a season-high four strikeouts. The left-handed pitcher shortened the game from the middle of the fifth to lefty José Torrealba (1) for the ninth. Torrealba struck out the final batter of the game for his second save of the season.
Houston has won its conference opener in back-to-back seasons and won its first league game in its new league for the first time since 1997 in Conference USA.
UP NEXT
The Cougars continue their series against the Bears on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Friday-Sunday. Fans that attend the men's basketball game on Saturday can bring their ticket to the baseball stadium ticket office to get into the game for free on Saturday for its 6:30 p.m. start.
BUY TICKETS
Don't miss any of the action, purchase your single-game tickets to any of the 34 Houston Cougar baseball games inside Schroeder Park by clicking here.
BUY FLEX PLAN
Can't make all 34 games this season? No problem, buy a flex plan and pick which games you want to attend in 2024 (excluding the Texas series April 12-14 – flex plan game selection begins in January).
SUPPORT THE COUGARS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective, and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarBB on X, formerly known as 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.
– UHCougars.com –
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: LaCalameto, Kyle (1-0)
L: Marriott, Mason (0-2)
S: Torrealba, José (2)
Batting:
2B: Apodaca, Enzo 1 ; Jordan, Wesley 1
RBI: Apodaca, Enzo 1 ; Jordan, Wesley 1 ; Altman, Daniel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Johnson, Ty 1 ; Teplanszky, Hunter 1 ; Apodaca, Enzo 1
CS: Altman, Daniel 1
HBP: Jordan, Wesley 1 ; Pendergrass, Will 1 ; Fletcher, Kade 1
Batting:
RBI: Jones, Tre 1 ; Reese, Ace 1 ; Rainess, Jake 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Murray, Justin 2 ; Jimenez, Kenneth 1 ; Reese, Ace 1
SB: Coll, Harold 1
CS: Jones, Tre 1
HBP: Murray, Justin 1
PO: Jones, Tre 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ BaseballUTL
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
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