University of Houston Athletics

RV Cougars Trounce Vaqueros in Home Opener
2/20/2026 11:39:00 PM | Baseball
Houston piles on season-high 11 runs, 14 hits in first home game of season
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Senior Paul Schmitz (2-0) earned his second win in his second start for Houston (5-0) this season, tossing five shutout innings while striking out seven. Sergio Lopez (0-1) took the loss on the mound for UTRGV (1-4), ceding four runs on five hits and two walks.
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PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
- Tre Broussard: 3-4, 3 RBI
- Riley Jackson: 2-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
- Dylan Maxcey: 3-4, R, SH
- Paul Schmitz: 5.0 IP, W, GS, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K, 2 BB
NOTABLES
- Junior Riley Jackson posted his fifth career multi-RBI game and set a new career high with three in the game.
- Houston opened the season 5-0 for the fourth time under Head Coach Todd Whitting.
- Senior Tyler Cox drew a career-high three walks in the game, the second time this season a Cougar has picked up three.Â
- Senior Cade Climie has three pinch-hit extra-base hits this season.
- Houston hit 7-for-15 with two outs, picking up five two-out RBIs.Â
KEY INNINGS
2nd | After taking the lead in the first off an RBI single from senior Antonelli Savattere, Houston piled on three more in the second. After the first two batters of the inning were put away, Jackson used his first hit of the season to send a homer over the left field fence.Â
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Three batters later, with runners on the corners, junior Tre Broussard laced a single to center that scored sophomore Jackson LaLima and advanced Cox to third. Redshirt sophomore Xavier Perez used another single to plate Cox, putting Houston up 4-0.
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3rd | The Cougars followed up with another trio of runs in the third. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Jackson drove both home with a single up the middle, then scored himself three batters later as Broussard notched his second RBI of the day.
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5th | After the first two batters of the home half of the fifth reached, Broussard used his third hit of the game to drive home LaLima, pushing the score to 8-0. Cox picked up his second run of the game later in the inning as he crossed on a wild pitch.Â
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8th | While a three-run homer put UTRGV on the board in the top of the inning, Houston answered in the bottom. A fielder's choice off the bat of sophomore McClane Helton drove home senior Carter Sintek and forced a throwing error that allowed freshman Blake Fields to score, capping the scoring at 11-3.Â
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UP NEXT
Houston continues the weekend series against UTRGV with a 4:30 p.m., Saturday, tilt against the Vaqueros.Â
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SUPPORT THE COUGARSÂ
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by providing NIL opportunities and by joining the Dugout Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Baseball for needs beyond its operating budget.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schmitz, Paul (2-0)
L: Lopez, Sergio (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Fischer, Chayton 1
HR: Ramirez, Julius 1
RBI: Ramirez, Julius 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Warren, Hank 1 ; Ramirez, Julius 1 ; Garza Gongora, Rocco 1

Batting:
2B: Climie, Cade 1 ; Perez, Xavier 1
HR: Jackson, Riley 1
RBI: Helton, McClane 1 ; Savattere, Antonelli 1 ; Broussard, Tre 3 ; Jackson, Riley 3 ; Perez, Xavier 1
SH: Maxcey, Dylan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cox, Tyler 2 ; Sintek, Carter 1 ; Fields, Blake 2 ; Maxcey, Dylan 1 ; Jackson, Riley 2 ; LaLima, Jackson 2 ; Perez, Xavier 1
SB: Broussard, Tre 1
HBP: Climie, Cade 1 ; Sintek, Carter 1 ; Savattere, Antonelli 1


























