Baseball Topples #15 West Virginia

Friday, April 17

Morgantown, W.Va.

5:30 p.m.

University of Houston

17-19, 4-12

West Virginia

25-9, 10-6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Houston	0	0	4	0	1	0	3	0	2	10	10	1
West Virginia	0	0	1	0	0	0	4	0	2	7	9	2

4/17/2026 11:24:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Cougars post eighth double-digit run tally to earn third win over ranked opponent

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Behind a pair of homers, including the first of Blake Fields' career, Houston Baseball captured its third win over a ranked opponent this season as it downed #15 West Virginia, 10-7, at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Friday night.

Sophomore Kendall Hoffman (2-4) secured the win in his first Friday start of the season, tossing 6.2 innings where he allowed four earned runs on six hits. It's his second win against a team that is currently ranked as he powered Houston (17-19, 4-12 Big 12) to a win against now-#11 Alabama on March 1. Dawson Montesa (3-5) took the loss for the Mountaineers (25-9, 10-6 Big 12) after giving up five runs – four earned – on seven hits and two walks.

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

Blake Fields: 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R
Riley Jackson: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, SH
Cade Climie: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Xavier Perez: 2-5, RBI, 2 R

NOTABLES

Houston has won 70 games against ranked opponents under Head Coach Todd Whitting. The Cougars have won three this season, marking the seventh season where the team has captured three-or-more victories over ranked foes.
Senior Cade Climie has reached base safely in 10 consecutive games.
Climie recorded his 40^th career game with multiple RBIs while junior Riley Jackson tallied his 10^th.
With freshman Blake Fields' first career home run, three Cougars have hit their first collegiate homers this season. Fields joins sophomore Jackson LaLima (UTRGV on Feb. 21) and sophomore Justin Cherrington (Rice on March 10).
Houston hit four doubles for the sixth time this season.

GAME SUMMARY
Houston struck first for the 23^rd time this season. Senior Tyler Cox doubled to lead off the third inning and, after a groundout from junior Tre Broussard moved him up to third, scored as redshirt sophomore Xavier Perez singled to left. Perez crossed the plate as Jackson doubled down the left-field line in the next at-bat while Climie homers to put Houston up by four.

West Virginia got on the board with their own run in the bottom of the third, but Houston answered in the fifth. The Cougars capitalized on an error and wild pitch to allow Broussard to score on a single from Jackson.

The teams traded blows in the seventh. A double from Broussard followed by Perez reaching on an error put a pair of Cougars on the corners for Jackson, who dropped a squeeze bunt that permitted Broussard to cross and put Houston up by five. Two batters later, both Perez and Jackson scored as Fields doubled to left center.

The Mountaineers posted their own crooked inning in the bottom of the frame. Tyrus Hall led off the inning with a homer to center while a two-out rally allowed another three runs to score to cut the hosts' deficit to three.

Houston reached double-digit runs in the ninth as Fields hit his first career homer, a two-run shot that also drove home Climie to push Houston's edge back to five. While West Virginia added two runs of its own in the bottom of the ninth, junior Richie Roman shut the door on a comeback, striking out the final batter to clinch a 10-7 win.

UP NEXT
Houston continues the series against the Mountaineers at 10 a.m. CT Saturday before concluding the weekend at noon CT Sunday. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.

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