Cougars Earn First Big 12 Series Win

Saturday, April 4

Waco, Texas

5 PM

University of Houston

20-22, 3-12

Baylor

23-14, 6-6

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Houston	0	0	2	0	5	3	10	12	1
Baylor	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	6	2

4/4/2026 9:07:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Esparza’s career day; Brown’s complete game lift Houston to first Big 12 series victory against Baylor

WACO, Texas – A career day for freshman Ronnie Esparza helped lift the University of Houston Softball team to its first Big 12 series victory, defeating Baylor, 10-1, via run-rule at Getterman Stadium on Saturday.

The Cougars (20-22, 3-12 Big 12) outlasted two quiet first innings with three multi-run frames in the third, fifth and sixth innings while limiting the Bears (23-14, 6-6 Big 12) to one run on six hits.

With the win, Houston earned its first ever series victory over Baylor as conference foes.

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS:

Ronnie Esparza: 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R,
Mandy Esman: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Madox Mitchael: 2-3, 2 RBI, R, 2B, BB
Isabel Cintron: 2-3, R, BB
Bethany Aguilar: 2-4, 2 R
Nevaeh Brown: 6.0 IP, CG, 2 K

NOTABLES

Esparza cracked her first and second career homers, belting a two-run and a solo shot in the fifth and sixth innings.
Esparza's pair of homers marks the fifth individual multi-home run game for the Cougars this season. It is also the second time this season a freshman has hit each of their first two career homers in the same game (Feb. 14 - RyLee Gardner vs Michigan).
Esparza set four new career highs on the day in hits (3), homers (2), RBIs (3) and runs (2).
Sophomore pitcher Nevaeh Brown pitched her fifth complete game this season, tossing 6.0 innings with two strikeouts while only giving up one run.
Junior Bethany Aguilar posted her first multi-hit outing of the season.
Five Cougars supplied multi-hit performances on the day.
The victory marks Houston's fifth run-rule win of the season.
The Cougars earned their first series win against Baylor as conference foes.
The victory marks Houston's largest margin of victory in Big 12 play since joining the conference in 2024.

KEY INNINGS
3^rd | After back-to-back singles with one out, junior Makenna Mitchell delivered the opening blow with a two-run double to deep right field, scoring junior Bethany Aguilar and sophomore Madox Mitchael to give Houston a 2-0 lead.

5^th | With two outs and a runner on first, Esman reached second via single and error in the outfield, opening the door for Gardner to score from first and extend the Cougar lead to 3-1. Four pitches later, Esparza opened the floodgates with her first career homer, adding two to the board for a Houston 5-1 lead. After getting a pair of runners on base, Mitchael produced two more runs in the frame with a double to shallow left, scoring sophomore Isabel Cintron and Aguilar to make it 7-1 Cougars.

6^th | Following a Gardner walk, Esman delivered a two-run blast on the first pitch of the at bat to right field, giving the Cougars a stronghold on the game at 9-1. On the ensuing at bat, Esparza swung a full count pitch and launched her second homer of the day, capping off the game's final score at 10-1.

UP NEXT
Houston heads back on the road for a second-consecutive week where it will face BYU on April 9-11, with game one set for 7 p.m., Thursday. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Softball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective – and by joining the Diamond Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Softball for needs beyond its operating budget.

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