University of Houston Athletics
Snyder Home Run Lifts Nance, Diamondbacks to Win
8/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 25, 2004
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Former University of Houston catcher Chris Snyder blasted a two-run homer and added three RBIs to help lead the Arizona Diamondbacks and teammate Shane Nance to a 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Tuesday. Nance, a former UH teammate of Snyder in 2000, collected his first Major League victory after scattering two hits with a strikeout in 0.2 innings of relief. It was his first win in 39 career games and improved his career record to 1-2. Snyder gave Arizona its first lead in the second inning when he blasted a full-count offering from Pirates starter John Van Benschoten over the wall for a 3-1 lead. After the Pirates knotted the game with the pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, Snyder lifted a sacrifice fly in the third inning to score Shea Hillenbrand for a 4-3 lead. Pittsburgh rallied again in the bottom of the third to tie the game, and the game stayed that way until the ninth inning when Alex Cintron's RBI-single broke the tie for good. This season, Snyder is batting .333 (3-for-9) after being called up from Double-A El Paso on August 18. Nance is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work during nine games this season. He was called up to the Diamondbacks in early June. Last weekend, Nance and Snyder squared off against the Cincinnati Reds, which features former UH All-American reliever Ryan Wagner. The Reds got the better of the Diamondbacks, winning two of three games. As collegians, both Snyder and Nance ranked among the country's best. A four-year letterwinner, Nance ended his collegiate career as the school's winningest pitcher with 32 wins. In addition, he finished among UH's all-time leaders in shutouts (5), innings pitched (411.1) and strikeouts (388). In 2000, he became the first player in school history to be named an NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player. He batted 3-for-10 with three RBIs and a pair of runs and struck out seven Rice batters with only six hits allowed in 7.2 innings during the NCAA Regional at Cougar Field. A three-year letterwinner at UH, Snyder joined the Cougars in 2000 after a stellar prep career at Spring Woods High. In 2001, he was selected as a member of Team USA after becoming only the eighth player in UH history to win the team's Triple Crown with a .316 batting average, 13 home runs and 53 RBIs. Snyder enjoyed the best season of his collegiate career in 2002 as he led the Cougars with a .343 batting average and school-record 71 RBIs to go with 15 home runs. He joined former slugger Brett Cooley as the greatest single-season home-run hitting duo in school history. By the time that the season ended, Snyder was a Second-Team All-American.
