University of Houston
Marshall
C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPIONS!!
5/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2008
CBS College Sports Highlights 
NEW ORLEANS - Senior outfielder Jake Stewart scored from third base on a groundout in the eighth inning to break a tie and help lead the University of Houston baseball team to a 3-2 win over Marshall on Sunday in the championship game of the 2008 Conference USA Entergy Championship, hosted by Tulane at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.
In a game that went back and forth throughout the day, it was the Cougars who had the final word in the eighth inning. Stewart reached first on a Marshall infield miscue and moved to second following a walk to Bryan Pounds. After Stewart advanced to third following a deep fly ball to right field, Ryan Lormand hit a sharp ground ball to Marshall third baseman Brandon Casamassima, who flipped the ball to second base in an attempt for the double play.
However, the quick-footed Lormand, who swiped three stolen bases in the game, beat out the relay throw to first base, scoring Stewart for the final run of the game.
That would be all the run support that freshman closer Chase Dempsay would need. The Baytown native struck out Tommy Johnson to end the game and induced two groundouts to end the game and give the Cougars their third C-USA Championship crown and first since 2000.
Pounds was named the Championship's Most Valuable Player, becoming the sixth Cougar to win that conference hardware, and the third C-USA Championship MVP. He was joined on that squad by teammates Jimmy Cesario, Zak Presley and Jared Ray.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 39-22 overall and received the league's automatic invitation to the NCAA Regional. The Cougars will learn their postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show, slated for 11:30 a.m., Monday on ESPN. UH coaches and players will watch the Selection Show during a party at Skeeter's Mesquite Grill (750 Gulfgate) with fans invited to attend the celebration.
Fans can hear all Cougar Baseball games live at UHCougars.com by clicking the appropriate links. Jeremy Branham will call the play-by-play action while former letterwinner Pat Cauley provides color analysis.
Fans always can follow live stats by clicking on the Gametracker link.
Marshall concluded its season with a 30-30-1 overall record.
The Thundering Herd grabbed the lead in the third inning when Nate Lape's sacrifice fly to center field plated Tommy Johnson, who reached on a leadoff walk.
However, the Cougars rallied to knot the game in the bottom of the frame. Chris Wallace reached on a leadoff single down the right-field line and moved to second after a groundout. Two batters later, Pounds lined a single into center to score Wallace.
The score remained that way until the sixth inning when Kurt Lipton's RBI-single through the right side plated Jeff Rowley. Although Marshall rapped out five straight hits in the inning, it managed only the one run, thanks to a pair of assists from right fielder Bryan Tully to third base.
Once again, the Cougars struck in the next half inning to tie the game, and they used a two-out rally to do it. After being hit by a pitch in his second straight plate appearance, Lormand stole second and then swiped third before scoring easily when Presley lined a single up the middle.
