University of Houston Athletics
Houston Stays Alive in AAC Championship
5/24/2018 8:09:00 AM | Baseball
Cougars improve to 36-22 overall with two wins Thursday in Clearwater
Final Stats - Game 1 | Box Score - Game 1 (PDF) | Final Stats - Game 2 | Box Score - Game 2 (PDF)
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- With its back against the wall, No. 18 Houston Baseball rose to the challenge and won two more elimination games in the American Athletic Conference Championship Thursday as the Cougars defeated Tulane, 18-7, in seven innings and No. 15 ECU, 5-3, to advance to a Game 7 Friday.
With the two wins, Houston improved to 36-22 on the year and has now won three straight elimination games in Clearwater to force a Game 7 Friday vs. the Pirates.
The winner of Friday's game between Houston and ECU will face the winner of USF and UConn in the Championship game. Time/Date are TBD due to expected inclement weather.
HOUSTON HITS
- Houston improved to 16-4 all-time in Clearwater with the two wins on Thursday.
- Houston has scored 35 runs in four games and have tallied 42 hits.
- Joe Davis broke the RBI record in a conference tournament and has 12 so far through four games.
- Joe Davis belted his team-leading 10th home run of the year in Game 1 Thursday vs. Tulane, third of the week, and 32st of his career -- breaking the all-time Houston home run record, originally held by Pat Hewes (1985-86).
- Jared Triolo singled in the fourth inning of Game 1 and was intentionally walked in the seventh of Game 2 to extend his on-base streak to 24 straight games.
- All nine starters had a hit and scored a run in the first game vs. Tulane.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston (35-22) | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 15 | 0 |
| Tulane (25-33) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
| HOU Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFBIELAMOWICZ, Tyler | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| CF PADGETT, Grayson | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 3B TRIOLO, Jared | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1B LOCKHART, Lael | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| DH DAVIS, Joe | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B HOLLIS, Connor | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| SS COLDIRON, Cooper | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| LF ETZEL, Landon | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| C LOVELACE, Kyle | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| TLN Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B ARTIGUES, Jonathon | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| CFWITHERSPOON, Grant | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1B JENSEN, Trevor | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DH MATHEWS, Grant | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3B HOESE, Kody | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LF GLANCY, Luke | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| RF JOHNSON, Ty | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| PH ROWLAND, Matt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RF HEINRICHS, Tyler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| SS GOZZO, Sal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C OWEN, Acy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| HOU Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANDEL, Ryan | 2.2 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| OTT, Kyle | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VILLARREAL, Fred | 3.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| HENRY, Carter | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TLN Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHNSON, Trent | 2.2 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| BATES, Josh | 0.1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| BJORNGJELD, Sam | 0.2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| McAFFER, Will | 1.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| PRICE, Robert | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| GREEN, Ryan | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
GAME 1: Houston 18, Tulane 7 (7 innings)
Houston Baseball put on an offensive show to earn a 7-inning run-rule win over Tulane to survive another elimination game en route to an 18-7 win in Game 1.
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Joe Davis | 3x5, 3 R, 6 RBI, HR (10)
Connor Hollis | 2x3, 2 R, 2 RBI
Grayson Padgett | 2x5, 2 R, 2 RBI
Jared Triolo | 1x6, R, 2 RBI
Tyler Bielamowicz | 1x4, 2 R, RBI
Lael Lockhart Jr. | 1x2, 4 R, RBI
Cooper Coldiron | 2x3, 2 R, 2 RBI
Landon Etzel | 1x4, R, 2 RBI
Kyle Lovelace | 1x3, R
Houston scored a conference-tournament record 18 runs on 15 hits in the win. Every starter had a hit and scored a run and five starters had a multi-hit game.
Joe Davis belted his 10th home run of the year and 32nd of his career to break to Houston all-time home run record, set by Pat Hewes (1985-86) with 32. He finished the game with three hits and a career-high six RBI.
Grayson Padgett, Connor Hollis, Cooper Coldiron and Landon Etzel each had two hits and two RBI, while Jared Triolo added two RBI.
PITCHING BREAKDOWN
Ryan Randel | 2.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Kyle Ott | 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Fred Villarreal | 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Carter Henry | 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Houston starter Ryan Randel retired the first seven hitters he faced before he ran into some lucky trouble. Tulane used five straight hits and seven in the third to allow five runs. He finished with 2.2 innings, five runs on seven hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Senior Kyle Ott took over in third with runners at the corners and induced a flyout to keep the score, at the time, 7-5 Houston.
Sophomore Fred Villarreal relieved Ott and came in during the fourth and went on to toss a solid 3.2 innings in relief, allowing just two runs on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts en route to his first win of the year, improving to 1-2.
Carter Henry retired the final hitter, while stranding a pair to close it out in seven innings.
KEY INNINGS
1st | Joe Davis came up big in the first inning, clearing the bases with a double into right center to give the Cougars a lead. Tyler Bielamowicz reached on an error to open the game, followed by a single into left by Grayson Padgett and a 1-out walk by Lael Lockhart Jr., which gave way to the Davis three-run hit. With two outs, Cooper Coldiron found the right center gap for an RBI-single, scoring Davis for the 4-0 advantage.
3rd | Houston added to its lead with a three-run third inning. All with two outs, Connor Hollis reached on a hit-by-pitch, followed by a single from Coldiron and an RBI-single by Etzel. Kyle Lovelace then walked to load the bases for Bielamowicz, who plated Coldiron on an RBI-walk followed by an RBI-single by Padgett, scoring Etzel for the 7-1 lead.
Tulane found the scoreboard in the bottom of the third with five runs on seven hits to make it a 7-5 game.
4th | Houston responded with nine runs in the fourth -- the second-most in an inning this season.
Lockhart walked and Davis singled allowing Hollis to drive both in on a two-RBI. The inning continued with a walk by Coldiron, a sac bunt by Etzel and a back-to-back walks by Bielamowicz and Padgett, one being a bases-loaded free pass for an RBI.
Triolo kept the inning alive with a two-run single, followed by a Lockhart walk and a Davis three-run home run -- his 10th of the year and record-breaking 32nd of his career. The Cougars quickly went up 16-5 with the three-run shot.
6th | Houston adds to its lead (18-5) with two more runs in the sixth, highlighted by a two-out, RBI-triple by Landon Etzel, scoring Connor Hollis -- who singled. Coldiron also added a sac fly.
9th | Tulane plated a pair of runs in the ninth on four hits, but Houston was able to escape the threat and win by a run-rule.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECU (41-16) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| Houston (36-22) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| HOU Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFBIELAMOWICZ, Tyler | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| CF PADGETT, Grayson | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3B TRIOLO, Jared | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1B/P LOCKHART, Lael | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DH/1B DAVIS, Joe | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2B HOLLIS, Connor | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS COLDIRON, Cooper | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| LF ETZEL, Landon | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C LOVELACE, Kyle | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| ECU Batting | AB | H | R | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF PACKARD, Bryant | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| CF WORRELL, Bryson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| RF WILLIAMS-SUTTON, D. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| DHBRICKHOUSE, Spencer | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C WASHER, Jake | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3B LITTON, Connor | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| CF/LFHENRICKSON, Drew | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2B LLOYD, Brady | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1B BURLESON, Alec | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SS BROWN, Turner | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| HOU Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOCKHART, Lael | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| HURDSMAN, Brayson | 3.2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| OTT, Kyle | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| PULIDO, Joey | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ECU Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COVINGTON, West | 3.1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| BARNES, Zach | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| BENTON, Trey | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| AGNOS, Jake | 0.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| VOLIVA, Evan | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WILLIAMS, Gavin | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
GAME 2: Houston 5, No. 15 ECU 3
Houston kept its American Championship hopes alive with a 5-3 win over ECU in its second game on Thursday to force a Game 7 on Friday.
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Joe Davis | 1x3, 2 RBI
Tyler Bielamowicz | 1x2, R, 2 RBI
Lael Lockhart Jr. | 2x5, R, RBI
Connor Hollis | 1x4, R
Cooper Coldiron | 1x3, R
Landon Etzel | 1x4
Grayson Padgett | 1x2
The Houston offense produced eight hits, led by Lael Lockhart Jr.'s two-hit game, while scoring a run and driving in an RBI. Joe Davis added a pair of RBI on a hit, while Tyler Bielamowicz drove in two on a second-inning base hit to get things rolling for the Cougars.
PITCHING BREAKDOWN
Brayson Hurdsman | 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K
Kyle Ott | 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 K
[W] Joey Pulido | 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
[S] Lael Lockhart Jr. | 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Houston starter Brayson Hurdsman went 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
He handed the ball over to Kyle Ott in the fourth and Ott worked out of an inherited jam and went on to toss 3.0 innings, surrendering just one run on one hit with a walk and two strikeouts.
Senior Joey Pulido entered the game in the seventh and went 1.0 inning, allowing just two hits to earn the win as the pitcher of record when the Cougars broke open the 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh. He improved to 5-2 on the year with the victory.
Lael Lockhart Jr. took over on the mound in the eighth with two outs and two out and after a walk, got ECU to ground out and hold the 5-3 lead. He reentered in the ninth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning with a pair of strikeouts for the save -- his third on the year.
KEY INNINGS
2nd | Houston jumps out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-out, two-run single by Tyler Bielamowicz, scoring Connor Hollis and Cooper Coldiron, who each singled. The inning was continued thanks to a fielding error by ECU, allowing Kyle Lovelace to reach and Bielamowicz to bat.
3rd | ECU responded with a run on a double and RBI-single to make it a 2-1 game. Hurdsman did work out of a jam and strand a pair with two strikeouts and a fly out.
Houston extended its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third on a Lael Lockhart Jr. double and RBI-single by Joe Davis.
4th | A 1-out triple and double lead to another ECU run in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2.
5th | ECU used a lead off double and a sac fly to tie the game back up at 3-3 in the fifth.
7th | Houston broke open the 3-3 score with a pair of runs in the seventh as Bielamowicz walked to open the frame. After a Grayson Padgett sac bunt and an intentional walk to Jared Triolo, Lockhart delivered with a RBI-single into right field, scoring Bielamowicz. Davis then followed with a sac fly to center, scoring Triolo to give Houston the 5-3 lead.
ON DECK
The Cougars will face (4) ECU one more time at 9 a.m. CT
STAY CONNECTED
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