Houston Holds Off USF in Series Opener

Friday, April 14

Houston,Texas

6:30 PM

University of Houston

19-15, 0

South Florida

15-20, 0

USF

Houston

4/14/2023 11:11:00 PM | Baseball

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Woodward, Murray shine in 6-5 defeat of South Florida

HOUSTON – The Houston baseball program held off South Florida 6-5 in the first game of the weekend series on Friday night at Schroeder Park.

Houston recorded its third straight win to move to a 19-15 season mark and a 5-2 American conference record. Junior reliever Owen Woodward (3-0) worked 5.0 innings retiring four batters and earning his third win of the season. Junior utility player Justin Murray made his 11^th appearance in relief and recorded his fifth save of the season tossing 1.0 innings. South Florida's (15-20, 4-3) Ethan Brown (1-4) threw 4.0 innings and fanned seven Cougar batters but recorded the loss.

Game Highlights:

Zach Arnold and Justin Murray extended their reached base streaks to 30 straight games. Arnold has reached base in every single game he has played in while Murray has found his way on base in every game since his second Cougar appearance.
Owen Woodward recorded a career-high 5.0 innings of relief.
Justin Murray played on both sides of the ball tallying a single, double and triple on offense while pitching one inning in relief and recording the save.
With 10 hits in the game, the Cougars have now registered three back-to-back games with 10+ hits, recording 17 at Wichita State and 14 against Sam Houston.

Player Highlights:

Justin Murray: 3-4. 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B, 3B; S, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K
Ian McMillan: 2-3, RBI
Owen Woodward: W, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 K

Key Innings:
2^nd | After getting out to an early 3-0 deficit to the Bulls, Houston began to chip away in the bottom of the second. A lead-off single from senior Brandon Uhse got the Cougars aboard before utility player Justin Murray knocked a triple to the right field wall bringing Uhse all the way home. A single from sophomore Brandon Burckel followed and brought Murray home which was immediately met with a single from senior shortstop Ian McMillan to score Burckel and tie the game 3-3.

3^rd | Despite the Bulls answering in the top of the third with a run, the Cougars quickly surpassed it. Another Murray extra-base hit put the junior on second base scoring juniors Zach Arnold and Alex Lopez who had reached base earlier in the inning. Sophomore outfielder Cameron Nickens then brought Murray home on a single to right field for a 6-4 lead.

In the top of the eighth, South Florida threatened a comeback hitting a solo home run to close Houston's lead, but the Cougars ultimately took the win 6-5.

UP NEXT:
The Cougars play the second game of the series on Saturday with the first pitch being moved to 2 p.m. due to expected inclement weather. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with a radio broadcast on The Varsity Network.

A Houston win on Saturday means fans in attendance walk away with a buy one, get one free box combo offer from Raising Cane's.

Come out for Kids Day and Family Day at the ballpark on Sundays. Kids (12 and under) get in free with their youth jersey and may run the bases postgame and use inflatables in-game on site. Fans can take advantage of a $5 hot dog and soda deal at concessions.

TICKETS ON SALE
Houston Baseball flex plan packs and single-game tickets are on sale for the 2023 season. Fans can purchase tickets by calling 713-G0-COOGS (462-6647) or by click here.

SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.

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