Houston Falls Late to UTRGV

Sunday, February 22

Houston, Texas

1 p.m.

University of Houston

5-2

UTRGV

3-4

UTRGV

Houston

Photo by: Megan Jones

2/22/2026 5:46:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Ninth-inning surge pushes Vaqueros past Cougars

HOUSTON – A ninth-inning burst was the difference-maker as Houston Baseball dropped the series finale to UTRGV, 8-4, on Sunday afternoon at Schroeder Park.

Tyler Bryan (0-1) took the loss for Houston (5-2) after allowing the go-ahead run in the ninth. Kike Cienfuegos (1-0) earned the win after tossing the last 3.2 innings for UTRGV (3-4) while allowing four hits and two runs.

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

Blake Fields: 3-4, RBI, 2B
Xavier Perez: 3-5, SB
Jackson LaLima: 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB
Ryne Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K

NOTABLES

Houston struck out nine batters, continuing a streak of five games where the Cougars sat down at least nine on strikes.
Sophomore Jackson LaLima hit his first career home run yesterday and followed up with his second in today's game.
Houston hit three doubles in the game.

KEY INNINGS
1^st | UTRGV grabbed the lead in the first. With a pair on the bases, Thomas Williams singled to left to score one and the Vaqueros capitalized on an error on the play to plate a second, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead.

4^th | Houston got on the board in the fourth, courtesy of its freshman center fielder Blake Fields. Senior Antonelli Savattere started the inning with a single, then advanced to second on a groundout. Fields drove him home with a base-knock to left-center, cutting the deficit to one.

6^th | The Cougars evened the score in the sixth. A leadoff double from Fields put him in scoring position and junior Tre Broussard lined a double of his own, scoring Fields to tie the game.

9^th | The Vaqueros reclaimed the lead in the ninth. A bases-loaded single from Julius Ramirez scored two to put UTRGV back in front and the visitors would go on to score another four in the frame, heading to the bottom of the inning with an 8-2 edge.

Houston's comeback bid came up short. Despite a solo homer from LaLima and a run from redshirt senior Irvin Weems III, the Cougars couldn't close the deficit, falling 8-4.

UP NEXT
Houston starts the Don Sanders Cup with a trip to Sam Houston on Tuesday, Feb. 24. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. in Huntsville, Texas, and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.

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– UHCougars.com –