Jackson’s Two Homers Power Cougars Past Golden Lions

Friday, March 6

Houston, Texas

4 p.m.

University of Houston

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

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Jackson’s Two Homers Power Cougars Past Golden Lions

3/6/2026 11:44:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Jackson, Sabathia combine for three homers, Houston hangs crooked inning on Arkansas-Pine Bluff

HOUSTON – Using a trio of homers and a seven-run sixth inning, Houston Baseball won the battle of the offenses, 13-9, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in game one of a weekend series at Schroeder Park on Friday night.

Junior Jackson Baker (2-0) earned the win on the mound for Houston (8-5), tossing 2.0 shutout innings while striking out four and allowing just one hit. Senior Ryne Rodriguez (1) earned his first career save by working the last 3.0 innings for the Cougars. Arkansas-Pine Bluff's (5-10) Reagan James (2-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs on five hits in 0.2 innings.

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS

Riley Jackson: 4-5, 2 HR, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R
Tyler Cox: 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, SH, SB
Carsten Sabathia III: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
Ryne Rodriguez: 3.0 IP, Sv, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Jackson Baker: 2.0 IP, W, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K

NOTABLES

Senior Tyler Cox recorded his 40^th career multi-hit game.
Junior Riley Jackson hit a pair of homers, marking Houston's first individual multi-homer game since Cade Climie hit two against Grambling on March 7, 2025.
Jackson notched four hits against the Golden Lions, setting a new career high while matching the top mark on the team this season (Blake Fields).
Houston's seven runs in the sixth inning were the most in an inning for the Cougars since they tallied 10 in the second inning against Grambling on March 9, 2025.
Jackson and senior Carsten Sabathia III hit back-to-back homers, Houston's first since Anthony Avalos and Brandon Bishop did so at Kansas State on April 27, 2025.

KEY INNINGS
2^nd | After Arkansas-Pine Bluff hung five runs on the board in the first, the Golden Lions added another two runs in the second as a single with the bases loaded pushed the visitors lead to seven.

Houston answered in the bottom of the inning, as Sabathia III and Jackson used back-to-back solo homers to lead off the home half of the frame and cut the deficit to five.

4^th | Another two runs for Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the fourth reextended its lead back to seven, but Houston again cut into the edge in the home half. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Houston capitalized on a defensive miscue to plate a pair as freshman Blake Fields forced an error on a fielder's choice. Fields, who reached second on the error, used a pair of wild pitches later in the inning to score, pushing the score to 9-5.

6^th | Houston claimed the lead in the sixth. Loading the bases via a single and a pair of hit-by-pitches, a wild pitch allowed Cox to score to start the inning. Redshirt sophomore Xavier Perez singled home a second run, putting runners on the corners, while a groundout from senior Dylan Maxcey pushed Fields across the plate.

The Cougars tied the game three batters later as Jackson singled through the left side, driving home Perez to even the score at 9-9. Sophomore Jackson LaLima kept the inning going with a double down the left-field line, plating Sabathia, while Cox capped the scoring in the inning as he drove home two with a single through the right side to make the score 12-9.

8^th | Houston capped the scoring in the game as Jackson hit his second homer of the game, another solo shot to left field that sealed a 13-9 win for the Cougars.

UP NEXT
Houston plays a doubleheader on Saturday to wrap up the three-game set against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. First pitch in game one of the day comes in at noon while game two will start approximately 45 minutes following game one.

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