Sports

UH goes on road in search of wins

By Emily Davis
The Daily Cougar

The nationis best team took a five-mile trip to Cougar Field on Wednesday night and dared UH to show up.

The Cougars showed up all right, giving No. 1 Rice more than it bargained for before the Owls prevailed 7-6 in 11 innings, clinching the Silver Glove Series for the third consecutive year in front of 2,271 fans -- UHis largest showing of the season.

Brian Viney/The Daily Cougar

Now the Cougars (8-13, 1-2 in Conference USA) head into a three-game conference series against Cincinnati reeling from a loss that they fought and scraped to avoid.

"Going into Cincinnati with another loss (is not) a good thing," said junior pitcher Gene Flores, who started Wednesdayis game, but did not figure in the decision. "Our morale (is) down, and we need the opposite if we want to improve the season."

The C-USA foes face off at 1 p.m. today, noon Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday in Cincinnati.

But the Bearcats can expect a rough weekend if freshmen Brett Logan (five hits, two runs) and Travis Tully (3-for-5, one RBI) continue their hot hitting.

"We are playing well and have just been coming up short lately," senior Brett Cooley said. "If we maintain a competitive edge, we will be fine."

The Cougars rallied from a 6-0 deficit to tie the score at 6-6 in the seventh inning before eventually falling on a Lance Pendleton double in the 11th.

The outcome was eerily similar to Sundayis game against East Carolina, when junior third baseman Hyung Chois two-run homer tied it in the ninth inning before UH lost in the 10th.

Those close losses are of no consequence to Cincinnati (6-11, 1-2), which will open its home season against UH today. The Bearcats were routed 10-3 by UAB on Sunday in their conference opener.

Led by third baseman Brad Dorrmann (.261, one home run, five RBI) and pitcher Nate Bouldin (3-1, 3.18 ERA), Cincinnati will try to reverse a 2-1 series loss at UH last year. 

After the Cincinnati series, there will be only a little rest for the weary, as UH takes Monday off before Tuesdayis road game against Sam Houston, which will be followed by a trip to Fort Worth to take on Texas Christian in another three-game series starting Friday.

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