Sports
 

Cougars impress despite 1-2 start

UH nearly beats Texas Tech, No. 4 Texas

By Stuart H. Clements
The Daily Cougar

The Houston baseball team won its season opener Friday against Kansas State, but that was the lone bright spot of the weekend as the Cougars fell to 1-2 at the Minute Maid Park College Classic.

Both Cougar losses were nail-biters, including a narrow defeat at the hands of No. 4 Texas.

Houston was tied with the Longhorns 5-5 until the seventh inning, when Seth Johnston hit a solo homerun to take a 6-5 lead. Texas held on for the win.

 

Senior Brett Cooley went 4-4 with an RBI and two doubles in the game, and he was named to the all-tournament team, joining junior shortstop Stuart Musslewhite and sophomore outfielder Travis Tulley. 

Saturday's game against Texas Tech made its way into extra innings as the Red Raiders and the Cougars played a hard fought game that saw both teams trade leads. Tech took the early lead in the first inning with four unearned runs against junior starter Garrett Mock.

Mock walked four batters in the top of the first and lasted only two-thirds of an inning. Sophomore reliever Justin Vaclavik came in to the game with the bases loaded and stopped the Red Raiders in their tracks.

The Cougars retaliated with three runs in the first inning, and added one in the fifth to tie the score 4-4, but Texas Tech took the lead again in the top of the sixth with two runs.

Houston bounced back and led the game by one run after scoring three in the seventh 7-6. But the Red Raiders tied it up in the eighth with one and finished off the Cougars in the top of the 11th with a stifling five runs to take the game 12-7.

The Wildcats went down easily despite taking the early lead with two runs in the third inning Friday. It didn't take long for the Cougars to retaliate with four runs in the top of the fourth inning.

Houston went on to add five unanswered runs in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth to seal the opening-day victory 12-4.

On the pitching side, sophomore transfer Matt Varner made his debut as starter. Varner, a native of West Columbia, went four and two-thirds innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits.

Varner tallied three strikeouts and zero walks in the game. 

The Cougars continue their 2004 season when they meet No. 1 Rice at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Reckling Park.

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