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Sports

Cougars crushed by Devils

Pitching proves to be a problem for UH

by RONNIE TURNER
The Daily Cougar

No. 23 Arizona rallied Sunday to sweep Houston.

The Cougars struck first with two runs in the first inning, coming from RBI-singles off the bats of third baseman Dustin Kingsbury, and designated catcher Luis Flores. The teams traded runs in the second inning, but UH widened the gap in the top of the third after back-to-back home runs from Kingsbury and first baseman Brad Lincoln upped the Cougars to 5-1. 

ASU cut the deficit to 5-3 with a pair of runs in the fourth, and pulled even with another pair in the sixth. Arizona State tied the game at the bottom of the sixth with two runs, and would put it away in the bottom of the seventh after a solo homer by Preston Paramore.

The Cougars could not come away with a victory in the first two games of the series, falling to the Sun Devils 11-1 on Saturday and losing a close 4-3 decision in the Friday opener. In Saturday's loss, the Cougars stuck close, trailing 1-0 until the sixth inning when the Sun Devils broke out the bats for seven hits and nine runs, the biggest hit coming on a three-run shot from pinch hitter Eric Sogard. 

Lincoln (1-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up six runs (five earned) off seven hits with eight strikeouts in five and a thirds innings of work. UH would break ASU's shutout bid with a run in the eighth inning after pinch hitter Matt Weston hit a two-out RBI-single to center field that drove in Jake Stewart from second.

In Friday's loss, the two teams tied at 3-3 until the bottom of the fifth when ASU's Colin Curtis drove in Ryan Sontag from second base with an RBI-single to center, and the Sun Devils were able to stymie the Cougars for the remainder of the contest to take the win. The Sun Devils led 3-0 after the first three innings but watched their lead vanish in the fourth after UH's Brian Temko blasted a three-run homer. 

UH would come close to breaking the game open in the eighth inning after loading the bases, but ASU reliever Zechery Zinicola struck out pinch hitter Tom Williams to eliminate the threat. UH starter Matt Farrington (0-2) took the loss after allowing four runs off six hits with two strikeouts in four innings.

UH will face Northwestern State at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cougar Field.
 

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