March 21, 2008

Final Stats

Houston-East Carolina Game Book (March 21, 2008) in PDF Format

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The University of Houston baseball team scored at least one run in each of the first five innings and never looked back in taking a 14-2 win over No. 23 East Carolina on Friday during the opener of a Conference USA series Friday at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

The Cougars jumped ahead with a single run in the first inning, added three in the second, one in the third and broke the game open with three runs in the fourth and the fifth innings. It was the most runs scored by the Cougars and the team's biggest win over East Carolina in the seven-year history of the series.

All but two Cougar starters recorded at least two hits in the game. Senior first baseman Bryan Pounds went 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to a career-best 19 straight games - the sixth-longest in school history - and lead a Cougar offense which pounded out 16 hits, including seven for extra bases.

Senior outfielder Jake Stewart went 3-for-5 with a triple, two runs and two RBIs, while junior third baseman Jimmy Cesario continued his recent torrid hitting, going 3-for-5 with a double, stolen base, two runs and two RBIs. Freshman shortstop Blake Kelso went 2-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI, while senior second baseman Ryan Lormand batted 2-for-5 with a run, double, triple, stolen base and four RBIs.

Junior DH Felix Fanaselle went 2-for-3 with three runs, a stolen base and an RBI, and sophomore centerfielder Zak Presley batted 2-for-4 with two runs, a stolen base and RBI.

Meanwhile, sophomore southpaw Wes Musick remained steady, holding the Pirates to only two runs off six hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 6.1 innings. The Lufkin native, who improved to 5-0, limited a Pirate offense - which was batting .327 with 26 home runs heading into Friday's game - scoreless with only six hits through the first six innings as the Cougar offense built an 11-0 lead.

Freshman reliever Chase Dempsay came into the game in the seventh inning and halted any ECU rally, striking out five of the nine batters he faced to end the game.

ECU starter T.J. Hose collected the loss and fell to 1-2 after giving up four runs off five hits and two walks with two strikeouts in two innings.

No ECU hitter managed more than one hit in the game.

The series continues at 2 p.m. (CDT), Saturday before wrapping up at 10 a.m. (CDT), Sunday. Fans can hear Cougar Baseball games live at UHCougars.com by clicking the appropriate links. Jeremy Branham will call the play-by-play action while former letterwinner Pat Cauley provides color analysis.

Fans always can follow live stats by clicking on the Gametracker link.

The Cougars (13-6, 1-0 C-USA) put their first mark on the scoreboard in the first inning. Stewart lined a double to right center and came around to score when Cesario followed with a double down the right-field line.

One inning later, the Cougars seized control with three runs off three hits. After the Cougars loaded the bases, Stewart was hit by a pitch to force in Fanaselle and although hitting into a fielder's choice to third base, Pounds beat out the double-play attempt to score Presley. Cesario then slapped an RBI-single through the left side to plate Kelso for a 4-0 UH lead.

In the third inning, Fanaselle was hit by a pitch, moved into scoring position after stealing score and advanced to third on an errant throw from ECU catcher Corey Kemp. Presley then laid a bunt-single down the first-base line to score Fanaselle for a 5-0 Cougar advantage.

The Cougars broke the game open with three runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings. After a Stewart single, Pounds sacrifice bunt and Cesario single put runners on the corners, Lormand cleared the bases with a two-run triple to right center. Two batters later, Fanaselle reached on an infield single to first base that scored Lormand.

In the fifth inning, Kelso smashed a one-out double to left center and came around to score on Pounds' RBI-single. After Cesario reached on an ECU error, Lormand again cleared the bases with a two-out, two run double down the left-field line.

East Carolina (14-5, 0-1 C-USA) put its first mark on the scoreboard in the seventh inning when Drew Schieber led off with a home run to left center and Ryan Woods' groundout scored Jamie Ray.

But the Cougars responded with three more runs in the next half-inning to cap the scoring for the night. With runners on the corner and one out, Fanaselle scored on the Pirates' third error of the night. Kelso then ripped an RBI-double down the left-field line and Stewart followed with a triple to left field to score Kelso.