May 3, 2008
Box Score
HOUSTON -
Houston 7, Memphis 4 
Memphis (16-30, 4-12 C-USA) 000 001 021 - 4 8 2
Houston (29-18, 10-7 C-USA) 100 300 03X - 7 12 0
Trailing 7-3 in the top of the ninth, Memphis rallied to load the bases with no outs. However, that rally was limited to just one run as Houston handed the Tigers a 7-4 loss on Saturday evening at Cougar Field. The loss drops Memphis to 16-30 overall, 4-12 in C-USA play. Houston improves to 29-18, 10-7 in league action.
Houston starter John Touchton was solid in his picking up his fourth win of the year. The Cougar right-hander struck out eight and held Memphis to just one run on five hits in seven innings of work. Ty Stuckey fanned two in one inning of scoreless work to pick up his third save of the year.
Memphis starter, Scott McGregor was again the tough-luck loser. He struck out four in seven innings and allowed just two earned runs on nine hits in the contest.
Down by four runs and down to its last three outs, the Tigers staged a rally that was started by an infield single by Chris Newsom. Chris Kirkland and pinch hitter Chase Sain then drew consecutive walks to load the sacks. Stuckey was then brought on and recorded a strikeout before a sacrifice out by Chad Zurcher brought Newsom to make it a 7-4 game. With the tying run at the plate, Stuckey ended the Tigers' hopes of any further rally by striking out the final out of the ballgame.
For the second consecutive night Jimmy Cesario highlighted a critical three-run eighth for the Cougars that put the game out of reach for the Tigers. Zak Presley ignited the inning by slapping a double just inside the leftfield foul line and Chris Wallace followed with a walk. Designated hitter Caleb Ramsey then singled to center to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Presley to score and put Houston on top 5-3. Bryan Pounds then sent a line drive to Zurcher at shortstop. Zurcher made the force out at second, but Wallace scored on the play. Cesario then banged an RBI-single into the rightfield corner to give the Cougars a 7-3 cushion.
Memphis made the game a close one with two scores in the eighth. K.K. Chalmers lined a one-out double to leftfield and then moved into second place on the C-USA all-time stolen base ledger with his 108th stolen base. Zurcher was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. Chalmers scored and Zurcher moved to second on a balk by UH reliever Donnie Joseph. Zurcher came around to make it a one-run game on a single by Trey Wiedman.
Houston got on the board first, plating an unearned run in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Blake Kelso singled to leftfield to lead things off. Two wild pitches later Kelso was standing on third. An infield error allowed him to score the game's first run.
The Cougs made it 4-0 with three runs in the fourth--just one of those runs was earned. Ryan Lormand's double to the leftfield corner got the rally going and Bryan Tully was hit by a McGregor pitch. A double by Wallace plated both runners and Wallace capped the scoring inning when he came in on a ground out by Kelso.
The Tigers ended the shutout bid with a run in the sixth after Zurcher scored on a double off the rightfield wall by Brett Bowen. Zurcher scored two runs in the game.
Memphis's offense was paced by Chalmers and Wiedman, who both had two hits. Houston got two hits from Jake Stewart, Lormand, Wallace and Ramsey. Wallace had two RBI.
The loss was Memphis's fifth straight C-USA defeat, but as has been the case in all five losses, the Tigers have been able to hold on to the seventh-place spot in the C-USA standings as UCF was defeated by Tulane and UAB was swept by East Carolina in a Saturday doubleheader.
The Tigers and Cougars will wrap up the series with the finale on Sunday afternoon. First pitch at Cougar Field is scheduled for Noon. Join "The Voice" of Tiger Baseball, Jeff Brightwell as he calls the live play-by-play action on WUMR 91.7FM. Pre-game begins at 11:15 a.m.
