Junior pitcher Jaxon Jelkin throws a pitch against Texas State in the College Classic at Minute Maid park earlier this month. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

The UH baseball team defeated the Lamar Cardinals 6-4 on Tuesday night at Schroeder Park.

After the Cardinals put a run on the board at the top of the 1st, senior infielder Harold Coll singled up the middle to send junior catcher Kenneth Jimenez home. Later in the inning the Cougars took a 2-1 lead thanks to a flyout to the infield by senior outfielder Tre Jones that drove senior utility player Justin Murray to home plate. 

Lamar would go on a run at the beginning of the fourth, bringing three runners across home plate to take a 4-2 lead. At the bottom of the inning the Cougars capitalized on the Cardinals’ mistakes and answered with three more runs of their own putting them up one. 

In the bottom of the seventh inning junior outfielder Cameron Nickens drove Tre Jones home with a single through the left side, which would be the Cougars’ final point.

Houston hopes to maintain its momentum going into a three-game series that it will play in Fort Worth, Texas from Thursday through Saturday against TCU.

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“UH baseball narrowly takes down Lamar at home” was originally posted on The Cougar

Graduate Sydni Townsend lands top 10 in the world and first in the nation with a 57.17 finish in women’s 400m hurdles.  | Courtesy of Juan Deleon UH Athletics.

The UH track and field team competed at the Victor Lopez Classic this weekend at Rice University. Houston walked away with 10 first-place finishes, and an additional seven Coogs finished on the podium.

Freshman Cordell Nwokeji won the shot put to start the competition, hitting a personal best of 18.27 meters, the tenth-best throw in the nation.

With a throw of 56.46 meters, junior Kevin Grubbs won the men’s discus.

Freshman Paris Kimblet placed third in the women’s shot put with a personal best throw of 14.26 meters.

Senior Caleb Malbrough finished first in the men’s long jump with a jump of 7.41 meters while junior My’Kell Beck, won the men’s high jump competition with a clearance of 2.10 meters.

Houston’s 4×100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Nicholas Byrd and King Micah Scales, senior Ireon Brown and sophomore Jaden Brown finished first with a time of 39.94 to kick off the running events.

In her first outdoor race as a Cougar, junior Miracle Thompson won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 13.61. Junior Trey East III, won on the men’s side with a timing of 46.23.

Graduate Kelly-Ann Beckford won the women’s 400 meters with a time of 52.79 for the seventh-fastest time in outdoor Houston history and the ninth-best time in the nation.

The Cougars finished with a top-10 finish in the world for the second time this season. Graduate Sydni Townsend achieved the feat with her first-place finish in the women’s 400-meter hurdles at 57.17. The time marked the best in the nation.

In the men’s 400-meter hurdles, junior Dillon Leacock crossed the finish line in a personal record-breaking 51.33 seconds to win the event.

Freshman Michaela Mouton rounded out the historic meet with a first-place 23.35 finish in the 200-meter dash.

Houston will head to Austin, Texas to participate in the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays starting Wednesday.

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“Multiple Houston track and field athletes finish in national rankings in Victor Lopez Classic” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH captures six first-place finishes at the Kirk Baptiste Invitational over the weekend. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

The UH track and field team dominated at the Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational at the Carl Lewis International Complex and captured six first-place finishes. Houston also won the 4×200 relay at the TSU Relays.

Freshman runners Nicholas Byrd, King Micah Scales and Joshua Sims-Waddy led by junior Trey East III took the victory in the 4×200 relay as the only Cougars to compete at the TSU Relays.

At the Kirk Baptiste Invitational, freshmen Aaron Crittenden and Michaela Mouton established two meet records.

In the field events, the Cougars claimed first place six times. In the hammer throw, graduate Ethan Marshall won Houston’s first gold of the day with a personal best of 64.94 meters. With a throw of 54.51 meters, sophomore Zaeda Houff finished second in the women’s hammer throw. 

With a javelin throw of 39.96 meters, freshman Paris Kimble won her first outdoor collegiate championship. Graduate Izac Canchola won the men’s javelin throw with a personal best of 70.08. 

In the men’s high jump, freshman Antrea Mita won the event with a leap of 2.10 meters, while junior My’Kell Beck finished second with a jump of 2.00 meters.

Graduate Destiny Lawrence finished in first place in the women’s triple jump to go along with senior David Ajama on the men’s side.

The Cougars look to carry their momentum as they head to Rice for the Victor Lopez Classic, which will be from Thursday through Saturday.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“UH runners show out at Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH softball grabbed its first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked team when it defeated Texas over the weekend. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

The UH softball team completed its weekend series with No. 1 Texas having knocked down the country’s top team in one of three matchups, marking the first time in program history the Cougars have defeated a top-ranked team.

Game 1 

Houston started the game off fast as junior infielder Lair Beautae gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the first inning by hitting a bomb over the left-center field fence.

In the following at-bat, graduate catcher Kennedy Thomas doubled and graduate infielder Jazmyn Rollin delivered her first home run of the contest to right-center. Junior Turiya Coleman would go on to give the Cougars a 4-0 lead after bombing a home run to end the first inning scoring for the Cougars.

The Longhorns would jab back at the Cougars scoring five runs in the third and two runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-4 lead.

However, the Cougars weren’t going down without a fight. 

Senior outfielder Amanda Carden scored a run and kept the bases loaded. Beautae scored her second run of the game when she singled home junior outfielder Ja’Naiya Thomas. Kennedy Thomas then reached after another Longhorn error allowing Carden and sophomore Mandy Esman to score. Rollin would put the Cougars up four by emptying the bases with a three-run home bomb to left center. Graduate Shelby Smith would single through the left side to bring home graduate Bree Cantu, giving the Cougars a demanding 12-7 lead.

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Paris Lehman was not going to allow Texas to cut their deficit in the seventh inning despite their best efforts resulting in three runs scored in the sixth. Lehman would complete the remarkable inaugural Big 12 victory for the Cougars by striking out the Longhorns to take the first game of the series.

Game 2

Texas started off on a roll, taking a 1-0 lead thanks to a leadoff double from Texas freshman Kayden Henry, who also stole third base and scored after a throwing error.

After a flyout, the next two hitters reached base and moved to third and Texas junior Mia Scott scored from a single by Katie Cimusz. After the first, Texas led by five runs when they concluded the inning with a three-run home drive.

In the third, Houston loaded the bases thanks to two singles and a walk. Coleman forced a home run on a hit-by-pitch and Smith’s single would cut the margin to three. 

Texas Senior Alyssa Washington hit a two-run home run in the seventh to give the Longhorns a 9-2 lead and seal the rebound victory for Texas.

Game 3

The Cougars got in on the board first after junior outfielder Ja’Naiya Thomas flew out to infield to send Cantu home, giving Houston a 1-0 lead to conclude the second inning.

Texas responded right back in the third inning by tallying two points of their own. In the bottom of the third, Beautae homered a bomb to left center evening out the score to 2 apiece.

The Longhorns went on a run, scoring three in the fifth and one in the fourth inning. Smith hit a single in the bottom of the sixth, and Coleman and freshman outfielder Jordee Wilkins scored on errors to reduce the lead to two. Graduate outfielder Katy Repa was sent home as sophomore infielder Esman doubled to left center. Esman would come home to finish the Cougars’ four-point inning and tie the game at six.

The Longhorns responded with two runs at the top of the ninth to win 8–6, as Houston was unable to rally. 

The series marked Houston softball’s first three in-conference games as members of the Big 12, ending 1-2 and dropping its overall record to 17-7 despite the game one victory. Next up the Cougars will travel to Ames, Iowa to take on Iowa State in a weekend series.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Cougars steal one from No. 1 Texas in weekend series” was originally posted on The Cougar

The UH baseball team lost a second consecutive game on Tuesday night, this time succumbing to a late comeback from UTSA. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

The UH baseball team dropped to UTSA 8-7 in a standalone matchup at Schroeder Park on Tuesday.

The Cougars got off to a fast start after a two-run homer from Senior infielder Harold Coll to put the Cougars up 2-0. 

At the top of the third UTSA hit a home run to tie the game 2-2. 

In the bottom of the third senior infielder Jake Rainess made it home to put the Cougars up 3-2. Senior utility player Justin Murray would go on to score on a UTSA error to raise the Houston lead to 4-2.

Murray and freshman infielder Ace Reece each drove in two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the Cougars ahead 7-2.

At the top of the sixth UTSA miraculously hit three consecutive home runs to cut the lead to 7-5.

UTSA would not stop after its sixth inning run, scoring three more runs in the following inning. Caleb Hill hit an RBI single to trim the lead down to one before Matt King chipped in an RBI triple to level the score out at 7-7. UTSA would continue its run as Lorenzo Morresi reached home base after a Houston error to give the Roadrunners their first lead of the game. 

The Cougars would not score again for the remainder of the game as UTSA would go on to win 8-7.

Houston looks to bounce back on Friday as it hosts Texas State at Schroeder Park.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“UH baseball succumbs to late comeback against UTSA” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH scored a whopping 27 runs on Prairie View A&M Tuesday night. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

UH baseball finished victorious against Prairie View 27-1 in a dominating fashion with the most runs by UH scored since 1993 and the most at Schroeder Park.

In the first inning, after senior utility player Alex Lopez’s hit, senior infielder Jake Rainess scored to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead early in the game. After being walked on four pitches, Lopez would score. Junior outfielder Cameron Nickens would score for Houston shortly after with an RBI single to put the Cougars up 4-0.

Houston would extend their lead with a two-run double for senior infielder Harold Coll, which drove freshman infielder Ace Reese and Nickens home and gave the Cougars two more points. Houston would add three more points thanks to an RBI single from Thomas Lyssy. Lyssy would score on the game’s first home run, hit by Jonathan French, increasing the margin to nine. 

The Cougars would boost the score up to 11-0 when French and Rainess were hit with runners on base in the second inning. Senior outfielder Tre Jones would hit a grand slam to put up 16-0 to cap off the seven-run second inning for Houston.

French would hit his second home run of the day in the third inning and sophomore Kenneth Jimenez scored off of Rainess’ RBI double (18-0) in the fourth inning. Rainess would hit a double to punch in a run to go along with three more runs in the sixth inning to put Houston up 21-0.

The Cougars pitchers would go on to hold the Panthers to three hits the entire game and finish with a final of 27-1.

The Cougars will host St. Johns in series play this weekend, starting on Friday at Schroeder Park.

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Cougars set Schroeder Park record with 27 runs against Prairie View A&M” was originally posted on The Cougar

UH tennis falls short against UTGRV and Louisiana Tech dropping them to 1-3 on the season. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

UH Tennis fell to both UTRGV and Louisiana Tech, losing 4-3 and 4-2 respectively.

The meeting with UTRGV on Friday afternoon came down to the final match.

The Cougars started fast, earning a sweep in doubles play to put the Cougars ahead heading into singles.

All three Cougar duos won with sophomores Sophia Schouten and Sonya Kovalenko getting things started winning 6-1. The duo consisting of junior Maria Dzemeshkevich and senior Laura Slisane won 6-3. Blanca Cortijo Parreno and sophomore Gabriela Cortes won 6-2.

Both teams traded punches at each other during singles play before the Bulldogs emerged victorious in the final match.

Dzemeshkevich put points of her own on the board in a dominant fashion, with a 6-1,6-2 win to put the Cougars up 2-0.

Schouten continued her undefeated streak with a 6-4, 5-4 win.

Houston did everything it could to hold off the Vaqueros but landed in a 3-3 tie.

Kovalenko fell in the Cougar’s final singles match in a heartbreaker losing 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4).

On Monday, the UH tennis team returned to face off against Louisiana Tech looking, to improve to 2-2 on the year.
UH started the match off 2-1 in doubles, earning Houston the first point.

A 6-3 win for Schouten and Kovalenko and a 6-2 win for Cortes and Cortijo Parreno secured the lead.

In singles, Louisiana State took a 3-1 lead with two wins to start single play.

Cortes put the only singles point on the board for the Cougars with a 6-3,6-4 win.

UH drops to 1-3 and will face UTSA and UT Arlington at home on Feb. 23 and 24

sports@thedailycougar.com

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“Houston tennis drops a pair against UTRGV and Louisiana Tech” was originally posted on The Cougar