Houston Baseball defeated No. 15 West Virginia, 10-7, at Kendrick Family Ballpark on Friday night, April 17. The win marks Houston’s third victory over a ranked opponent this season.
The result is significant for the Cougars as they continue to build momentum in their season and improve their record against highly ranked teams.
Sophomore Kendall Hoffman earned the win for Houston in his first Friday start of the year, pitching six and two-thirds innings and allowing four earned runs on six hits. Hoffman has now collected two wins against currently ranked teams this season. Dawson Montesa took the loss for West Virginia after giving up five runs—four earned—on seven hits and two walks.
Blake Fields led Houston offensively with his first career home run, going two-for-five with a double, four runs batted in, and one run scored. Riley Jackson contributed by going two-for-four with a double and three runs batted in. Cade Climie added a home run of his own along with two RBIs.
Under Head Coach Todd Whitting, Houston has now won 70 games against ranked opponents. This is the seventh season that the team has secured at least three victories over such teams. Senior Cade Climie extended his streak of reaching base safely to ten consecutive games and recorded his fortieth career game with multiple RBIs.
Houston struck early in the third inning when Tyler Cox doubled and later scored on Xavier Perez’s single to left field. The Cougars continued to add runs throughout the game, including key contributions from Jackson and Fields during later innings.
West Virginia attempted a comeback late in the game but was held off by junior Richie Roman who closed out the ninth inning for Houston.
Looking ahead, Houston will continue its series against West Virginia on Saturday morning before concluding Sunday afternoon.
