The UTRGV baseball team earned a series victory over the Houston Cougars for the first time in 32 years by winning the rubber game 1-0 on Sunday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg.
The last series victory over Houston was March 2-3, 1991, when UTRGV swept a two-game series 2-0 and 3-2 at Jody Ramsey Stadium.
Senior Colten Davis (2-0) was dominant for the Vaqueros (8-3), racking up a career-high nine strikeouts in a career-high tying 7.0 scoreless innings of four-hit, walk-free ball. All the hits were singles.
The Cougars (4-7) threatened in the second, putting two on with one out, but Davis responded by retiring the next 14 batters he faced. The Cougars then put runners at second and third with one out in the seventh, but Davis responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat and punctuate his outing.
Davis threw 64 of his 80 pitches for strikes (80%).
The Vaqueros scored their run in the third. Senior Zerek Saenz led off with a single and sophomore Vela alum Isaac Lopez followed with a walk. After a fielder’s choice put runners on the corners, graduate student Brandon Pimentel hit into a fielder’s choice to bring home Saenz.
That was it against Cougars starters Malachi Lott (0-2), who pitched 5.0 innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out one.
Reigning D1Baseball National Pitcher of the Week and junior Angelo Cabral came on in relief in the eighth striking out four in two hitless innings for his first career save.
UTRGV visits Rice at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on CUSATV.