Box Score
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Game 1 |
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Final Score |
Houston 9, Northeastern 3 (L, Carmain 0-1) |
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Records |
Houston 1-0, Northeastern 0-1 |
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Next Game |
vs. Houston (Houston, Texas • Cougar Field), 7:30 p.m. |
HOUSTON – A two-run first inning for Northeastern (0-1, 0-0 CAA) didn't yield enough momentum for the Huskies as Houston (1-0, 0-0 C-USA) used five runs in the third to catapult to a 9-3 win to start the 2013 season. Junior
Chris Carmain put in four innings of work for the Huskies, striking out three and giving up five runs. The Cougars' Matt Hernandez settled down after the first to collect the win, pitching six innings, striking out five Huskies.
Sophomore
Jason Vosler finished 1-4 for NU, but knocked in a pair of runs and scored a third himself. Senior co-captain
John Puttress, sophomore first baseman
Rob Fonseca and junior outfielder
Connor Lyons all collected two hits apiece for the Huskies in the losing effort.
The Red and Black opened things up with an
Aaron Barbosa single up the middle on a 1-2 count. The junior quickly showed off his speed by stealing second to get into scoring position just a few pitches into the new season. After Puttress went down on three strikes, Vosler connected on a 2-1 pitch, sending a screaming double into left field, allowing Barbosa to score.
Batting clean-up and facing an 0-2 count, Fonseca lined one through the left side of the field, allowing Vosler to advance to third. In his first game at Northeastern, transfer
Brad Burcroff reached on a fielder's choice. With that, Vosler found his way home, putting the Huskies up 2-0.
Carmain, after sitting out 2012 with an injury, started off brilliant, only needing 18 pitches to get through the first six Houston batters in a row. But the Cougars' bats started to swing by the third.
After Justin Montemayor took the first pitch of the third deep for UH's first dent in the scoreboard, Carmain appeared to settle back down. The co-captain fanned Kyle Kirk and forced Ashford Fulmer to line out to right. With two outs, Houston used two hit batters and three more hits to take the lead, 5-2, before all was said and done.
After three Northeastern groundouts, Houston went on to score two in the fourth to extend their lead to 7-2, putting the pressure on the Huskies' bats.
Matt Cook came replaced Carmain following the conclusion of the inning. All told, Cook would pitch three scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the bottom of the eighth.
The fifth and sixth innings rolled by before NU did any more damage. After Barbosa opened the inning up by being hit by a pitch, the junior took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third after a Puttress single. Vosler then earned his second RBI of the evening with a sac fly to right, scoring Barbosa. But that was the end of the Huskies roll.
Houston scored twice on Cook, collecting both runs on three hits. After
Brad McLean replaced Cook with two outs, the freshman threw a wild pitch, but settled down to force Landon Appling to fly out to right to close the inning. The Cougars' Chase Wellbrock closed things out with a 1-2-3 inning, getting NU's top of the order down in nine pitches to claim the first game of the three-game battle, 9-3.
The opening series will resume Saturday with a 7:30 ET start from Cougar Field. The probable matchup will likely feature Northeastern's
Nick Berger and Houston's Austin Pruitt on the mound.
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