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Houston Cougars Beat East Carolina In Game 3 To Claim The Series Against The Pirates

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Baseball

University of Houston Baseball junior Alex Lopez placed a go-ahead two-out, three-run home run just fair down the left field line as the Cougars overcame a one-run deficit to defeat No. 8 East Carolina, 6-4, while taking 2 of 3 on American Athletic Conference Opening Weekend from Sanders Field at Schroeder Park on Sunday.

The Pirates (20-8, 1-2 American) were one strike away from escaping the jam in the seventh before Lopez's second home run of the season proved to be the winner. Junior Justin Murray locked up his third save behind 2.0 scoreless frames.
 
With the victory, Houston (13-14, 1-1 American) captured its first three-game series win against a Top 10 team since sweeping No. 7 ECU in Greenville, N.C., from April 27-29, 2018.
 
Player Highlights

  • Lopez's (1 for 3) three-run home run was his eighth career homer in two seasons with the Cougars. He has registered at least one hit in 14 of his last 15 games. His three RBIs matched a season high (March 19 at Minnesota).
  • Sophomore Brandon Burckel (2 for 4) pushed his hit streak to five games, raising his average from .224 on March 25 to .286 following today's multi-hit performance.
  • One week removed from his program-recording tying three-home run performance against UTA, junior Zach Arnold (1 for 4) again left the yard with a two-run home run in the fifth. Houston produced just seven hits but four came with runners aboard.
  • Houston southpaw senior starter José Torrealba tossed 2.0 hitless frames before turning it over to the bullpen. The Cougars pitching staff held ECU to six hits including a .118 mark (2 for 17) with runners aboard.

 
Key Innings:
3rd | Burckel jumped on a 2-0 count, walloping a leadoff home run into left field for a 1-0 advantage. The long ball was his second in the last five games and third on the season.
 
5th | Arnold clubbed a two-out, two-run home run, stretching Houston's advantage to 3-0. The third baseman has six home runs on the season.
 
6th | East Carolina countered back with a pair of runs including a leadoff home run from junior Jacob Starling. The Pirates added another with the help of a Houston error as junior Joey Berini sent a two-out, RBI-single into right field, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
 
7th | The Pirates took their first lead of the day thanks to a two-out, two-run double from Luke Nowak in the top half before Lopez played hero in the home half. The Cougars opened the frame with consecutive singles, setting the stage for the junior.
 
UP NEXT
Houston opens its season-long Silver Glove Series when it welcomes cross-town rival Rice to Schroeder Park at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. As part of $2 Tuesday, fans can take advantage of $2 tickets and the box office and $2 hot dogs at concessions. The matchup can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on The Varsity Network.