After taking leads twice versus Arizona on Thursday night, Houston scored five in the sixth inning and five in the seventh in a 13-4 win. Six players for Houston had multiple hits and five Cougars scored twice in the convincing victory. Easton Breyfogle was the only player for Arizona with multiple hits.
A Connor McGinnis triple gave Houston a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Arizona answered with a two-run triple by Breyfogle to give them a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. A run-scoring double by McGinnis tied the game and an RBI groundout by Malachi Lott put Houston back in front 3-2.
Arizona continued the early lead changes with a two-run HR by Garen Caulfield to regain the lead 4-3. The Arizona lead held until the five-run Houston sixth inning. Houston took the lead permanently on Thursday night with a two-run single by Tyler Cox to put the Cougars ahead 5-4.
Eight of the nine Houston starters on Thursday night had a hit or scored a run. Houston's relievers pitched five innings, allowing one hit with no walks and five strikeouts to preserve the win. Four of the five Arizona pitchers on Thursday night allowed runs.
Houston leadoff hitter Tre Broussard had three hits in five at-bats with two runs scored and four runs batted in. Cox and McGinnis also drove in three runs. Houston had a season-high 16 hits and their 13 runs tied their program high in the Big XII.
Raul Garayzar will get his fourth start of the season on Friday versus Alex Solis for Houston, with first pitch at 4:30 PM Mountain Standard Time. Freshman Smith Bailey will start for Arizona on Saturday with first pitch at 11:00 AM MST as they finish the regular season at Houston before the Big XII Tournament next week.