Memphis Bounces Back with 10-8 Win over No. 11 Houston

Friday, April 14

Memphis, Tenn.

6:30 PM

University of Memphis

21-14, 3-5

Houston

24-10, 5-3

Houston

Memphis

Photo by: Michael Gardner

Memphis Bounces Back with 10-8 Win over No. 11 Houston

Apr 14, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

Tigers score three in the eight to win it

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis scored three runs in the eighth inning to break up a 7-7 tie and then held on for a 10-8 win over No. 11 Houston Friday night at FedExPark. The Tigers (21-14, 3-5 AAC) snapped a season-long five-game losing streak and set up an exciting rubber match against the Cougars Saturday at noon.

Memphis closer Colton Hathcock pitched a season-high tying three innings in relief to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed two runs on three hits and two walks. Hathcock struck out five batters in his three innings pitched.

Memphis and Houston traded solo home runs in the early innings. Trent Turner hit the solo blast for the Tigers in the bottom of the second and Houston countered in the top of the third.

The Tigers blew the game open with a six-run fourth inning off of Houston starter Mitch Ullom.

With one out Alec Trela singled, before Andy Bowman blasted a two-run homer to center field to put Memphis back in front of Houston. The Tigers kept it going as Turner singled before Zach Schritenthal was hit by a pitch. The Tiger duo executed a double steal to get into scoring position and Jason Santana delivered with a two-run single to left field.

After the second out, the Tigers took advantage of a little luck to extend the lead. Tyler Webb popped a ball to left field that was lost in the lights and fell in for an RBI double.

The Cougars followed that up with a pitching change and Brandon Grudzielanek greeted the reliever with an RBI single to make the score 7-1.

Houston answered right back with four runs off of Tigers starter Drew Crosby in the top of the fifth. The Cougars then plated one more in the sixth off of reliever Jonathan Bowlan to trim the Memphis lead all the way down to 7-6.

Memphis head coach Daron Schoenrock made the decision to bring in Hathcock in the seventh inning. The junior right-hander pitched a scoreless seventh inning but the Cougars tied it up 7-7 in the eighth after a lead-off walk came around to score.

The Tigers regained the lead with a three-run eighth inning. The go-ahead run was driven in on a pinch-hit RBI single by Kyle O'Keefe. With two outs the Tigers tacked on two more runs one a bloop single by Brandon Grudzielanek.

Grudzielanek, Turner and Santana all had multiple-hit games. Grudzielanek was 2-for-5 with three RBI, Turner was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and Santana was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.