Errors Costly in Memphis' 8-5 Loss in Series Finale to Houston

Sunday, April 19

Millington, Tenn. (USA Stadium)

1:00 PM

University of Memphis

17-22, 4-8

Houston

17-21, 7-5

Houston

Memphis

Brett Bowen hit his team-leading seventh home run on Sunday.

Errors Costly in Memphis' 8-5 Loss in Series Finale to Houston

Apr 19, 2009 | Baseball

Box Score

April 19, 2009

Box Score

MILLINGTON, Tenn. -

Houston 8, Memphis 5

Houston (17-21, 7-5 C-USA)   401 000 030 - 8 10 1
Memphis (17-22, 4-8 C-USA)   011 101 010 - 5  9 3

Houston took advantage of two Memphis errors to score three runs in the eighth inning en route to handing the Tigers an 8-5 defeat in the series finale Sunday afternoon at USA Stadium.

Memphis, who has not won a Conference USA Sunday game since a comeback versus UAB on March 23, 2008, drops to 17-22 on the year and 4-8 in C-USA play. Houston improves to 17-21, 7-5 in league action.

The Tiger pitching staff had held the Cougars to two runs in the first 18 innings of the series, but UH came out swinging and struck for four runs in the opening inning. Taylor White set the tone for the day, when he led off the game with a groundball to Tiger first baseman Heith Hatfield. White outraced Hatfield to first for an infield single. Blake Kelso and Caleb Ramsey both followed with singles to put the Cougars on the board 1-0. Houston DH Chase Dempsay then made it 4-0 with a three-run blast off the scoreboard in leftfield.

Memphis fought back with an RBI-single by Hatfield in the second, and a solo home run by Adam McClain in the third to make it 5-2. McClain went 2-for-4 to extend his hit streak to a career-long 14 games.

Trailing by three runs, Memphis starter Brach Davis settled in and dominated the middle innings of the ballgame. Davis sat down the last Cougar he faced in the third, and then retired Houston in order in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. The southpaw retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced in the game.

While Davis kept Memphis within striking distance, the offense got RBI singles from Drew Martinez in the fourth and sixth innings to close the Houston lead to one run at 5-4.

Reliever Garrett Hachtel came on for Davis and got his first two batters out. But the Tiger defense then broke down with infield errors on the next two batters and Hachtel was lifted from the game in favor of Ryan Holland. William Kankel greeted Holland rudely, bouncing a two-run double down the leftfield line to give the Cougars a 7-4 cushion. Zak Presley secured Houston's series win with an RBI-single up the middle.

Memphis answered with a solo homer by Brett Bowen for the 8-5 final.

Davis was the loser despite giving the Tigers seven strong innings. He gave up five runs on seven hits and struck out six. Houston starter Wes Musick was the winner after scattering eight hits and striking out five in 6.1 innings. The Cougar lefty gave up four runs, before handing the ball to Dempsay. Dempsay gave up a run on one hit in an inning of relief. Donnie Joseph held Memphis hitless in 1.2 innings to earn his second save of the series and sixth of the year.

The U of M nine-hit offensive attack was paced by two-hit efforts by Tyler Huelsing, Martinez and McClain. Martinez had two RBI, while Huelsing scored twice.

Memphis will now hit the road for the next eight games. That road trip begins on Tues., April 21, when the Tigers travel to Murray, Ky., for a 3 p.m. contest versus Murray State.