CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
BOX SCORE
HIGHLIGHTS
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Houston pitchers Andrew Lantrip and Tyler Ford combined to work a five-hit shutout to lead the third-seeded Cougars to a 3-0 win against No. 6-seeded Temple in the second game of the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Wednesday at Bright House Field.
Houston (42-14) improved to 1-0 in the pool play round of the tournament, while Temple (14-31) fell to 0-1. The eight qualifying teams are paired into four-team divisions. Each team plays the other three in its division, before the two division winners meet Sunday in the championship game.
The Cougars scratched single runs across in the first, second and fifth innings to provide plenty of support for a pitching staff that entered the game with the nation’s leading earned-run average (2.04). Lantrip, who was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Tuesday, allowed just two hits and struck out seven with two walks in 5.2 innings to get the win, improving to 6-0, while Ford allowed three hits and had two Ks to register his fourth save of the year.
Temple starter Matt Hockenberry was strong in his own right, as he worked eight complete innings, allowing eight hits with six strikeouts. All three Houston runs were unearned.
Houston scored its runs by taking advantage of four Temple errors on the day. The Cougars got on the board in the first inning after the Owls couldn’t handle Casey Grayson’s hard chopper to shortstop, putting runners at the corners, and designated hitter Justin Montemayor followed with a base hit to left-center to bring Michael Pyeatt home from third.
The Cougars struck with two out in the bottom of the second to take a 2-0 lead. Josh Vidales reached on an infield hit, stole second, and took third on an errant throw from the catcher to set the table for Kyle Survance. Survance drove a base hit up the middle to bring Vidales home and give Houston a two-run lead.
Vidales scored Houston’s third run after he led off the bottom of the fifth with a base hit to center, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and took third on a grounder to second base. Pyeatt hit a slow roller to shortstop that was misplayed for an error, allowing Vidales to score to give Houston a 3-0 lead.
Temple threatened in the top of the seventh, getting two men on against Lantrip. But the Cougars turned to Ford, who got out the inning on his first pitch, getting a popup to second from Michael D’Acunti. The Owls then loaded the bases in the top of the seventh on a leadoff double by Robert Amaro, a base hit by Jimmy Kerrigan and a walk from Daniel Dragos. But Ford struck out Frank D’Agostino for the first out and Cougar third baseman Connor Hollis turned a hard grounder down the line into an inning-ending double play.
Vidales went 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Cougars, who face No. 7-seeded UConn Thursday at 11 a.m. ET. Temple continues play Thursday against No. 2-seeded UCF at 7 p.m.
2014 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Bright House Field • Clearwater, Fla.
Tournament
Pool A Record
No. 1 Louisville 0-0
No. 4 Rutgers 0-0
No. 5 USF 0-0
No. 8 Memphis 0-0
Tournament
Pool B Record
No. 2 UCF 1-0
No. 3 Houston 1-0
No. 6 Temple 0-1
No. 7 UConn 0-1
Wednesday, May 21 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
UCF 7, UConn 1
Houston 3, Temple 0
No. 5 USF (26-29) vs. No. 4 Rutgers (29-23) 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 22 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 3 Houston (42-14) vs. No. 7 UConn (26-30) 11 a.m.
No. 8 Memphis (28-28) vs. No. 1 Louisville (43-13) 3 p.m.
No. 2 UCF (35-22) vs. No. 6 Temple (14-31) 7 p.m.
Friday, May 23 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 4 Rutgers vs. No. 8 Memphis 11 a.m.
No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 5 USF 3 p.m.
No. 3 Houston vs. No. 2 UCF 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 – Pool Play (American Digital Network)
No. 7 UConn vs. No. 6 Temple 11 a.m.
No. 4 Rutgers vs. No. 1 Louisville 3 p.m.
No. 8 Memphis vs. No. 5 USF 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 25 – Final (ESPNU)
Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner Noon
all times Eastern