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CLEARWATER, Fla. – Houston pitcher Andrew Lantrip struck out 10 batters in seven innings as the top-seeded Cougars took a 7-3 win against USF to remain unbeaten in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Thursday at Bright House Field.
Houston, which has won its first two games of the double-elimination tournament, becomes the first team to reach Saturday’s semifinal round. The Cougars will face the winner of Friday’s elimination game between USF and Memphis, which have one loss each.
Lantrip scattered five hits and three walks before leaving with a 7-1 lead in the seventh. He registered four 1-2-3 innings and reached double figures in strikeouts for the sixth time in improving to 8-3 on the year.
Houston gained a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning on a two-run double down the leftfield line by Corey Julks. But the Bulls got one back in the bottom of the inning when Austin Lueck reached on a one-out base hit to leftfield, took third on Kyle Teaf’s base hit to right and scored on a hard grounder back to the pitcher by Kevin Merrell.
The Cougars broke it open with four runs in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of three USF errors and a wild pitch. Ashford Fulmer’s base hit to left brought home Ian Rice, who had reached on a leadoff grounder that was misplayed in the infield and outfield. Fulmer came home on a wild pitch, and Jacob Campbell delivered a two-run double right-center to make it 6-1.
Fulmer made it 7-1 when his one-out sacrifice fly to left allowed Connor Wong to score from third. USF closed to within four in the bottom of the eighth on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Lueck and Teaf, and the Bulls were able to get the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth when a hit batsman, a walk and a fielding error loaded the bases. But reliever Aaron Fletcher got Andres Leal on a grounder to second to end the game.
Wong was the only Houston player to finish with multiple hits as he went 2-for-5. Campbell, Julks and Fulmer had two RBIs each for the Cougars, who improved to 41-17 with the win.
USF starting pitcher Ryan Valdes worked six innings and allowed two runs on three hits with seven strikeouts, but fell to 5-3 with the loss. The Bulls fell to 33-23-1.
The latest information on the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship is available on the conference’s Championship Central page at
www.TheAmerican.org/Baseball.
2015 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
bright house field • clearwater, fla.
Tuesday, May 19
Game 1 – No. 4 USF 10, No. 5 Memphis 6
Game 2 – No. 1 Houston 8, No. 8 Cincinnati 4
Wednesday, May 20
Game 3 – No. 2 East Carolina 4, No. 7 UCF 3
Game 4 – No. 3 Tulane 3, No. 6 UConn 1
Game 5 – Memphis 14, Cincinnati 9 (Cincinnati eliminated)
Thursday, May 21 (American Digital Network)
Game 6 – UConn 4, UCF 3 (11 innings) (UCF eliminated)
Game 7 – Houston 7, USF 3
Game 8 – East Carolina (37-20) vs. Tulane (34-21) 7 p.m.
Friday, May 22 (American Digital Network)
Game 9 – USF (33-23-1) vs. Memphis (36-20) 11 a.m.
Game 10 – Loser of Game 8 vs. UConn (34-24) 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 23 (American Digital Network)
Game 11 – Houston (41-17) vs. Winner of Game 9 10 a.m.
Game 12 – Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10 1 p.m.
Game 13 – Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 4:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Game14 – Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 7:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Sunday, May 24 (ESPNU)
Game 15 – Semifinal winners Noon
all times Eastern