CLEARWATER, Fla. – Tournament Most Outstanding Player Jake Scheiner went 4-for-5 with a home run and a double as Houston captured its second American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship with a 6-0 victory against East Carolina Sunday afternoon at Spectrum Field.
Houston (40-19), which last won The American title in 2014, earns the conference’s automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Championship. The Cougars will learn Sunday night if they are selected to host one of the 16 regional sites and will learn their pairings for the tournament Monday. Houston finished tied for first in The American in the regular season and became the first team to claim both the regular-season and tournament titles in the same year.
Scheiner, who was named The American’s Player of the Year last week, continued his remarkable season for the Cougars with tournament Most Outstanding Player honors as he had two singles, a double and his league-leading 17th home run of the season Sunday.
The Cougars scratched out single runs in six straight innings to build a six-run lead after the top of the eighth.
The lead was plenty for Houston starter John King, who scattered seven hits through 6.2 shutout innings in which he struck out one with one walk. King allowed only one extra-base hit and forced 12 ground-ball outs as he improved to 7-1.
East Carolina threatened to get back in it in the bottom of the seventh as the Pirates loaded the bases on a double by pinch-hitter Luke Bolka sandwiched by a walk and a hit batter. Houston coach Todd Whitting went to the bullpen for reliever Joey Pulido, who needed one pitch to get Travis Watkins to pop up to first and strand the three runners.
Scheiner led the Cougars with his 4-for-5 day, while rightfielder Jared Triolo went 3-for-4 and scored three runs. Pulido worked a scoreless 2.1 innings to nail down his second save of the season.
East Carolina (32-28) was led by Eric Tyler, who went 2-for-4. Pitcher Evan Kruczynski took the loss, falling to 4-3 after allowing only two runs with five strikeouts in four innings.