CLEARWATER, Fla. –  Tyler Bielamowicz and Connor Hollis each drove in a pair of runs for top-seeded Houston, as the Cougars defeated No. 5-seeded UCF 6-2 in an elimination game on Wednesday afternoon in the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship presented by Visit St. Pete/Clearwater at Robin Roberts Field.
 
Houston (34-22) will advance and awaits its opponent, while UCF (35-21) has been eliminated from the tournament following its second loss.


 
Trey Cumbie and Joey Pulido kept the Knights shutout for the final six innings, allowing only two hits during that span. Cumbie earned his seventh win of the year after striking out four batters through 5.2 innings of work. Pulido struck out five through the last 3.1 innings to earn the save. UCF starter Chris Williams had five strike strikeouts, but gave up five runs and took the loss.
 
The game stayed scoreless through the first two frames before Bielamowicz’s two-run homer gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the third. UCF was quick to respond, using RBI doubles from Rylan Thomas and Matthew Mika in the bottom of the third to bring the game to a 2-2 tie.
 
Houston regained the lead in the fourth inning after Connor Hollis sent a deep two-run RBI double to center field to make it a 4-2 game. Joe Davis followed with his ninth home run of the year in the sixth inning with a solo shot to left center to extend the Cougars’ lead to 5-2. Davis tied the Cougars’ all-time career home run record at 31 and ended the day with two hits. Cooper Coldiron recorded an RBI single in the eighth inning with the bases loaded, as Pulido retired his final six of the seven batters faced. The Cougars own a record of 14-4 in four years playing in Clearwater.
 
Tickets for the championship will be available at Spectrum Field each day of the tournament or may be purchased in advance by calling the box office at 727-467-4457. The latest information on the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship is available on the conference’s Championship Central page at www.TheAmerican.org/Baseball.
 
 
 
 
2018 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
presented by visit st. pete/clearwater
SPECTRUM field • clearwater, fla.
 
UPDATED TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Tuesday, May 22 (American Digital Network)
Game 1 – No. 4 ECU 8, No. 5 UCF 4
Game 2 – No. 8 Tulane 11, No. 1 Houston 6
Wednesday, May 23
at Spectrum Field (American Digital Network)
Game 3 – No. 7 Wichita State 4, No. 2 USF 3
Game 4 – No. 6 Cincinnati (28-26) vs. No. 3 UConn (32-18-1)	1 p.m.
Game 8 – Wichita State (35-19-1) vs. Houston (34-22)	4 p.m.
at Robin Roberts Field (American Digital Network)
Game 5 – Houston 6, UCF 2 (UCF eliminated)
Game 7 – ECU (40-15) vs. Tulane (25-31)	1 p.m.
Game 6 – USF (32-19-1) vs. Loser of Game 4	4 p.m.
TBD (American Digital Network)
Game 9 – Loser of Game 7 vs. Houston	TBD
Game 10 – Loser of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 6	TBD
TBD (American Digital Network)
Game 11 – Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9	TBD
Game 12 – Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10	TBD
Game 13 – Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11 (if necessary)	TBD
Game 14 – Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12 (if necessary)	TBD
Sunday, May 27 (ESPNews)
Game 15 – Semifinal winners	Noon

 
 
all times Eastern