HOUSTON – HBU pounded out 17 hits and four pitchers combined on a shutout as the Huskies hammered Prairie View A&M, 15-0, to finish the sweep of a three-game series Sunday afternoon at Husky Field.
Senior rightfielder
Thomas Clay went 4-for-5 with a double, four runs and a pair of stolen bases for the Huskies (3-0), while junior shortstop
Louie Payetta went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and three runs. Senior centerfielder
Zach Nehrir was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run, and junior designated hitter
Austin Saenz went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Senior third baseman
Curtis Jones went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs, while his brother, freshman first baseman
Carey Jones, hit his first career home run and drove in three. Junior infielder
David Bloodworth doubled, drove in a run and scored one.
Senior lefthander
Brandon Hammerly (1-0) did not allow a run, while scattering six hits, striking out five and walking one in six innings. Seniors
Josh Martinez and
Ross Kennell and junior
Dylan Zarosky each worked an inning of scoreless relief.
Connor Wrye and Angel Avalos each went 2-for-3 for the Panthers (0-3). Charles Philpott (0-1) took the loss, giving up six runs, five earned, on seven hits in 4.1 innings. Edward Robledo gave up three earned runs in 1.1 innings, and Jordan Foster allowed five runs, one earned, in two innings.
HBU scored a run in the first as Clay led off with a single, stole second and scored on an RBI: single by
Curtis Jones. The Huskies scored another single run in the fourth as senior catcher
Samm Wiggins reached on an error and Saenz later drove him in with single to make the score 2-0.
The Panthers threatened with three hits in the fifth, but Kevin Lahaie was thrown out at the plate by Clay on a single by Kevin Macias, then Derrien Williams was caught stealing home for the third out. The Huskies responded to the threat by breaking the game open with five runs in the bottom of the frame. Payetta drove in a run with a scorching line drive off the glove of the first baseman, Clay scored on a wild pitch, Nehrir delivered a two-run double down the third base line, and Saenz capped the inning with another RBI single.
HBU added two in the sixth on an RBI double by Payetta, followed by an RBI single from
Curtis Jones.
In the eighth, freshman catcher
Zac Garcia drove in a run, junior outfielder
Josh Leonhardt had a sacrifice fly and Bloodworth had an RBI double.
Carey Jones capped the six-run inning and the scoring for the game with a three-run blast to left to put the Huskies ahead, 15-0.
The Huskies return to action when they head across town to face No. 13 Rice Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Reckling Park.
