HOUSTON — Less than an hour after being honored on Senior Weekend, senior right-hander Harrison Boushele delivered the kind of outing that defined his night. Boushele came on in relief and worked the final five innings, allowing just two hits and no runs as Houston edged No. 22 Arizona State 5-3 at Schroeder Park on Friday. The performance improved Boushele to 2-1 on the season and came against a Sun Devils lineup that entered the weekend averaging 11.4 hits per game.
Arizona State struck first and early, opening the contest with back-to-back home runs that gave the visitors a 2-0 lead after two batters. The Sun Devils added another run in the top of the third to push their advantage to 3-0, but Houston responded in the bottom half of that inning to erase the deficit.
Freshman Blake Fields drew a leadoff walk in the third inning and senior Tyler Cox followed with a run-scoring single to bring Fields home. An infield single from junior Tre Broussard plated Cox, and Cade Climie then delivered a double to the gap that brought home the tying run, knotting the game at 3-3 after three innings.
Houston No. 11 drives a pitch during the Cougars' 5-3 win over No. 22 Arizona State.
After three scoreless innings by both clubs, the game’s momentum shifted in the seventh. Fields broke the stalemate with a leadoff home run to start the bottom of the seventh, and Houston added another run moments later when junior Riley Jackson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, producing a two-run cushion. That margin held as Boushele blanked the Sun Devils over the final frames, then sat Arizona State down in order in the ninth to secure the victory for the Cougars.
Offensively, Houston totaled eight hits in the game and finished with five runs, while Arizona State had seven hits and three runs with one error. Individual contributions for the Cougars included Cade Climie going 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run; Blake Fields finished 1-for-2 with a home run, an RBI, two runs scored and two walks; Irvin Weems III was 1-for-2 with a double, a run and a stolen base; and Antonelli Savattere reached base with a pair of walks in a 2-for-3 showing. On the mound, Boushele’s line read five innings pitched, one walk and one strikeout, with no runs allowed. Alex Overbay took the loss for Arizona State, falling to 1-3 after surrendering the go-ahead homer in the seventh.
Houston No. 12 sprints out of the batter's box as the Cougars secure the 5-3 victory over No. 22 Arizona State.
The win marked Houston’s fourth victory this season against a ranked opponent, the most for the program since 2019 when it posted five wins over ranked teams. Head coach Todd Whitting now has 71 career victories against ranked opponents and has recorded four-or-more wins over ranked teams in eight of his 16 seasons leading the program. The Cougars have outscored opponents 57-41 over their last 10 games and posted a combined 3.29 ERA in that span. With five runs on Friday, Houston also passed the 300-run mark for the season, raising its total to 302.
Several streaks and milestones were extended in the contest. Senior Antonelli Savattere pushed his hitting streak to 11 games, freshman Blake Fields hit his third home run of the season, and senior Cade Climie extended his on-base streak to 12 straight games while recording the 57th multi-hit game of his career. Senior Paul Schmitz recorded his fifth appearance of the year with five-or-more strikeouts. On the defensive side, Houston held Arizona State — a team that came into the weekend ranked among the national leaders in scoring offense — to four or fewer runs in consecutive games for the first time since March 15 and 17.
Houston will close its regular season with the rubber match against Arizona State on Saturday at 1 p.m. Fans interested in supporting the program can provide NIL opportunities or join the Dugout Club to offer financial support beyond the team’s operating budget. Those who want updates on the team can follow @UHCougarBB on X and find the squad on Facebook under Houston Cougar Baseball and on Instagram at @uhcougarbb.