San Antonio Commanders fall to Arizona Hotshots 23-6

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (March 31, 2019) It was a hard Sunday night at the Alamodome for the San Antonio Commanders. With their offense unable to overcome the Arizona Hotshots defense, they dropped a 23-6 decision in front of 23,504 fans in the Alamo City. With the loss, and the Arizona win, both teams now post 5-3 records, with the Wildcats holding the advantage for the home field advantage in the playoffs. With two games to go in their inaugural Alliance of American Football season, the Commanders will have to win their final two games, with Arizona dropping one of the them to be able to have the fans in San Antonio witness the playoff game inside the Alamodome.

The game started off with the Hotshots scoring on their second possession of the game; a four-play, 80-yard drive that ended when John Wolford (below, number 7), connected with Radhad Ross on a 58-yard pass for the first touchdown of the game. The conversion attempt failed to put the score at 6-0 after 5:42 of play in the first quarter. They added three more points, with a Nick Folk 25-yard field goal at the 14:26 mark of the second quarter. The Hotshots capped another long drive for their second TD of the game with a six-yard run by Tim Cook, San Antonio responded with 47 seconds left in the half with a 54-yard field goal by Nick Rose. Both teams headed to the locker room at halftime with the Hotshots leading 15-3.

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

San Antonio took possession of the ball to start the second half; driving 58 yards in 11 plays to add three points to their total when Rose booted his second field goal of the night; a 35-yarder. The field goal was the only score on the third quarter, with Arizona taking a 15-6 lead into the final 15 minutes of play. The Hotshots added an insurance touchdown Cook scampered over right tackle for 20 yard and his second touchdown of the game. The conversion attempt, a pass from Wolford to Conner Hamlett, was successful, to close out scoring.

In week nine, San Antonio will host the 2-6 Memphis Express while Arizona will host the Birmingham Iron (5-3). The final week of the regular season will see the Commanders travelling to Salt Lake while Arizona will travel to San Diego to play the Fleet.

Commanders eke out 19-15 win over Salt Lake in AAF action

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (March 23, 2019) With 1:54 remaining in the game, the Salt Lake Stallions trailed by two after their only touchdown of the night. Going for the two-point conversion, quarterback Josh Woodrum targeted wide receiver DeMoenay Pierson-El for the tie; with the pass picked off by San Antonio Commanders' De'Vante Bausby. The fleet footed corner back ran the ball back, scoring two points to seal the deal and give San Antonio a 19-15 win over Salt Lake at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The win pushes the Commanders to a 5-2 record, good enough for first place in the Western Conference of the Alliance of American Football.

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

In the first quarter, the Stallions got the ball past the goal line with a Taylor Bertolet 32-yard field goal at the 9:17 mark in the first quarter. They took possession of the ball to start the game; moving it 53 yards before the drive stalled; as they settled for three points. The Commanders responded four and a half minutes later with a 75-yard drive that ended when quarterback Logan Woodside (above right) with a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Mekale McKay for the first touchdown of the game. The conversion attempt failed when a Woodside pass to Greg Ward, Jr. was incomplete.

You can view a photo slideshow from the game, 

by Darla S, Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography 

by clicking here.

Salt Lake evened the score early in the second quarter when Bertolet booted a 53 yarder. After some back-and forth play, San Antonio got the ball back on a Woodrum interception by corner back Duke Thomas. He returned the ball 25 yards to the Commanders' 29-yard-line. Woodside the mounted a 65-yard drive that resulted in a 23-yard field goal by Nick Rose to make the score 9-6 at the half. The Stallions evened the score after 4:40 of play, in the third quarter, when Bertolet added a 52-yard field goal to his scoring tally for the evening. San Antonio scored their second touchdown when Marquise

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

Williams came off the bench after Woodside left the game with a shoulder injury. He engineered a nine-play, 70-yard drive; concluding with a 36-yard pass to running back Trey Williams (shown left) for the score. The successful conversion; a pass from Willians to Ward, Jr. pushed the Commanders total to 17.  

Salt Lake cut the San Antonio lead to two after their late touchdown, with the final score being posted after the interception on the conversion attempt.

Early in the first quarter, on a second-and-two play, quarterback Stallions' Josh Woodrum handed the ball to running back Terron Ward for the first down. On the play, Ward was stopped by linebackers Joel Lanning and Shaan Washington. Lanning injured his shoulder on the play and left the game. He was checked by team physicians and returned to the game in the third quarter.

Houston downs Vancouver 3-2 in hard-fought match

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Darlla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Jennifer Edwards
Special Correspondent for Soccer
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

(click here to follow Jennifer on Twitter)

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 16, 2019) The Houston Dynamo welcomed the Vancouver Whitecaps to BBVA Compass Stadium for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, downing their MLS opponent by the score of 3-2. While the cannon didn’t fire on cue to open the match; the Dynamo defense came out swinging. Early in the game the Dynamo defense was challenged but showed their dominance in keeping the shots on goal at one. The offense was on fire, hammering Vancouver’s goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, eight times in the first 25 minutes of play. Crepeau allowed only one Dynamo goal by Memo Rodriguez ,on a pass from Alberto Elis. A penalty kick awarded to Vancouver was taken by Fredy Montero and was successful in putting the Whitecaps on the board. Later, in the 37th minute and after a video review, Alberto Elis scored putting the Dynamo up 2-1.

At the end of the first half of play. the Dynamo found themselves up by one goal up. The defense and offense ramped things up by showcasing extraordinary skills to keep the Whitecaps at bay during the three minutes of stoppage time, as shown by the fourth official.

At the start of the second half, a yellow card was issued to Memo Rodriguez in the 49th minute. The Dynamo had sparks of life early in the second half, but failed to capitalize on several attempts, causing a turnover to allow the Whitecaps to even the score up at two in the 54th minute. There was a corner kick, taken by Lundquist, that the Dynamo could not connect into the goal, sending the ball over the top of the crossbar. The offense shows a few sparks of life, but was having a hard time putting the ball in the back of the goal. The Vancouver defense was proving to be a big problem for the Dynamo in the second half and the Houston was having  problems getting through them. After the offense hammered the goalkeeper, Rodriguez broke through the defenses and scored again in the 74th minute. An injury happened when a Whitecaps player Andy Rose collided with Manotas and was helped off the pitch by the staff. Manotas returned to the game after being patched up. Vancouver would continue to play a man down due to using all of their substitutions. Mauro Manotas was substituted in the 88th minute and the crowd thanked him for his service to the game and his club. This match was his 100th appearance in an MLS match. Romell Quioto received a yellow card after a hotly contested penalty call. Both sides had tempers flaring and the referees were giving the whistles a workout trying to get the game back under control. From this call to the end of the game, both sides were fired up trying to hammer at the other’s goal, but neither connecting. The game ended with a corner kick being called, but not completed.

Breanna Wright leads ACU to upset win over No. 1 Lamar

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 16, 2019) Establishing a Southland Conference tournament record, Abilene Christian's Breanna Wright (left) was 16-of-16 from the free throw line in leading the No. 4 Wildcats to a 88-79 win over the No. 1 Lamar Cardinals; securing a place in Sunday's final tournament final against No. 6 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Her performance at the line established new tournament records for free throw points and free throw percentage. She scored 31 points, tying a career high she set on February 2, 2018 against Sam Houston State. Her 16 free throw points was also a season high. The win pushed ACU to a 22-9 record going into Sunday's tournament final.

The Jarrell, Texas native was not alone in securing the win. Fellow guard Sara Williamson shoot 6-of-8 from the field and was 2-of-2 from the line to add 14 points to the Wildcats' scoring machine. Staring forward Makayla Mabry and Lexie Mabry scored 13 and 15 points, respectively. Collectively, ACU shot an amazing 61.9% from the field; a season high. Junior Dominique Golightly pulled down nine rebounds to lead all players,

The Wildcats trailed by seven (68-61) will just over five minutes to play, with Wright hitting 10 of her free throws, along with a three-pointer, and assist and a steal in the final five minutes. ACU only lead for 7:27 and was down by 11 points at the 3:14 mark of the second quarter.

For the Cardinals, Moe Kinard scored 34 points in the loss; connecting on 11-of-22 from the field, including 6-of-12 from three-point range. Lamar finished the season with a 24-6 record, 

TAMU-CC advances in SLC tourney with 69-56 win over Nicholls

Story and video by Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 15, 2019) No. 6 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders threw caution to the wind and came out swinging as they knocked of the No. 2 seeded Nicholls State Colonels by the score of 69-56 in the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament. The wins sets up a Saturday, March 16 meeting with No. 2 seed Stephen F. Austin. The closest the defending Southland Conference champions ever go was when they took a two point lead at the 9:11 mark of the 1st quarter. After that, is was all Islanders, leading by as much as 18 midway through the final period.

The Colonels trailed in almost every statistical area, including rebounds (44-56), field goal shooting (32%-29%), turnovers (16-10), points in the paint (24-40), second chance points (11-25), fast break points (14-20), and bench points (14-20).

TAMU-CC used a balanced attack, with 12 players seeing playing time and eight scoring. Emma Young tallied the game's only double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds), with Alexes Bryant and La'Janeira Robinson scoring 14 each, and Dalesia Booth added 10. Three players scored 11 points each for Nicholls; Adrian Mann, Cassidy Barrios, and Tykeria Williams.

Abilene Christian storms to 82-54 win over Central Arkansas

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 15, 2019) No. 4 Abilene Christian pushed their season record to 21-9 as they downed No. 8 Central Arkansas by the score of 82-54 in the second round of the Southland Conference Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas. The win sets the Wildcats up for a Saturday, March 16 semi final match up against the No. 1 seeded Lamar Cardinals.

The Wildcats wastes little time in knocking the Sugar Bears out of the tournament. The jumped out to a 16-15 lead after 10 minutes of play; ending the first quarter with a 5-0 run. They extended their lead in the second quarter, outscoring their Southland Conference opponent 22-6; to take a 38-21 lead at the half. They also outscored the Sugar Bears 44-33 in the second half. 

The trio of forward Lexie Ducat, and guards Breanna Wright and Sara Williamson all scored in double digits, with Ducat and Wright tallying 14 points each, followed by Williamson with 11. Ducat and forward Makayla Mabry both pulled down eight rebounds to lead the game, with 15 of their 16 total coming on the defensive end of the court. Wright's three-pointer to end the first half gave her 999 career points and her seven assists have her four assists away from 400 for her career. Kamry Orr carried the banner for Central Arkansas, scoring 13 points, with Alana Canady adding 11. Hannah Langhi had seven rebounds in the loss.

Previously this season, the Wildcats faced Lamar on February 6, dropping a 63-60 decision at home. The Cardinals bring a 24-5 record into the game, along with a 17-1 conference record. Their only loss in conference play was to No. 2 Stephen F. Austin; a 70-58 loss in Nacogdoches. The game is set for a 1 p.m. tip off on Saturday and can be viewed in ESPN+. 

New Orleans knocks off Lamar 76-72 in SLC Tournament

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 14, 2019) The Lamar Cardinals battled back from a nine-point deficit at the 17:20 mark of the second half to cut the New Orleans lead to one with 59 seconds remaining in the game, but it was not enough. The No. 5 seeded Cardinals fell to the No. 4 Privateers 76-74 in the second round of the 2019 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas. The crowd at the Merrell Center saw Lamar trailing by one with less than a minute to go when a three-point jumper by Bryson Robison sealed the deal and sent the Cardinals back to Beaumont. Lamar had won their last eight games, and finish the season with a 19-13 record.

On the other hand, New Orleans edged the Cardinals on second chance points (15-11), with most other stats being equal. Robinson lead the Privateers with 17 points, followed by Scott Plaisance with 16 and Jorge Rosa with 13. Plaisance also pulled down seven rebounds to lead his team. Nick Garth, who started at guard for Lamar tallied 28 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the field including 4-of-7 from the arc and 8-of-9 from the line.

Forward Josh Nzeakor accounted for 11 of Lamar's 37 rebounds, including seven of the Cardinals' 13 rebounds on offense. He also scored 12 points, to go along with the 14 points that Davion Buster chipped in off the bench. 

New Orleans will meet up with the No. 1 seeded Sam Houston State Bearkats on Friday, March 15 with a 5 p.m. CDT start. The game will be available for viewing on ESPN+.

Central Arkansas overcomes Sam Houston State 76-71

Story by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved
Video courtesy of YouTube.com and Central Arkansas Athletics

KATY, TEXAS (March 14, 2019) Led by Kamry Orr's 29 points and 13 rebounds, the No. 8 Central Arkansas Sugar Bears downed No. 5 Sam Houston State by the score of 76-71 in the opening game of the 2019 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament in the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. Click on the inserted video as Sugar Bear head coach Sandra Rushing talked with the press after the game.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi dominates New Orleans 69-47

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 14, 2019) No. 7 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi jumped out to a 38-17 lead at the half in route to a 69-47 win over No. 6 New Orleans in the first round of the 2019 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament in Katy, Texas. The Islanders showed no mercy to the Privateers after falling to them by the score of 56-54 on February 16 in conference action. The Islanders had three players in double digits; forward Alexes Bryant (18 points), and guards Dae Dae Evans (12) and Emma Young (10). Forward Tiana Matthews tallied nine rebounds for TAMU-CC. Shania Woods carried the banner for the Privateers with 15 point and 13 rebounds.

The Islanders next opponent will be No. 3 Nicholls State on Friday, March 15 with a 1:30 p.m. CDT start. The Colonels finished the season with a 20-10 mark, along with a 14-4 conference record. They downed the Islanders 85-55 earlier in the season, in their only other match up of the season.

Central Arkansas sends TAMU-CC home with 73-53 loss in SLC Tourney

Photo and story by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 13, 2019) Central Arkansas exacted revenge from an mid-season loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, downing the Islanders 73-53 in the first round of the Southland Conference tournament in Katy, Texas. The No. 7 Bears, as a result of the win, advanced to the second round, where they will face the No. 3 seed in the tournament, Southeastern Louisiana.

Central Arkansas held an 11-point lead at the half, 36-25, and went on for the win to push their season record to 14-18. They will be facing a Louisiana team that posted a 16-15 record in 2018-19, along with a 12-6 record in conference play. On Janaury 2, the Bears dropped an 87-75 decision to the Islanders to kick off their conference slate. In the first between Central Arkansas and Northeastern Louisiana, on Janaury 5, the Bears topped the Lions 73-71 on the road. In their second game in Hammond, the Lions came out on top, 75-67.

Central Arkansas was paced by Thatch Unruh, who scores 21 points. Three other Bears scored in double digits; Hayden Koval (15), Matthew Mondesir (13), and Deandre Jones (11). Koval also led all players with 11 rebounds. The Islanders were led by Jashawn Talton with 17 points, and Jake Babic with 16.

HBU drops heartbreaker to Lamar, 81-79, in first round of Southland Tournament

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019  All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 13, 2019) In a game that saw both teams shooting over 40%, the No. 8 HBU Huskies came up short, falling to the No. 5 Lamar Cardinals 81-79 in the first round of the Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at the Merrell Center in Katy. The Huskies got off to a fast start in the first half and trailed 33-32 at the half. Lamar went on a 11-4 run to start the second half, which forced HBU head coach Ron Cottrell to call a time out in an attempt to get back control of the game. The Huskies battled tooth-and-nail with the Cardinals, but the game came down to rebounding and free throw shooting.  Lamar pulled down 43 rebounds, with the Huskies managing only 28. Lamar shot 17-of-22 (77.3%) from the line, while HBU was 19-of-22 (62.9%).

The Cardinals were led by junior forward Josh Nzeakor, who tallied 25 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. The Mesquite native tied his season high in rebounds and his 25 points was the second best performance of the season. In addition, teammates Jordan Hunter scored 18, followed by Nick Garth and Edwin Jeudy with 10. Jalon Gates came off the bench to lead the Huskies with 19 points, followed by Edward Hardt with 16,  while Braxton Bonds and Oliver Lynch-Daniels added 10 each.

HBU finishes the season with a 12-18 record and will return 10 players for 2019-20. They will be losing guard Stephen O'Suji, center Edward Hardt, and guard Braxton Bonds to graduation.

Next up for Lamar will be a 5 p.m. CDT match up against No. 4 New Orleans tomorrow (Thursday, March 14). The Cardinals will take a 20-12 record into the game, with the Privateers posting a 17-12 season and a 12-6 conference record.

Houston drops 1-0 decision to Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mexico

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019
All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

MONTERREY, MEXICO (March 12, 2019) Despite excellent defensive play by goalkeeper Joe Willis (shown left), the Houston Dynamo fell to Tigres UANL by the score of 1-0 in the second natch of their two-game series of the CONCACAF Champions League on Tuesday, March 12, 2019. With the win, combined with their 2-0 victory on Tuesday, March 5, Tigres wins the series by the aggregate score of 3-0. They will advance to the semi-finals of the tournament against Santa Laguna, with the first leg being played April 2-4. The second leg will take place on April 9-11.

Willis' play in the first 68 minutes was impressive, tallying four saves. In the 68th minute, defender Carlos Salcedo got the ball past Willis for the lone score of the match. The two best chances for Houston came in the 23th and 29th minutes when midfielder Tommy McNamara had opportunities to score. In the 50th minute, forward Mauro Manotas took a hard shot at the net; which went high. Captain DeMarcus Beasley saw 19 minutes of action prior to being replaced, for what was described as "tactical reasons" by Adam Lundkvist. Lundkvist had three corner kicks along with great defensive plays.

Next up for Houston is  Saturday. March 16 meeting with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CDT.

Houston Dynamo leave country to face Tigres UNAL

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 10, 2019) After their 3-2 win over the Montreal Impact on Saturday night, the Houston Dynamo will travel south of the border to face Tigres UNAL in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal. The match, which will be played at Estadio Universitari in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, is set for a 10 p.m. CDT start. 

In their first leg of the aggregate match, Houston dropped a 2-0 decision to Tigres. In order to advance in the tournament, the Dynamo will have to win in Mexico by at least three points. Upon their conclusion of the match, Houston will return to the friendly confines of BBVA Compass Stadium for a Saturday, March 16 match against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. 

Saturday's game will start at 2 p.m. CDT

Houston Dynamo, Real Salt Lake battle to one-all draw in season opener

Photo by
Darla S Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 2, 2019) The Houston Dynamo kicked off their 2019 schedule with 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake in front of 16,827 fans at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston on Saturday evening. The draw puts the Dynamo at 12-10-7 lifetime versus Salt Lake.

After forty minutes of spirited play, with both side giving as much as they received, Houston got caught out of position 10 yards in front of their goal. Midfielders Albert Rusnak slipped the ball past goalkeeper Joe Willis to give Real Salt Lake a 1-0, which held until halftime.

It took the Dynamo until the 62nd minute to find their first goal of 2019. Forward Mauro Manotas (shown left) punched it in from the top of the box to even the score at one. The Colombian scored 19 goals in 2018, and Saturday's goal was his second lifetime against the Dynamo's Western Conference rivals. Houston now boosts a 7-0-2 record in season home openers at BBVA Compass Stadium; along with a 9-1-5 record going back to the time they play at the University of Houston's Robertson Stadium.

One year ago, Salt Lake swept Houston in season games, both 2-1 losses on May 30 and August 18. The last time the Dynamo bested Salt Lake was a 5-1 decision on May 17, 2017. Other recent match ups saw a scoreless draw on August 5, 2017 and a 1-0  Dynamo win on September 17, 2016. The Dynamo were 12-10-6 against Salt Lake prior to Saturday's contest. 

Houston will have only two to rest and prepare for their next match; a Tuesday, March 5 contest against Tigres UANL in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series with a 9 p.m. CT kickoff. Houston will travel to Nueva Leon for the second leg at Estadio Universitario on Tuesday, March 12. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 10 p.m. CT.

In between the two CONCACAF matches, the Dynamo will take on the Montreal Impact on Saturday, March 9, with a 4 p.m. CT kickoff. Montreal is facing San Jose on the road late Saturday night in both teams 2019 opener.

Montreal finished 2018 with 14 wins, four draws, and 16 losses, for 46 points; which was seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.

Houston will host Tigres at BBVA Compass Stadium in the first leg of the series on Tuesday, March 5 at 9 p.m. CT. The Dynamo will travel to Nueva Leon for the second leg at Estadio Universitario on Tuesday, March 12. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 10 p.m. CT.

Baylor drops 5-2 decision to Texas A&M

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 1, 2019) Texas A&M erupted for four runs in the fourth inning in route to a 5-2 win over No. 12 Baylor in the night cap game of the Shriners Hospital for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park.

Aggie shortstop Braden Shewmake went 1-for-4, with two runs and two RBI, while starting pitcher John Doxakis saw eight innings of work; giving up four hits and a single run to raise his record to 3-0 for the season. Baylor starting pitcher Hayden Kettler received the loss; giving up five runs off four hits while facing 19 batters.

The loss was the first for the Bears in 2019. They will try to get back on the winning track on Saturday, when they will face the Rice Owls in the 3 p.m. game. The Aggies will play in Saturday's nightcap game against TCU. The Horned Frogs downed Houston 10-6 on Friday afternoon.

TCU downs Houston 10-6 at Minute Maid Park

Photo to Darla S Tamulitis, La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 1, 2019) Houston erupted for five runs late in the game, but is was not enough to overcome the TCU's early lead, as the Horned Frogs down the Cougars 10-6 in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park.

The Horned Frogs tallied three runs in the first, fourth, and seventh innings and added a single run in the eighth. Catcher Alex Isola was 3-for-4 with three runs, and three RBI. First baseman Jake Guenther was 2-for-4, along with scoring two runs and one RBI.

For the Cougars, third baseman Jared Triolo was 2-for-5 with one run and two RBI. Starting pitcher Tyler Bielamowich; seeing 3.1 innings, receiving the loss, while Nick Lodolo went seven innings, giving up two hits and one run. 

TCU will next face Texas A&M on Saturday with a 7 p.m. CST first pitch. Houston will take on Texas State in the first game on Saturday with an 11 a.m. start.