SAN ANTONIO – After opening the game in a tough first inning, the University of the Incarnate Word worked its way out of a rut, but a tough eighth inning proved too much to overcome Houston on Wednesday night at Sullivan Field sponsored by H-E-B, falling 13-7. 

Brandon Troxler started on the mound for his first career start. The Cardinals were caught off-guard with two choppy in-field singles, split up by Troxler's first strikeout, that were sent home by a hit that snuck over the outfield fence as the Cougars jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. Houston added two more off a sac fly and a single through the right side for a 5-0 lead before the home team came to bat. 

Aaron Celestino came in at the top of the second, pitching three clean innings to keep the Cougars off the board heading into the bottom of the third.   

The Cardinals sent eight to the plate in the bottom of the third scoring three to cut Houston's lead, 5-3. After Ridge Rogers was walked, Zach Limas came up to the plate, hitting a triple off the right-field wall to send Rogers home to get UIW on the board. Wilson Erdhart notched an RBI when Limas came home. Jordan McFarland hit a solo bomb to follow it up making it a two-run game.

Ryan Flores hit a no-doubter in the bottom of the fifth, his second of the season, to make the score 5-4, with two outs in the inning. Noah Brewer hit a triple and was sent home by Lee Thomas' fly ball single to tie it up, 5-5 after five innings. 

UIW's pitching found its rhythm keeping Houston off the board until the sixth inning when Houston snuck in a run off of an error. 

McFarland tied the game first up on the plate in the bottom of the seventh, sending a leadoff homer to dead center for his second homerun of the game, and second on the season. 

Houston added five more runs in the top of the eighth to break the tie and pull away, 11-6, as UIW was unable to respond in the bottom of the inning. 

The Cougars added two more in the final stretch and the Cardinals scored once in the final frame when Flores added to his team-leading RBI total to send Ehrhardt in for the final score of the night. 

UP NEXT  

UIW sets for Natchitoches, La., to open Southland Conference play against Northwestern State on Friday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m.  

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